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During the winter
months, you may notice icicles forming on your roof edges and gutters.
The formation of these icicles is due primarily to your homes heat loss
in certain areas. They often will appear as below:During winter storms, snow and ice builds up on the roof of
your home. This is obviously un-avoidable. The warm air in your home which your
heating system provides, rises towards the roof. This warm air begins to melt
the bottom layer of snow and ice on the roof above. As the melted snow and ice
trickles towards the gutters due to to pitch of your roof, it encounters an
un-heated area known as the soffit. The soffit area is the part of your roofline
which extends past the exterior walls of your home. This much colder surface
causes the water to freeze once again, and eventually forms the icicles you see.
Keep in mind, no gutter system is immune to icicles.
Englert Leafguard gutters are no exception, however they offer a
distinct advantage. Unlike a conventional open-top gutter, the ice is only built
up on the top surface of the gutter, whereby the open-top style gutter will
eventually be completely impacted with ice. As the weather warms and the sun
appears, the
Englert Leafguard
gutter will shed its icicles and begin to function normally. The open-top
gutter is essentially a solid block of ice, taking much more time melt it's ice
and become functional again. Here are some examples:
Above: A two-piece "gutter topper" and a
conventional gutter both with heavy ice buildup.
Below: Simply removing the first few feet of
buildup with a shovel really helps!
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