Are Your Gutters Ready for Winter?

How to Get Your Gutters Ready for Winter:

  1. Attach and check downspout extensions. As snow and ice melt the ground gets inundated with water. Make sure the large amount of snow melting off your roof and gutters gets directed away from your home’s foundation.
  2. Tighten gutter spikes or brackets.
  3. Inspect gutters to make sure they are sloped properly. Gutters need to be sloped towards the downspout to insure proper water drainage.
  4. Clean your gutters and your downspouts.

-OR-

 

Install a solid gutter guard. This will make sure your gutters are ready every winter.

 

Attractive young couple getting ready for winter by carrying in wood

Gutter Problems Unique to Winter

Preparing your gutters for winter is crucial because winter weather adds an extra challenge for your gutters: ice and snow. 

If your gutters are clogged and can’t drain – the stagnant water will freeze and suddenly the gutters are filled to the brim with ice. This ice takes a long time to melt. While it lingers, its presence is causing two unfortunate situations: 

  1. A lot of weight is put on the gutter itself. 
  2. The gutters are now useless. So water from melting snow, or any rainfall is forced to overflow past the gutters and down to the foundation of the home.

These two problems lead to some more significant problems.

Problems Caused By Unprepared Gutters:

  1. Foundation damage
  2. Fallen or sagging gutters.
  3. Water damage inside the house seen by water marks on the ceiling.
  4. Constant water dripping on front porch and side walk leading to chronically icy walkways.

What’s the Gutter Winter-Prep Check List?

Follow this check-list to prepare your gutters for winter:

  1. Attach and check downspout extensions. As snow and ice melt the ground gets inundated with water. Make sure the large amount of snow melting off your roof and gutters gets directed away from your home’s foundation.
  2. Tighten gutter spikes or brackets. 
  3. Inspect gutters to make sure they are sloped properly. Gutters need to be sloped towards the downspout to insure proper water drainage.
  4. Clean your gutters and your downspouts.

Tired of Gutter Maintenance?

It’s a fairly short to-do list, but it likely will steal away one of the last few sunny afternoons before winter. So if you’d rather skip the maintenance – not just this time, but for years to come – Advantage Gutter Guard® is an ideal solution.

Here’s How Advantage Gutter Guard® Will Tick All the Boxes on your Gutter Winterizing Check List:

  1. Gutter Cover KC professional estimators will analyze your guttering system. They will make sure the downspouts are directing water far enough away from your foundation. They will recommend necessary changes to optimize healthy water flow.
  2. Before installing the Advantage Gutter Guard®, the installation technicians will analyze the slope of the gutters and make sure they are draining optimally.
  3. When installing the Advantage Gutter Guard®, a heavy gauge aluminum bracket is used that will not only attach the gutter guard but will fortify the attachment of your gutters to your home.
  4. The Advantage Gutter Guard® will keep leaves and other debris out of the gutter. This means your gutters will be ready to handle the heaviest of snowfalls.

If you’re ready to forget about gutter maintenance all together, give Gutter Cover KC a call. They’ll be happy to meet with you and help you get your gutters ready for winter.

Oh, and did we mention this doesn’t just winterize your gutters – it gets them ready for all the seasons? Say goodbye to gutter maintenance forever.

Do you have clean gutters, but are still having chronically icy walkways or other ice dam issues? It might not be your gutters. Watch for the upcoming article: Ice Dams – Causes & Solutions.

 

Updated from previous post 12/2020 

Common Gutter Winter-Prep Questions

Should I remove gutter guards in the winter?

No. Solid gutter guards protect and reinforce your gutters during the winter. Gutter guards protect your gutters year round.

What does it mean when your gutters are full of ice?

Likely your gutters are clogged or improperly sloped. This puts a heavy load on your gutters and since your gutters are full, water will pour over the gutters during the next rain. Gutters that regularly fill with ice often begin to fall off the home.

A long lasting solution to ice in the gutters:Advantage Gutter Guard®

It can be installed can handle 122 lbs. per linear foot. To put that into perspective, it can support 4 feet of solid ice, or 12 feet of snow stacked on top of it. That’s dramatically more than your average gutter.

How do I keep my gutters from freezing?

Gutters freeze when water is trapped. Water gets trapped in the gutter when gutters are clogged or poorly sloped. To prevent this from happening:

  1. Clean your gutters and downspouts regularly.
  2. Check the slope of your gutters and make sure water is draining properly.