Icicles may be pretty, but don’t let their beauty distract you. Icicles can damage your gutters and your home. Learn the warning signs that suggest you have a dangerous icicle problem, and then take action to safeguard your home from water damage and mold.
When Are Icicles a Problem?
Icicles develop when melting snow hits chilly gutters and turns into ice. If you don’t get enough sun to melt the icicles, layers of ice will build up. This means longer, thicker icicles.
An ice dam occurs when the ice creates a wall that prevents roof runoff from draining into your gutters. Then, melted snow could leak into your roof via your shingles, while the ice dam could grow so heavy that it actually tears the gutters off your home, causing significant damage in the process. If water enters your home, mold won’t be far behind. A drywall or wood replacement job is expensive, as is mold remediation.
Don’t let this information scare you into running outside with a shovel and attempting to knock the icicles off your gutters. This could backfire if falling ice injures you. Hitting the icicles also places your gutter under stress and could cause it to rip away, adding to your problems.
How to Protect Your Home
A contractor, like Brandstetter’s KangaRoof can check your attic insulation. Insufficient insulation encourages icicles to form by allowing warm air to escape your home through the roof. By investing in attic insulation, you can take care of the cause of your ice woes.
You’ll also benefit from having your gutters checked out if you know icicles have been a problem in the past. Gutters protect your home from moisture year round. As they say, better safe by repairing or replacing old gutters than sorry when you uncover water damage in your home!
At Brandstetter’s KangaRoof, we offer gutter repair and gutter replacement throughout the Cincinnati tristate area. Let us inspect your gutters and repair or replace any problems. Call today for a free estimate.
