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Gutters · Often claimable

Ice damage from a winter storm

A gutter full of ice weighs several times what it was designed to carry, and the hangers give before the gutter does. The damage often doesn’t announce itself in January. It shows up in spring.

Quick answerIce overloads hangers, bends the front lip, opens seams and pulls sections off the fascia. Look for it in spring: a sagging run, a section pulled loose, or a seam that has opened. Ice dams are a separate problem. They come from attic heat melting snow that refreezes at the cold eave. Treat that as an attic issue, not a gutter one.

Damage from a specific storm may be covered by insurance. Gradual wear usually isn’t. Write down the date of the storm and photograph what you find before anything is repaired.

Long icicles hanging from a white gutter on a building
Ice along a gutter adds weight the hangers were not built for. Check the run for sags and open seams once it thaws. Photo by Zahraa Hassan on Unsplash.

1What ice does to a gutter

  • Weight. A run packed with ice carries far more load than water ever puts on it. Hangers bend or pull out of the fascia.
  • Expansion. Water that freezes in seams and corners forces joints apart. They leak once it thaws.
  • Sliding snow and ice. Sheets coming off the roof catch the front lip and bend it outward or tear sections loose.
  • Blocked downspouts. Ice plugs the outlet, so the next melt has nowhere to go and freezes in the trough again.
Ice dams are not a gutter problem

Melt water runs down a warm roof, refreezes at the cold eave, and backs up under the shingle courses. That is an attic insulation and ventilation issue. Treating it as a gutter problem is how people spend money without fixing anything.

2How to check after the thaw

  1. Sight the runs from the groundLook for dips, a front edge that leans out, and gaps between the gutter and fascia.
  2. Watch the next rainNew drips at corners and seams mean joints opened in the freeze.
  3. Check the downspoutsLook for crushed or split sections and elbows pulled apart.
  4. Look at the roof edge and ceilingsStains on interior ceilings near outside walls point to an ice dam, not a gutter.
  5. Photograph everythingWide shots and close-ups, with dates, before any repair.

3Fixing it

Do it yourself

  • Reseal a few opened seams on a single-storey run
  • Reattach a downspout elbow
  • Add hangers where a short section sags, if the fascia is sound

Hire a pro

  • Sections are bent, kinked or torn loose
  • The fascia is soft or split
  • The eave is second-storey
  • You are filing an insurance claim and need a written estimate
Don’t chip ice off a gutter

Hammering or prying ice from a gutter or roof edge damages both and is dangerous on a ladder in winter. Wait for the thaw.

4What drives the cost

Cost depends on how many feet are bent or loose, whether sections can be re-hung or must be replaced, the condition of the fascia, the eave height and whether matching material is available. For a claim, ask for the estimate itemized by section and line.

Gutters costFiling a claim

Gutters bent or pulled loose after a storm?

Talk to a gutter contractor who will document the damage and check the fascia behind it.

877-360-4657

5Questions

Will insurance pay for ice-damaged gutters?

Damage from a specific event, such as an ice storm, may be covered. Gradual wear and rot usually aren’t. Check your policy and document the damage first.

Do heat cables stop gutter ice?

They can keep a channel open for melt water. They don’t fix the attic heat loss that causes ice dams.

Why did the damage only show up in spring?

Bent hangers and opened seams are hard to see under snow. They show once the ice melts and rain runs through the gutter again.

Written by Jaylan Jones. I Like To Exterior Services earns a referral fee when a call connects to a contractor. See our business-model disclosure.

877-360-4657