Depending on size and severity, icicles on your gutters could be a cause for concern.
There Are Icicles Hanging from Your Gutters
The winter months in Northeast Maryland can get brutal. With average low temperatures in the region hovering around 25ºF in January and February and its location near the eastern coast, winter precipitation is nearly certain. After a winter storm, homeowners will sometimes spot tapering pieces of ice hanging from their gutters. The size and location of the icicles can indicate how big of an issue is causing them.
Do Icicles Indicate a Larger Problem?
You walk outside a few days after a winter storm and notice medium-sized icicles hanging from your gutters. Don’t panic! Small to medium-sized icicles are a normal occurrence and are not cause for concern. Large icicles, ones that are a foot long, should cause alarm as they could be an indicator that there is a larger issue at hand depending on the potential undying cause.
What causes Icicles to Form on Gutters?
There are a few different causes for icicles on your gutters, ranging from completely innocuous to cause for concern. The first reason that small to medium icicles have formed on your gutters is the natural melting of snow and/or ice and the subsequent re-freezing of the melted snow when temperatures drop below freezing again.
Another reason you may see medium to large icicles on your gutters is because your gutters were clogged or full of leaves and debris before the winter weather hit. When your gutters are clogged with leaves and debris, the winter precipitation can get stuck inside with the debris and freeze inside the trough of the gutter. With the gutters full of frozen water, leaves and debris, melted snow will drip over the front of the gutters allowing icicles to form.
The most alarming cause of icicles on your gutters is an ice dam. An ice dam is a build up of ice on the edge of a roof that prevents melted snow from properly draining away. Ice dams can form when there isn’t proper insulation in your attic/space beneath your roof, when that same area is not properly ventilated, or when there is a severe clog in your gutter system. The reason that this cause is the most alarming is because it can have the worst consequences for your home.
What Consequences Do You Face With Icicle Formations on Your Gutters?
Good news! Unless you are seeing icicles that are a foot or more in length, there’s no need to worry. If you are seeing icicles that are more than a foot in length, you likely have a clogged gutter system. If the gutters are clogged severely enough, it could cause an ice dam to form. Consequences of a severely clogged gutter system mainly center around damaging the gutter system itself with a chance of water entering your home. The consequences of an ice dam mainly center around damaging your roof system with a larger chance of water entering your home.
What Kind of Damage Can Clogged Gutters Cause?
If clogged gutters are the cause of your icicles, you run the risk of damaging the gutter system itself. When your gutters are clogged with leaves and debris, the gutters get heavy. Add rain water or melted snow/ice to the clogged gutter, mix in some below-freezing temperatures, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a super heavy gutter that cannot be cleared until the water has melted. Gutters are generally made using a relatively light weight aluminum but installed using heavy duty hangers to account for the additional weight of leaves, debris, and rain water. However, when that water cannot flow freely through the gutter, becomes stagnant and freezes, the heavy duty hangers can fail under all of the additional weight. If the hangers fail, the gutters can fall down causing damage to your fascia board (the area directly beneath your gutters), your gutters themselves, downspouts, and anything that is on the ground beneath the gutter.
Clogged gutters can also cause water to enter your home. If you gutters are clogged and the rain water cannot flow freely throughout the system, the water can back up over the interior lip of your gutter trough and leak behind the fascia board and into your home.
What Kind of Damage Can an Ice Dam Cause?
If an ice dam has formed and is causing large icicles to form on your gutters, you run the risk of damaging your roof system. The build up of ice along the edge of your roof prevents water from properly draining away from your home. With nowhere else to go, the water can back up underneath of your shingles. If the water then re-freezes, it can cause damage to your shingles which can allow water to enter your home.
What Should You Do If You Have Large Icicles on Your Gutters?
Not everyone is comfortable on a ladder, especially in the slippery winter weather. If you see large icicles forming on your gutters, you should call a professional gutter and roofing contractor, like Mid Atlantic Gutters and Roofing, to do a proper assessment of your roof and gutters.
If you are willing and able to get onto a ladder and get a better look at the situation, check your gutters for excessive leaves and debris or any visible clogs and clear them away. If there is frozen water inside of the gutters, you can either wait until the ice melts naturally or use warm water or a heat gun to melt the ice away more quickly.
If this all sounds like too much hassle, look into a leaf free gutter system like K Guard leaf free gutters. The K Guard system has a hood that can lift off for inspection and dual drains to keep water flowing freely through the system. The gutter system is not installed under the drip edge of your roof so it does not compromise the integrity of your roof and comes with a lifetime warranty guaranteeing that your gutters will never clog, sag, or pull away from your home. A quality gutter system like K Guard can prevent winter weather from causing costly damage to your home.
If you are willing and able to get onto a ladder and get a better look at the situation and spot an ice dam, you have a few things you are able to do yourself as long as your are comfortable being on a roof top or at the top of a ladder. You can remove the snow from your roof using a rake, shovel, or broom. This will prevent the formation of ice when the snow on the roof melts. You should also evaluate the insulation in your attic or space beneath your roof. Proper insulation will keep the warm air in, the cold air out, and will prevent the warm air from penetrating to the exterior of the house that causes rooftop snow to melt and potentially re-freeze. Proper ventilation of the attic or area beneath your roof can also offset the temperature disparity that can cause the rooftop snow to melt and potentially re-freeze.
Icicles – Don’t Be Scared, Be Prepared
Icicles are a wonderful part of the beautiful winter landscape in Northeast Maryland. While larger icicles can be an indication of larger issues with your roof or gutter systems, steps can be taken ahead of time to prevent these issues from becoming a headache. In the fall months, make sure your gutters are clear of leaves, debris, and clogs. Investing in a leaf free gutter system like K Guard can make this more of a breeze and less of a chore.
Make sure that your attic/space beneath you roof is properly insulated (general recommendation is approximately 10” to 14” thick, though factors such as climate and attic size can cause variation) and that there is proper ventilation in the area. Checking these items in the fall months leading up to winter can prevent an ice damming situation and potential damage to your home.
The winter months can bring on winter weather that can be a grueling for your home. With advance preparation, you can prevent dangerous issues like clogged gutters and ice damming from happening to your property. With Mid Atlantic Gutters and Roofing, there’s no roof or gutter issue winter can throw at you that we cannot handle.