Don't underestimate the power of your gutters this winter. A properly functioning gutter system helps prevent damage to your roof and eaves, but issues can lead to extensive problems. Fortunately, issues are easy to avoid if you know what to expect and the best ways to prevent problems.

1. Ice Dams

Ice dams form along the edge of the roof. The dams develop following a heavy snowfall and they can cause water to seep beneath your shingles, resulting in attic leaks and roof damage.

Cause

Heat seeping through your roof from the attic melts the snow on the roof, which runs off until it is stopped at the gutter line. The air beneath the gutters and eaves is typically colder, so the water refreezes and creates a hump, or dam, right at the edge of the roof. Further melt runoff becomes blocked by the dam, so the moisture seeps beneath the shingles where it either refreezes or leaks into the attic.

Prevention

Clean, well-flowing gutters transport melt water away from the edge of the roof, which can help prevent ice dam formation. Heat cables in the gutters or along the roof edge can further prevent dam formation. If the dams aren't addressed, the weight of the ice can pull down gutter systems and damage eaves.

If you already have an ice dam, a repair service can clean the gutters and then melt the dam to create runoff channels so water won't collect on the roof.

2. Downspout Damage

Gutters are typically open and easy to access, so regular cleaning isn't a concern. Downspouts, on the other hand, are sometimes overlooked since they are enclosed.

Cause

Snow and water can collect in the spout. If this water freezes and expands, the downspout can split. Typically the collection of water is a result of debris inside the downspout that prevents proper drainage. Sometimes the cause is at the bottom of the spout, though. Water may freeze at the exit point, or heavy snowfall may block the exit, effectively creating a dam at the spout outlet.

Prevention

Prevention begins with your fall gutter cleaning. Downspouts also need to be completely flushed out to remove any potential blockages. Then, the outlet needs to be inspected to ensure that water routes well away from the house and the base of the downspout so that ice doesn't dam the spout outlet.

If you are still concerned about water freezing inside of the downspouts, invest in heat cables. You can run a cable down each downspout to ensure that the drain snow melt won't freeze inside your spout system.

3. Eave Damage

A misaligned or sagging gutter can cause damage to your roof eaves, including the soffit and fascia boards.

Cause

Damages depend on the misalignment issue. If a gutter sags, snow can collect in the low point. The weight of this excess snow then causes the gutter to rip out of the eaves. Gutters that aren't placed in the correct location beneath the eaves are also a problem. Melt water may seep behind these misaligned gutters and soak into the boards along the eaves. The constant exposure to moisture and ice may lead to wood rot.

Prevention

Prevention begins with inspecting your gutter alignment annually when you clear out the gutters. All gutters should slope smoothly towards a downspout at an incline rate of 1/4 inch for every 10 feet of guttering. If the gutters are also sagging, installing additional clips can fix the issue.

To prevent seepage of water behind the gutters, place gutters beneath the roof drip edge so water runs into the gutters and not behind them or over the top of the gutter.

Contact Rain-Flow Systems, LLC for more gutter maintenance and repair help.