1. Clean Your Gutters

While it's not the easiest job, cleaning your gutters is by far the most important gutter maintenance task you can do to prevent winter damage. Adam Yost, chief technology officer at Elevated Roofing and Siding, says that a single thorough cleaning is worth more than a few rushed ones. Most people opt to clean their gutters in the fall and spring.

Yost advises, "If the house is two stories or the roof is steep, hire someone for the fall cleaning. A couple of hundred dollars is cheap insurance compared to a major water damage bill."

2. Clean the Downspouts

Most homeowners know to clean their gutters, but few remember to clean the downspouts as well. Though you can't easily see a clog in a downspout, it can have just as devastating consequences as a clogged gutter.

3. Extend Downspouts

A crucial part of protecting your home from water damage is getting water as far away from your home as possible by extending your downspouts. Perfectly clean gutters and downspouts are great, but if all that water is being dumped directly into your foundation, your home is still at risk.

Yost advises homeowners to extend their downspouts at least 6 to 10 feet from the home's foundation to prevent basement leaks.

4. Install Gutter Guards

If your home is surrounded by large trees constantly shedding debris, you'll never regret installing gutter guards. However, Yost warns that cheaper gutter guards might not be worth the investment.

He says that good micro-mesh gutter guards can make winter a lot easier, even handling pine needles and shingle grit, but homeowners should avoid cheap screens and reverse-curve gutter guard designs, as they usually end up causing more problems than they solve.

5. Install Heating Cables

In extremely cold regions, heat cables can keep water moving through gutter systems even during freezing temperatures. These heating cables can be placed in the gutters and dropped into the downspouts to prevent ice buildup during extended periods of freezing weather.

When choosing your heating cables, Yost recommends self-regulating cables, which automatically sense and adjust their temperature to melt frozen spots and keep water moving in the gutters.

6. Upgrade Your Downspouts

While many homes have standard two-inch-by-three-inch downspouts, Yost advises homeowners to consider upsizing to three-inch-by-four-inch downspouts if they see significant snow and frigid temperatures, as the larger downspouts move slush and ice without clogging.

7. Improve Your Attic Insulation

If you've tried everything, but you're still dealing with ice dams every winter, Yost says the problem likely stems from your attic.

"If warm air is leaking into the attic, it melts the snow, the water runs down to the cold eaves, and it freezes," he explains. "Better insulation and proper intake and exhaust vents fix more ice dam issues than any gadget on the market."

Tips for Handling Snow and Ice in Gutters

To ensure your home is protected from winter precipitation, follow these tips for handling snow and ice in gutters.

• Lubricate your gutters before the first freeze. "Right before the first real freeze, spray the inside of the gutters with PAM or silicone. Ice lets go much easier," offers Yost.
• Clear the first few feet of snow from your roof. "After a heavy snow, use a roof rake from the ground and clear the bottom few feet of snow along the eaves," explains Yost. "It takes a few minutes and prevents a huge amount of weight from sitting on the gutters."
• Do a fall inspection. Yost recommends walking around your home's perimeter and tightening any loose gutter hangers and brackets to prevent ice from tearing them off.