You might take your rain gutters for granted sometimes, but they are much more functional than you might think. They perform the highly essential task of keeping water away from the foundation of your house, which keeps your basement from flooding. In the cold winter months, you need to protect against unnecessary gutter ice damage. Here are some easy ways to do that...

  • Keep your rain gutters free of debris before the snow hits. This will lessen the probability that ice dams will form. The ice dams might block the water so that it leaks into your home.
  • Avoid having gutters that match the straight line made by your roof. Instead, make sure that a slight downhill angle is created to facilitate the draining of water.
  • Have gutters that have some sort of spout or outlet at approximately every 35 feet. This makes the outlets less likely to freeze in cold weather.
  • Clear snow buildup from your roof by using a snow rake or some other tool that will serve the same function. This prevents the snow from acting like insulation for ice buildups when the sun comes out.
  • If it seems like there is an obstruction in the outlet portion of the rain gutters, a plumbing snake might help the problem or break up the blockage. Be careful not to damage the gutter itself in the process, though.

Taking these preventive measures and remembering the tips for clearing obstructions will help you to keep your rain gutters in working order and will save you money in the long run, since replacing your gutter system is costly. Other methods might actually cause future leaks in your gutters, so you’ll want to avoid those.

For all your preventative ice damage questions, contact Heat Trace Specialists at (877) 244-1055.

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