How Winter Affects Your Gutter System: Copper Gutters And The Others

During the winter, your home protects you from the cold by keeping out ice, snow, and frigid temperatures. However, this same home can become damaged if you don’t care for it properly. Make sure your home is protected against water damage and freezing temperatures by taking good care of your gutters.

You know your gutters are designed to shuttle water away from your home, but sometimes they have trouble keeping up when temperatures plummet. When water freezes in your gutters, here’s what can happen:

Ice Dams

Ice dams occur when heat escaping your attic melts snow and ice on your roof. As water runs down the roof, it refreezes along the gutters and can eventually build up enough to damage your home and gutter.

Sagging Gutters

When water that’s been sitting in your gutters all winter freezes and expands, it can cause your gutters to sag. This can damage your roofline, or the gutters can detach entirely from your home.

Cracked Or Broken Gutters

When water turns to ice in your gutters, the expansion that occurs can cause cracks in the seams of the gutters. This can make the gutters look unsightly and prevent them from doing their job of keeping rainwater from getting into your house.

Protect Your Gutters And The Rest Of Your Home

If you haven’t cleared your gutters in preparation for winter, you might experience water damage to your home when warmer temperatures melt snow and ice. The best way to make sure this doesn’t happen is to keep your gutters clear and in good condition.

Gutters are made of different materials, including fiberglass, metal, and plastic. Seamless gutters can help prevent leaks and cracks. But, if you opt for stainless steel or copper gutters, they will last much longer than seamless gutters and be more resistant to winter damage. Finally, if you want to keep debris out of your gutters in the first place, install copper gutter guards to stop leaves and twigs from clogging them up.