Sensible homeowners might already be scratching their heads and asking themselves what sort of damage the snow and ice might be doing to their gutters. If you’ve got copper gutters then you’re lucky because they are less likely to be affected by the snow and ice than plastic or aluminium gutters.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t check everything is ok with your copper gutters. heavy snowfall can sit on top of your gutters, weighing them down. Plastic gutters and aluminium ones may bend or snap under the strain. Copper gutters are unlikely to do so, but is is sensible to clear what snow you can from the gutters.
Some materials expand and contract as temperatures change. Again, if you chose copper gutters, you’re lucky in this respect, because they aren’t affected as much by this as plastic or aluminium. In fact plastic and aluminium gutters may make a creaking sound as they expand and contract in changing temperatures. Frequent expansion and contraction can lead to cracks and leaks.
The cold weather does have the potential to damage your copper gutters. But the damage is much less likely than in other types of gutters. The best advice is to keep an eye out for leaks and cracks and to remove the snow from the gutters where possible.