The Truth About Gutters And Ice Dams
We all see them when winter comes: Those pretty icicles that serve as signs of the season and present a thrilling wintertime spectacle (provided you don't stand directly underneath them, of course). Yet icicles can also be a potentially troublesome sign, as well. They are often the forecasters of water damage being done to your roof and walls. Most often associate icicles with ice dams and also associate ice dams with clogged gutters. This may prompt you to ask the professional performing your roof gutter installation in Littlefield, TX, what you need to do to keep yours from forming ice dams. The answer may surprise you.
Do Gutters Cause Ice Dams?
Your gutters do not actually cause ice dams. Rather, they're most often due to insulation and ventilation issues in your attic. Warm air escaping from the attic causes the snow on the roof to melt. That water runs down the roof to the gutters. Since your overhang's gutters and other elements are typically as cold as the surrounding air, the water refreezes on contact, forming an ice dam. Subsequently, melted runoff then builds up behind the dam, forcing water under the shingles and onto the roof deck and causing water damage. Yet just because your gutters don't cause ice dams doesn't mean you shouldn't have them cleaned before winter. Doing so gives that runoff more area to flow and lessens the risk of ice dams forming. Talk to the provider who handled your roof gutter installation in Littlefield, TX, to arrange fall maintenance services such as:
- Gutter cleaning
- Gutter guard installation
- Insulation inspection
Let Us Help You With Your Gutters
Whether it's icicles in the winter or cascading waterfalls falling from your home during summer storms, there are plenty of reminders confirming the need to keep your gutters in tip-top shape. If yours are no longer performing optimally despite your efforts to main them, your gutter system may need to be replaced. When this happens, don't trust your roof gutter installation in Littlefield, TX, to just anyone; let us here at Fortenberry Roofing Co. handle it. To schedule an appointment for a free quote, call us at 1-806-385-6761, or reach out to us through social media.
