Do Rain Gutters Cause Ice Dams

In order to separate fact from fiction and to make the right decisions for your home here s what you need to.

Do rain gutters cause ice dams.

Since roof heat leads to ice dams one strategy to prevent ice dams is to reduce sources of roof heating. If people try to tell you otherwise either politely correct them or slam the door in their face and let them use the money they make from their revolutionary no ice dam gutter system to have a surgeon un flatten their nose. Gutter guard ice dams and icicles are the biggest issues if you are dealing with a section of gutter near an entranceway a stoop or above a garage door. In both cases the heat melts the ice on the roof.

This in turn causes the water to sit in the gutters and with the onset of colder temperatures the water will then turn into ice and at that point you are in a world of hurt. This backup is usually caused by clogs in the system that prevent water from flowing into the trough down the spouts and away from your home. The havoc ice dams wreak. Ice dams can form in your gutters when water is unable to leave the system due to blockages and other debris.

Ice dams can form in your gutters when rainwater or other precipitation backs up in your gutters and freezes due to cold temperatures in the winter late fall or early spring. That will make this an attractive option for gutters located in rain or snowfall areas that use larger gutter runs. Lay the hose onto the roof so it crosses the ice dam and overhangs the gutter. This in turn adds to the ice sickle or ice dam and will cause it to grow.

If it doesn t rethaw the next day you have an ice filled gutter and conditions that start to cause water to build up behind the previously frozen thaw the start of an ice dam. However gutters do help to concentrate ice and water in the very vulnerable area at the edge of the roof. A gutter cover and gutter heating system prevent debris and ice accumulation. With a lack of insulation or heat source water will build around or on gutter guards even if the gutter system did not experience problems in the.

People who tell you gutters cause ice dams don t know the science behind ice dams. If necessary use a long handled garden rake or hoe to push it into position. We estimate that 75 of all ice dams originate in the gutter. As gutters fill with ice they often bend and rip away from the house bringing fascia fasteners and downspouts in tow.

This might mean adding more insulation fixing problematic chimneys or skylights and looking and addressing sources of escaping air. Gutters do not cause ice dams. Clogged gutters downspouts and underground drain tiles. Contrary to popular belief gutters do not cause ice dams.

The calcium chloride will eventually melt through the snow and ice and create a channel for water to flow down into the gutters or off the roof.