Homes that had passed the test for many winters in a row, can suddenly realize that their roof and gutters had been improperly installed without their knowledge. The problems usually reveal themselves on the northern colder side of the home first. Entire communities can go many years in a row without ice damming on roof then one particular year they can experience extreme cold conditions day after day that causes huge numbers of roof edge leakage problems and gutter backups that wreak havoc throughout entire neighborhoods. Some winters are extremely mild while other winters pack a severe punch of many extremely cold days in a row without experiencing a thaw. During extreme winter weather, we might only get three days of work per week but we roofed all 52 weeks of the year right through the summer and the winter seasons. Some Winters are Worse: I gained an understanding of winter gutter requirements when I spent 25 years roofing, right through the winter in Rhode Island. The properly installed gutter with the properly ventilated roof and soffit will not experience water infiltration or condensation moisture. Sometimes gutters do not work, so let's just make sure gutters are installed in such a way that they don't leak into the building regardless of the weather conditions. Additionally, the gutter system should experience no leakage to the interior of the building, even when the gutters are full of ice and it begins to rain. The homeowner or building owner must have a building envelope that does not experience real problems when the gutters are locked in ice and nothing is flowing. Gutters and downspouts will fill with ice and become completely non-functional at times during the winter the proper gutter design and installation should begin with this in mind. Often, gutter drainage stops due to ice and the water and ice ends up on the walkway or in the basement anyway. Those owners might consider a better gutter design when they consider the fact that nothing flows when there is ice in gutters and downspouts. Unfortunately you cant avoid iced gutters. People often ask me “ How do I stop my gutters from filling with ice?. Such elaborate gutter designs are often due to the owner attempting to avoid draining onto certain areas that might end up on a deck, in the basement, or flowing over a walkway. People often resist the valuable suggestion of adding more downspout drainage to improve gutter performance. Gutter Ice Melting Cables: Active Method, Techniqueįace the Fact Gutter Ice Doesn't Flow: Sometimes I have to laugh at the elaborate gutter designs I see with lengthy 50 foot stretches of gutter sporting two 90 degree miters attempting to carry the rain water on a long twisting and turning journey draining into a single well placed downspout at one end.Decreasing Gutter Ice: Simple Passive Method, A Useful Technique.Modern Gutter flashing, assure against gutter ice backup leakage.Old Timer’s technique, Copper gutter lining worked well.Roof Ventilation & Insulation Decreases Roof Ice Problems.Gutter Ice Backup Leakage is preventable.Inadequate fascia behind and above the gutter?.Gutter installers in southern climates can cheat and relax the gutter installation standards to some degree, but Mother Nature will make a fool out of those who do not follow the gutter rules in freezing climates. Before installing gutters in northern climates, it makes sense to understand some of the concepts and employ certain gutter installation techniques to defend against winter gutter ice problems. Improperly vented soffits or jets, and poorly installed gutters can experience ice damming, ice jamming, ice backup and leakage into the building. The thoughtful gutter installer should recognize that in northern climates, a poorly vented roof combined with an improperly installed gutter, will experience gutter ice growth which can expand upward defying the laws of gravity. The fact that during the winter season gutters can become locked in ice and entirely non-flowing and nonfunctional, makes the sensitive gutter installer think twice or even three times about gutter installation methods and gutter drainage design Yes, the thinking woman or man, should think about the fact that no water will flow when below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. In northern colder climates, a building’s gutters can freeze to a solid block of ice. How To Prevent Ice Dams in Gutters and Roofs:
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