How Do You Get Snow Away From Gutter

A nice homeowner named lisa emailed me the following about her recent issues with the gutters on her home being torn off by sliding snow.

How do you get snow away from gutter. When ice and snow melt they liquefy. Clearing away trapped debris such as fallen leaves or pieces of broken branches allows for the free flow of water from melted snow and ice to drain into the gutter and down the leaders aka downspouts. Put your ladder up and slowly work your way across the gutter system scooping out snow and noting the presence of any ice dams that have formed or are beginning to take shape. That way the gutter won t slip off the spike.

Not only will gutter helmet help your gutters work well in winter but it will also free you from having to ever clean out your gutters ever again during any other. Make sure your cleaning professionals pay special attention to the gutters downspouts elbows roof valleys eaves and fascias. Using a small trowel a gutter scoop or your gloved hands clear away as much debris as possible dropping it into a bucket for disposal. These heating devices help to keep the trough at a warm enough temperature so that ice dams do not form in the gutters and so that snow that sits in the gutter melts.

To keep the snow on your roof from melting make sure your roof is well insulated and that warm air is not escaping. We do not recommend you try cleaning your gutters during a storm. Climbing onto the roof or standing below could be dangerous. Be smart and wait until the rain has passed and the roof has dried.

Try to wait until conditions are not so slippery for you to attempt clearing snow from your gutters or you may find yourself sprawled out on the ground before you know it. I just had the identical problem. If the head of the new gutter spike can fit through the front hole on your gutter drill a new hole 1 4 inch 0 64 cm away from the first one that s the same diameter as the spike s shaft. The second way you can protect your gutters from ice and snow damage is to install heating devices inside of the gutter troughs.

Then use a power washer or the strongest blast from your. I came across an old posting of yours in which you were giving advice to a homeowner like me who had a metal roof and problems with cascading snow ripping the gutter off. Clogged gutters will only accelerate the process of ice damming and over flow when the gutters fill up with ice and snow. One way to prevent ice dams and buildup is to clean out your gutters prior to winter after all the leaves have fallen from surrounding trees.

However before we get into it a few warnings. 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. Remember any time you get on a ladder you have the potential for personal injury.