Having rain gutters is an investment as they don’t come at a cheap cost. And you wouldn’t want them to! But there’s nothing more stressful than your gutters being ruined thanks to winter storms and freezing weather.
While there’s plenty of preventative care you can do sometimes things slip through the cracks. That’s why checking out and understanding what winter warning signs there are can help prevent major damage.
Let’s take a look at some of the potential problems.
Weighed Down Gutters
In order for your gutters to function best they need to be placed at the right angle so water can drain. What happens with snow and ice during winters is that they weigh down the gutters. At first this may not be a big deal but it certainly can turn into one.
Over time your gutters will start to get warped and change their shape. This will ultimately affect the effectiveness of how well the gutter drains out the water. This in turn can lead to the next two winter warning problems.
In order to prevent your gutters from warming make sure to brush off the snow from your roof and out of your gutters.
Cracked Gutters
Cracked gutters are a big problem as well and are one of the hardest problems to fix. A small crack may be able to be repaired but a large crack may mean replacing all the gutters. While it can be definitely hard to spot a cracked gutter there are some things that naturally contribute to a higher likelihood of cracking it yourself.
Gutters become frozen in the winter just like many things. When the material isn’t flexible it becomes easier to crack. That’s why some people try to remove debris when it’s already frozen and end up cracking their gutter themselves or chipping the material. It’s better to let the material thaw out than it is to force clean it when it is frozen.
Clogged Gutters
Possibly the easiest of the three to fix is clogged gutters. But don’t let this warning sign fool you, it can lead to major damage. Clogged gutters can lead to both cracked gutters and weighed down or warped gutters if you don’t treat them correctly.
It’s always best to take care of clogged gutters by getting out all the possible debris before the storm. If you haven’t done that then you need to find a way to soften the snow or ice to remove the clogged space. This may mean using warm water to melt the area.
Get Ahead of the Problem
These three culprits are the biggest winter warning signs that need to be addressed immediately if you see them start to occur. The last thing anyone wants to do is replace their gutters especially if they are relatively new. This won’t be necessary if you take care of them.
Remember that snow build-up can result in weighed-down or warped gutters. This can then lead to cracked gutters and results in clogged gutters. Some of these problems may be OK if addressed immediately. If you aren’t sure how to address them yourself you can always reach out to a professional service to help you work through these problems.