Colorado often gets the first taste of winter weather sometime in October. We don’t always get snow this early in the season, however, freezing rain is a common occurrence in the fall, signaling Old Man Winter is inching closer.
Freezing rain is not an enjoyable winter weather occurrence, especially when compared to snow. It saturates everything outside and pelts down hard so you can’t even enjoy outdoor activities. Not only does freezing rain cause slick roads and dangerous conditions but it can also damage your home. Keep reading to learn how freezing rain can damage your home and how you can keep it safer this season.
Freezing Rain can Cause Downed Tree Branches
Freezing rain is precipitation that doesn’t have time to freeze before landing on the ground and instead freezes on a surface that it comes in contact with. Trees easily become covered in a layer of ice when freezing rain is falling and this icy layer can be very heavy and cause tree limbs and branches to fall, ultimately damaging your home.
Ice-covered branches can easily add hundreds of pounds to trees, causing branches to snap right off. If a tree on your property is near your roof then you could potentially have damage to your home from downed tree branches and limbs. To avoid damage as a result of ice-covered branches, keep all trees close to your home trimmed. A professional arborist can help determine which trees need to be trimmed without compromising the health of the tree.
Freezing Rain can Cause Gutter Damage
As previously mentioned, freezing rain will freeze on contact with any surface and your gutters are no exception. If you have traditional half-round gutters, gutter screens, or gutter filters, then your gutter system can easily become damaged from freezing rain in several ways.
First, half-round gutters don’t have a hood protecting the inside of the gutter so freezing rain can easily collect inside of the gutter, causing a heavy layer of ice to form. This ice can cause your gutter system to be weighed down resulting in sagging gutters. When gutters sag then other damage can occur like leaks, damage to your home’s soffit and fascia boards, the gutters can pull away from your home, etc.
Freezing rain can also cause your half-round gutter system to warp and crack. Cracked gutters are like a domino effect; when precipitation ends up in the gutter then the water will escape through the cracks, allowing the water to leak out of the gutter system and into your home’s soffit and fascia boards and your home’s siding.
Cleaning your gutter system often is paramount when it comes to preventing gutter damage as a result of freezing rain. Clogs from debris like leaves and twigs can cause an unnecessary blockage that impedes water flow and prevents meltwater from flowing through the gutters and downspouts.
Freezing Rain can Cause Ice Dams
Freezing rain can also cause ice dams. If you’re unfamiliar with ice dams, they’re thick pieces of ice that collect around the edges of sloped roofs. They form when heat produced from inside a house melts accumulated snow or ice on a roof. Add in freezing rain that’s left to sit and melt and refreeze inside of a half-round gutter system and you have a recipe for disaster. Ice dams can cause leaks and sagging gutters as well as injuries.
Freezing Rain can Cause Foundation Damage
Freezing rain can also cause your foundation to fracture, resulting in leaks, mold, and other nuisances. How? When gutters are clogged then meltwater from freezing rain has no choice but to overflow and collect around a home’s foundation. Foundation damage is no fun and can result in some costly repairs.
If a gutter system is not collecting and directing water away from your home’s foundation then the buildup over time will cause damage like cracks, mold, and even structural damage. A quality gutter system is crucial when it comes to preventing water from collecting around the foundation.
Freezing rain is no fun for homeowners. With the risk of downed tree branches, gutter damage, ice dams, and foundation damage, it’s important to keep your home as safe as possible from freezing rain damage.
One of the best ways to protect your home is to install the K-Guard Leaf Free Gutter System. Our gutter product is a permanent way to avoid clogged gutters and keep your home safe from damage caused by drainage issues. Our curved hood allows debris to simply slide off rather than entering the gutter system and causing clogs, overflowing gutters, and sagging gutters. The K-Guard Gutter System can handle up to 23 inches of rain per hour, so you’re protected from drainage issues as a result of snow, heavy rain, and freezing rain.
K-Guard is the premiere gutter company in Colorado, providing a leaf-free gutter solution for homeowners for many years. We proudly install the K-Guard Gutter System across the state of Colorado including, but not limited to, the following locations:
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