Frozen Gutters and Ice Dams: What to Watch for From the Ground

Snow, Ice, and Your Roof Line: What to Watch for From the Ground

Winter is the one season we tell homeowners to stay off the ladder. Snow on the ground, ice on the rungs, and a frozen roof are a bad combination, and there's very little you can safely do up there in January anyway.

But that doesn't mean you can't tell what's going on. Your roof line gives away a lot if you know what you're looking at, and you can read all of it from the driveway with a cup of coffee in your hand. Frozen Gutters and Ice Dams: What to Watch for From the Ground

ICICLES TELL A STORY

A few small icicles after a melt are normal. Ohio does that. What matters is the pattern.

Icicles spread evenly along the whole gutter line usually mean water is draining and simply freezing on the way out. Not ideal, but not alarming.

A thick cluster of icicles in one spot is different. That's the low point of your gutter, and it's telling you water is pooling there instead of running to the downspout. Either something is blocking it or that section has lost its slope. Make a note of where it is, because that's the first place to look in the spring.

Icicles hanging from the roof edge rather than the gutter itself can mean the gutter is so packed that water is going over the top before it ever gets in. A solid sheet of ice along the eave, sometimes called an ice dam, means melting snow is backing up under the shingles instead of draining off the roof. That's the one that puts water inside your walls and ceilings.

CHECK THE BOTTOM OF EVERY DOWNSPOUT

This is the easiest check there is and the one people skip. Walk around the house and look at where each downspout ends.

If you see a mound of ice at the outlet, that downspout isn't draining. Any melt coming off your roof has nowhere to go but over the side of the gutter, straight down next to your foundation, where it freezes and pushes against the wall. Ice at the outlet also means the underground drain line below it is likely blocked or frozen solid.

While you're down there, check that splash blocks and extensions are still in place. Snow plows, shovels, and the guy clearing your driveway move them constantly, and a downspout pointed at your foundation all winter causes real damage.

LOOK FOR SAG AND SEPARATION

Wet snow is heavy, and ice is heavier. Sight down each run of gutter from the ground and look for anything that has changed since fall.

A section dipping in the middle, a gap opening where the gutter meets the fascia, a spike or hanger that has worked its way loose, a length that looks like it's leaning outward — all of these mean the gutter is carrying more weight than the fasteners can hold. A run that's already sagging in January is the one that comes down in February.

If a gutter has separated from the house, water is getting behind it and soaking the fascia board every time it melts.

PLEASE DON'T CHIP THE ICE

We understand the impulse. Do not go after ice in a gutter with a hammer, a shovel, a hatchet, or anything else.

Gutter metal is thin, and it's brittle when it's frozen. You will punch through it, tear the seams, or pull the whole section loose long before you get the ice out. Every winter we replace gutters that survived the ice just fine and didn't survive the homeowner trying to remove it.

Salt and ice-melt products don't belong up there either. They corrode gutters and fasteners, and they run off onto your plants and foundation.

The safe thing to do with ice in a gutter is leave it alone. It will melt. If it's causing water to come into your house, that's a call to make right now, not a ladder to climb.

WHAT TO ACTUALLY DO IN WINTER

Keep snow from piling against the foundation and away from the downspout outlets when you shovel. Watch for water stains showing up on interior ceilings or in the upstairs corners, which usually means an ice dam is pushing water under the shingles. And write down what you notice, especially where the ice keeps forming, so you know what to have checked as soon as things thaw.

Most of what winter reveals gets fixed in early spring — re-sloping the runs that hold water, resealing seams the ice opened up, replacing fascia that rotted, and flushing the drain lines that couldn't handle the melt.

AllDone Gutters and Drains is a family-owned, licensed and insured company serving Columbus, Dublin, Westerville, Hilliard, and Grove City. Call 614-701-6567 and we'll take a look as soon as the weather allows.

Done right, done once, All Done.