Prevent Water Damage by Clearing Clogged Gutters

11/2/2020 (Permalink)

It’s that time of the year when leaves are falling from the trees and filling our gutters.  It’s important to clean your gutters and remove the leaves, in order to prevent water problems in the winter and spring.  Gutters clogged with leaves can cause 2 different water problems. 

If your gutters are clogged with leaves, water from rain or melting snow cannot freely flow off your roof and an ice dam can form when the temperature dips below freezing.  An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents additional melting snow from draining off the roof.  As the snow melts from your roof, either by the heat of the sun or by heat escaping from your home, it tends to refreeze at the edges and other juncture points of your roof. The refreezing water has a damming effect creating an even bigger ice dam behind it.  Continuous feeding of the ice dam by melting and refreezing snowmelt can cause significant damage.  As the water seeps under shingles it refreezes, expanding and creating an even bigger gap for future drainage to fill and further the cycle.  Your shingles are being raised and eventually the water that backs up behind the dam, and underneath the shingles, can leak into your home and cause damage to walls, ceilings, insulation, and create a perfect environment for mold growth.  In extreme cases, we have seen water pouring down into living areas when winter rain falls on the ice dam. 

Ideally, you should clean your gutters twice a year, in the spring and in the fall. If you end up with water damage from clogged gutters or ice dams, give us a call at (781) 834-7707.