Will Covers Prevent Ice Damming?

A poor cover or no cover at all will exacerbate the situation because any debris in the gutter will slow the flow of water out of the gutter giving it more time to freeze.

A good cover will not prevent ice damming, but it will help reduce the speed at which ice damming can occur.

A great cover like the one we offer can reduce the amount of ice damming and even stop ice damming from occurring.

To better understand this concept, you need to learn what causes ice damming. Ice damming is a natural occurrence of ice forming on a roof caused by the melting and refreezing of snow as seen in the diagram below.

As exterior and attic temperatures rise the snow starts to melt and run down to the eaves. The eaves are generally cooler since they are not over the heated portion of your home. The water hits this area and refreezes. This ice begins to grow into a block of ice along the eaves and gutters. As this block gets taller, the melting snow (water) begins to pond and push back up the roof. This can cause some serious damage to the interior of the home if measures aren’t taken to prevent it.

Ice Damming Prevention

Heat Cables

Heating Elements/Cables can be installed in the Fall before it snows. Cables are to be installed in a double loop configuration through the gutter, downspout and on eaves to provide a channel for water to drain. Cables should be installed with a controller to regulate when the cable turns on and off. It is important to note that heat cables only provide a low voltage electricity which is designed to melt a very narrow path (along the cable itself) thereby allowing water to weep through the ice dam, through the gutter, and down the leader.

Even with a functioning heat cable system, a clogged gutter will hold water and eventually freeze so a heat cable system is only truly effective with a properly functioning gutter covers.

Guardian Gutters sells a superior heat melting system designed to reduce and, in many situations, prevent ice damming in your gutters and on your roof. Please refer to our “AmourGuard Ice” products that integrates a heat cable into our covers.- (Internal Link To Location)

Attic Insulation

Adding insulation in your attic will reduce much of the heat loss from the living space and help reduce the risk of ice damming as well. But there are very specific protocols that must be adhered to in order to effectively stop the heat loss from your house into the attic yet at the same time prevent the buildup of moisture and mold within the attic space.

We happen to be very knowledgable in this area and can help with insulation, and ventilation concerns for your home and attic spaces.

Ice & Water Barriers

These products do not prevent ice damming, but they are designed to prevent the pooling water from getting through your roof sheathing and into you home.

Unfortunately, this would require removing roof shingles in order to install these products and therefore it is typically only installed with a new roof installation and in fact it is now a part of most building codes. In extreme cases we can remove the bottom courses of shingles (once the roof is clear), install ice and water shield and install new shingles.