There are a lot of things around your home that need a little TLC before winter arrives—maybe you close up your pool, put away the kids’ sandbox toys, or store the outdoor furniture for the season.
But one of the most important things on your list of fall to-dos is to prepare your gutters for the upcoming winter. As the leaves start to fall and the temperature drops, ensuring that your gutters are clear and functional should be a top priority.
We’ll explain why it’s so important to keep your gutters clear during the winter months, discuss the challenges that fall and winter bring, and provide you with our top five tips for keeping your gutters in tip-top shape all year round.
Understanding the challenges of winter gutter maintenance in the fall and winter
Gutter maintenance is challenging in New Jersey and New York winters. Winters are cold and full of snow, ice, and hail. To ensure your gutters stay in the best possible condition, you need to understand the potential issues that may arise during the winter.
The impact of leaves, snow, and ice on gutters
As we move into fall, it’s important to keep gutters clear of debris. As leaves fall, winds tend to pick up speed, and debris is more likely to fall on your roof and potentially get stuck in your gutters. Clearing them on a regular basis ensures drainage isn’t impacted and that there is no adverse effect on your gutters.
The build-up of snow and its subsequent melting and refreezing cycle also poses a potential challenge for your gutters. While our winters can be cold, they’re also ever-changing. Sure, temperatures aren’t going to have you pulling out your shorts and sundresses, but changes in weather are enough to cause a somewhat continuous cycle of melting and refreezing. This cycle can cause the formation of ice dams.
Ice dams are ridges of ice that form at the edge of a roof to prevent melting snow from draining off the roof. As the water backs up behind the dam, it can cause leaks into the home. Additionally, due to their weight, ice dams can slide, causing gutters to pull away from the house or detach completely.
Other issues that can result from the snow and ice are sagging gutters caused by the weight of the snow and ice. As mentioned above, the weight of the snow can be significant. Coupled with any trapped water freezing in the gutter, the added weight can cause your gutters to sag, pull away from the home, or completely detach.
Finally, if your gutters aren’t cleaned before winter, you may be dealing with frozen debris in your gutters. This can hinder water flow, making any clogging issues even worse.
The importance of keeping your gutters clear in the winter
When preparing your gutters for the winter season, it’s important to understand that it’s a preventative measure to protect not only the longevity of your gutters but also your home from potential, unnecessary damage.
Preventing icicles
While ice dams can be a big issue for homeowners, preventing them should be a priority. You should also work to prevent icicles from forming. Icicles hanging from the gutters might make you feel like winter has truly arrived. But the reality is that icicles are a sign that your gutters aren’t flowing properly and are being overwhelmed by ice and snow. Their weight can cause damage to your gutters, and they can be dangerous for pets and people alike.
By ensuring that your gutters are clean and free of debris, you can ensure that snow can melt and flow properly through the gutter system, reducing the likelihood of icicles and ice dams forming.
Extending the lifespan of your gutters
If you take the time to maintain your gutters, they can last many years. Regularly cleaning your gutters—especially before the winter—can help keep them free of debris and snow. Keeping your gutters clear can help you avoid possible rust, metal pitting, and decay. Routine maintenance will prolong the operational life of your gutters.
5 winter maintenance tips for your gutters
Here are our top five tips to help you maintain your gutter during winter and beyond.
1. Clean your gutters at least twice a year
Your gutters should be cleaned at least twice a year. We recommend cleaning them before the winter and again in the spring. While twice a year is a good standard, it’s a good idea to take a look at them after any major storm, as storms can cause debris to land on your roof and in your gutters.
2. Inspect your gutter for rust, holes, leaks, and other damage
It’s important to make sure your gutters are in working order. Taking the time to look for signs of rust, leaks, or holes is an important part of maintaining your gutters. While inspecting, pay close attention to the gutter joints where the metal edges are welded together. During your inspection, you may also see places where the gutters have detached from the roof or siding—these areas will need to be reattached as soon as possible.
Depending on the level of damage you find, you’ll either need to repair the gutter or replace the gutter system.
3. Keep the roof clear of debris
On the topic of debris, it’s important to keep your roof clear of debris to keep your gutters clear of debris. Debris can clog gutters when it washes down from the roof during rain or over time with the help of gravity. Keeping your roof clear of debris goes a long way to maintaining your gutters.
4. Pay attention to the downspouts
When we talk about gutter maintenance, it would be a mistake not to mention downspouts. While the gutters get the water and debris off your roof, the downspout does the rest of the work. Without properly functioning downspouts, water drains at the base of your house, which can cause issues with the foundation over time.
Inspect downspouts like you do for your gutters. Look for leaks, rust, holes, and corroded joints. If you find issues, repair issues or replace the downspouts if needed.
5. Protect your gutters from leaves and debris year-round
If you want to invest in a solution to keep your gutters free of leaves and debris, consider a leaf protector. These protectors allow rainwater to travel into the gutter while deflecting leaves and other debris so they never clog.
Here at B&B Siding and Roofing, we’re offering a gutter upgrade from November 2024 to January 31, 2025.
Take advantage of this limited-time offer.