As a homeowner or renter, one of the things you are responsible for is maintaining the effectiveness of your gutters, clearing the debris, and preventing building up so they can drain properly. You may be wondering, should I clean my gutters in the winter? American Restoration Water & Fire has restored parts of homes that have been damaged due to neglected gutters. Ideally, the time to clean your gutters is during warmer weather, such as spring, summer, and fall, because once winter arrives, temperatures fall too low to clean out all areas of your gutters.
Rain and snow or even slight moisture in the air can create just enough added water to debris in your gutters, such as leaves, that can cause them to freeze as temperatures fall below freezing. When this build-up happens, it increases the likelihood of ice dams forming. Ice dams occur as water thaws from the roof and run down to the gutters to drain. When the gutters experience a blockage, the water freezes and thaws and freezes and thaws again, and ice dams are formed. Ice dams can cause damage to the roof and siding of your home.
The easiest way to avoid ice dams is to make sure your gutters are clean through fall and the beginning of winter. American Restoration Water & Fire does not recommend that you clean your gutters in the winter unless you have a higher temperature day. As residents of New Mexico and in the Albuquerque metro area, we experience a lot of different weather patterns during winter. Those days are often not frigid, and the wind is not usually blowing because of a significant winter storm approaching. If you feel confident and comfortable and have someone home with you, clearing your gutters of a known blockage will help prevent roof and siding damage if a snowstorm does arrive soon!
We understand home restoration and rebuilds can be a daunting task. Still, when you entrust your home to American Restoration Water & Fire, we can guarantee that it’ll look like nothing has happened! To understand how American Restoration Water & Fire operates, you can give us a call, and we would be happy to talk to you about it. Your peace of mind is just one of our goals.
