Snow is not created equal: it can range from light and fluffy, picture-perfect snow to wet, heavy snow to soft and slushy. While you might want to use heavy snow to put together the perfect snowman, wet or slushy snow is not always ideal for your gutters. How can you reduce snow and ice damage to your gutters?

Gutters Can Experience Damage During Snowy Winters

Snow, cold, and ice can wreak havoc on gutters. Ideally, snow and ice would thaw and run into your gutters. In real life, constant subfreezing temperatures tend to hinder that process. As a result, ice and snowpack can build up inside the gutters, which produce additional weight on the gutter sections and the fasteners that hold them. Over time, this added stress can cause gutters to buckle, bend, separate, or pull away from the roofline of a home.

Keep Gutters Clean in Winter

What can you do if you want to avoid a gutter replacement? Keep your gutters clean. If leaves, twigs, and other debris are allowed to build up inside gutters, it facilitates the formation of ice and snow blockages which stop water from running off into drains. When this water has nowhere to go, it does one of two things: either drips onto the ground below, causing landscape erosion and icy patches on pavement; or it freezes inside the gutters, creating even more stress on the entire guttering system.

The solution? Equip your gutters with a gutter guard to keep debris out of your gutters while allowing runoff water into them. The top choice for gutter protection in the U.S. is Gutter Helmet.

Gutter Covers Help Gutters Withstand Winter Weather

Unlike mesh or screen gutter guards, Gutter Helmet forms a solid protective barrier over the gutter openings while leaving a slim opening through which runoff water can flow. Solid debris simply slides off of the barrier onto the ground, leaving your gutters clog-free and fully functioning.

More importantly, Gutter Helmet is strong enough to withstand winter’s harsh conditions. Not only is Gutter Helmet’s unique horizontal-rib design engineered to strengthen the gutter cover, it’s also affixed to the roof with reinforced heavy gauge brackets that stand up to the stresses caused by excessive snowpack and ice buildup. In fact, Gutter Helmet has been tested in areas with heavy snowfall like Minnesota, New York, and even Canada, so it will outperform all other brands of gutter protection systems.

Do you want to avoid winter snow and ice damage? Talk to us at Lednor Home Solutions. We’ll help you with your gutter cover or gutter heating system. Contact us to prevent ice dams and save your gutters this winter.