The wintertime can really take a toll on your home’s roof. It can also put a huge strain on your gutters if you’re not careful. It’s not uncommon for ice dams to form on the edges of roofs when the heat inside of an attic causes snow to melt and trickle down towards the gutters. Before the melted snow is able to reach the gutters, it will often refreeze and form ice dams. Here’s how those ice dams can do damage to your gutters.
Adds weight to your gutters and puts them at risk of falling off your home
Ice dams are known to form right on the edges of roofs, which puts them in close proximity to your gutters. As they get larger and larger, it’s not uncommon for ice dams to lean right on your gutters and put a lot of pressure on them. This can cause your gutters to crack. It can also apply so much pressure that your gutters fall right off your home.
Stops rainwater from working its way towards your downspouts
In the event that ice dams form anywhere near your downspouts, they could prevent rainwater from being able to go down them. When this happens, rainwater will back up in your gutters often times and spill out over the sides of them. This could put your home’s foundation at risk. It could also lead to problems with your gutters since they’ll be filled with rainwater all the time. They may leak, crack, or break when your downspouts aren’t accessible.
Leads to additional ice and icicles forming on your gutters over time
If you don’t do anything about ice dams, they’ll usually get worse before they get better. A small ice dam can accumulate even more ice and cause icicles to form on the side of your home. This will increase the chances of your gutters getting damaged. It’s why you need to make it a point to remove ice dams ASAP and find ways to stop them from forming in the first place.
Have ice dams done damage to your home’s gutters? Bell Seamless Gutters can provide you with brand-new gutters and talk to you about how to prevent ice dams from damaging them once they’re in place. Call us at 800-597-1616 to speak with someone about our gutter systems.
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