Gutters and Gutter Guards: Your Winter Questions

Published November 4, 2026

Gutter guards and snow and ice

Do gutter guards cause ice dams?

No. Ice dams form when heat escaping from the house melts snow on the roof and the water refreezes at the cold eaves; the guide to ice dams explains it step by step. A guard does not create that heat. What a guard can do is keep the trough from filling with leaves, so meltwater on a mild day has somewhere to drain. Ice can still build up on top of a guard in a hard winter, the same as on an open gutter.

Do gutter guards work in Minnesota snow?

They do their main job, keeping leaves, needles and seeds out of the trough, all year. In winter, snow can sit on top of a guard and freeze, and icicles can form along the edge, just as they do on gutters without guards. Guards are about clogs, not about stopping ice, and the fix for heavy ice is in the attic and the roof.

Should gutters be cleaned before winter?

Yes. Gutters packed with fall leaves turn into troughs full of ice, and the weight can bend hangers or pull a gutter off the fascia. Clear them after the leaves drop, run water through each downspout to make sure it drains away from the foundation, and check that the gutters still slope toward the downspouts. A guard reduces how often this needs to happen.

Should I take gutters down for the winter?

No. Gutters protect the siding, windows and foundation from the water that comes off the roof during thaws and in spring. Keeping them clean and firmly attached is the right approach.

Seamless gutters

What is a seamless gutter?

A seamless gutter is formed from one continuous piece for each run of the house rather than joined from short sections. Omega Exteriors fabricates its seamless gutters on site, measured to the house, and attaches them with sturdy hangers. With no joints along the run, there are fewer places for leaks to start.

Seamless or sectional gutters: which lasts longer here?

Joints are the usual weak point of a sectional gutter, because each one depends on sealant that ages with sun and freeze-thaw cycles. A seamless run has joints only at the corners and downspouts, so there is much less to fail.

How are gutters sized?

The counties we serve get roughly 22 to 42 inches of rain and melted snow a year, and spring snowmelt comes off a roof all at once. Gutter size, the number of downspouts and their placement are chosen for the roof area that drains into each run, so that water stays in the gutter on the heaviest days and is carried away from the foundation.

The guards we install

What gutter guards does Omega Exteriors install?

Omega Exteriors installs gutter guards that use a mesh design to keep debris out while letting water through, fitted to the gutters on your house. The existing gutters are cleaned and prepared first so the guards sit snugly.

What is Gutter Rx?

Gutter Rx is a gutter guard system made of aluminum that Omega Exteriors installs to keep gutters free of debris. Our article on Gutter Rx describes it.

Can guards be added to my existing gutters?

Often, yes, when the gutters are in good condition and properly pitched. If the gutters are sagging, leaking at the joints or sized too small, replacing them with seamless gutters and adding guards at the same time is usually the better plan. An estimate visit will tell you which applies to your house.

Repairs, replacement and storm damage

My gutters are dented after hail. Does that matter?

Dents in soft aluminum gutters are one of the clearest signs that hail was large enough to damage the roof, so they are worth a closer look even if the gutters still drain. Omega Exteriors provides gutter storm damage restoration, and gutters are often repaired in the same project as the roof after a storm.

When should gutters be replaced instead of repaired?

A single loose hanger or a leaking corner is a repair. Gutters that sag along their length, leak at several joints, have pulled away from rotted fascia or overflow every heavy rain are better replaced, and a new roof is a natural time to do it.

Cost

What affects the cost of new gutters or guards?

The length of gutter on the house, the number of stories, the number of corners and downspouts, the condition of the fascia behind the gutters, and whether guards are added all shape the price. Every project from Omega Exteriors starts with a free estimate, where the house is measured and the options are explained. To book one, see our gutter installation page or call (651) 998-8500.