Minnesota’s harsh winter months can cause considerable problems to your home. With the winter months upon us, your rain gutter system might cause roof strain and damage. Gutters are often overlooked during the winter since rain isn't falling.  But regardless of the time of year, they are an important part of your home. While homeowners know that gutters are there, they don’t take the time throughout the year to maintain them. Gutters require yearlong cleaning and maintenance to avoid costly repairs.  Here are the four most common gutter winter issues we see in the Twin Cities area.

Winter Gutter Issues

Clogged Downspouts

Your gutters must be clear of debris or your downspouts can become obstructed. Instead of melting ice and snow flowing freely out of the downspouts, they become frozen. That  blocks the whole rain handling system. It is important to always keep your gutter clear of debris.  If you didn't get your gutters and downspouts cleaned out this past fall, you may have problems with clogging in the winter.

Ice Dam

Another common gutter issue in the winter months is ice dam formation at the roof edge. As with clogged downspouts, it comes down to keeping the gutters free of debris with regular cleaning. Rather than draining, water sits and freezes due to clogged gutters. In some cases, big pieces of ice accumulate from several snowstorms and become heavy, often freezing water under the shingles. This can result in damage to your roof. Gutters can even break off your house completely if they become weighed down with ice.  That can mean anything they were attached to - such as fascia boards - can get pulled off in the process.

Excessive Snow Level

If you reside in an area (like ours) prone to a lot of snow, you should look for ways to clear your gutters. Gutters are not manufactured to withstand wet, heavy snowfall. To avoid this problem,  regularly move snow accumulation on the roof as well as in the gutters.

Icicles

Most likely, when the snow starts to fall and the cold temperatures set in, you’ve seen icicles form.  Those calendar-picture icicles danging from your gutters are an indication that the gutters were clogged and couldn't direct snow melt away so instead it overflowed the gutters and then froze.

It is important that when the snow melts that you inspect your gutters for damage before the spring rains start. You can give us a call if you want an inspection, need repairs, or may need replacements. We can help. We install seamless steel gutters with oversized downspout openings that provide a more efficient way to handle snow melt in the winter and heavy rains the rest of the year.