Tips for Protecting Your Gutters from Snow Damage

Your gutters have the important task of protecting your home from the perils of water damage, which can manifest in many forms, such as roof rot, landscape erosion, mold and mildew growth, insect infestation, and more. Unfortunately, gutters can’t perform properly if they’ve become damaged, and in places where snowfall is a regular occurrence, gutters are especially vulnerable. If you want to protect your gutters from snow damage and ensure that they continue to perform properly each year, consider the following tips:

Inspect Your Gutters

You should inspect your gutters several times a year to ensure that they are functioning at peak performance. While standing on the ground, you can walk around the house to make sure that your gutters are securely attached to the house while checking for things like leaks or gaps between the gutter and fascia. Any of these issues can create risk for gutter damage from ice and snow during the winter, so be sure to conduct the necessary repairs as soon as possible or enlist the help of a professional to get them done.

Clean Your Gutters

Clogged gutters create the perfect opportunity for ice dams (a ridge or block of ice that forms at the lower end of a roof) to occur. To avoid this, you’ll want to get a ladder and clean away any leaves, twigs, dirt, seed pods, broken branches, and other trapped debris. This will ensure that water from melted snow and ice continues to flow freely.

Trim Your Trees

Trim back any tree branches near your roof to prevent limbs from snapping under the weight of snow and ice—a situation that can seriously damage your roof and gutters.

Add a Warming Cable

Adding a warming cable to the edge of your roof or a gutter guard will help control the temperature and risk the over-accumulation of snow and ice.

Install Protection

Gutter guards strengthen and reinforce gutter systems. While there are many types available on the market, you should opt for a solid cover that uses surface tension to channel rainwater into your gutters while sloughing away debris. Not only will this optimize your gutters functionality by preventing debris from getting trapped, but it will also prevent you from ever having to clean the gutters yourself again.

Turn to Home Solutions of Iowa

At Home Solutions of Iowa, we can expertly install high-performing aluminum gutters that will help keep your home free of damage year after year. Our LeafGuard gutters even come with built-in gutter protection, so you can rest easy knowing that your gutters won’t clog while kissing the days of scaling a tall ladder to clean your gutters goodbye. These gutters are also backed by an unbeatable lifetime workmanship warranty, so you can feel confident knowing that your investment is protected.

Contact our knowledgeable and helpful professionals today to learn more about our gutter products and the flexible financing options we offer to all homeowners who qualify.