The sources we rely on trace ice dams to the roof, not the gutter. Snow melts on a roof warmed by heat from the house, and the water refreezes where the roof edge is below 32°F. A guard does not cause that, and it does not prevent it either. Air sealing and insulation address the cause.
Ice dams form on the roof above the gutter, and the cause sits in the attic.
Backed by Wood & Wood Seamless Gutters, more than 30 years in the gutter business.
How an ice dam builds
University of Minnesota Extension names air leakage from the house into the attic as the main source of the heat that melts the snow. The melt runs down to the cold eave, freezes into a ridge, and the water behind it can work under shingles. The National Weather Service recommends at least R-30 of attic insulation, with R-38 preferable in northern climates, plus ventilation that keeps attic air cold.
What a guard can and cannot do
A guard keeps leaves and needles out of the channel. It will not stop a ridge of ice from forming at the eave. What it does do is keep debris from filling the gutter in autumn, so meltwater that reaches a clear run has somewhere to go. We tell homeowners that plainly, and why gutters overflow covers the other winter problems.
If a dam has already formed, how to remove an ice dam covers the safe way to do it from the ground. For snow and freezing rain, see gutter guards in winter.
Call to install: every step
Three ways to start
- Call (617) 401-9301. It is answered any hour, and a missed call gets called back.
- Send the short form on the home page with your street address, and your number lands in your inbox.
- Text or chat through the chat window on this site.
Understand what you actually need
About fifteen minutes on the phone: the length of the roofline, the number of stories and the trees around the house. The roofline is measured remotely, so nobody comes to the house to sell. You get your price the same day, from the published per-foot rates.
- Gutters still in good shape: Gutter Clean Pro goes over the gutters you already have, from $18/ft.
- Gutters that need replacing: new gutters with the guard built in. T-Rex (continuous hanger) from $25/ft, or DoublePro (two filtration layers) from $30/ft.
- Fascia that cannot be drilled: Hover Pro, quoted for your house.
- Complex rooflines, third stories and copper are quoted separately, and we say so on the call, never after arrival.
Your plan, in writing
You get a written quote and your StormRail plan: photos of your house, the system, the gutter size and your color choices. The certified installer works from that same plan, so you and the installer are never on different pages.
A deposit capped at one third
Massachusetts law caps a home-improvement deposit at one third of the contract. We hold to that in every state we work in. Your quote names the exact figure before you pay anything.
Material ordered and confirmed
Your Alu-Rex system is ordered through the Alu-Rex distributor and confirmed before an install date is set, so the date you get is one the material can meet.
Scheduled with a certified installer in your county
A certified Alu-Rex installer working in your area takes the job, and you get the date without chasing anyone. In season we're typically booking four to six weeks out. We'd rather tell you that now than promise you Tuesday and send whoever happened to be free. Emergency work — a collapsed run, active water in the basement — gets triaged ahead of the queue.
Installed
The installer fits the system on the plan you already approved. Any balance is due as your quote states.
After the install
We check in after the job is done. Each system carries its own written Alu-Rex warranty:
- Gutter Clean Pro: manufacturing lifetime limited, clog performance lifetime limited, including coniferous areas
- T-Rex: manufacturing lifetime limited, clog performance 25-year prorated limited
- DoublePro: manufacturing lifetime limited, clog performance lifetime limited, including coniferous areas
Questions homeowners ask
Do gutter guards prevent ice dams?
No. An ice dam is a ridge of ice on the roof edge, fed by heat leaking from the house. A guard sits in the gutter below it and cannot stop that ridge from forming.
Should I still clear snow near the eaves?
The National Weather Service suggests a roof rake to keep snow on the roof to a minimum.
Who fixes the cause?
Extension recommends a weatherization professional, who can find the leaks with a blower door test or infrared imaging.
Can you price guards anyway?
Yes. Call (617) 401-9301 and we price the roofline on the call.
Compare the systems before you call: all gutter guards, Gutter Clean Pro, T-Rex, DoublePro, and the full price list.
Sources
- UMN Extension: Dealing with and preventing ice dams extension.umn.edu/protecting-home-rain-and-ice/dealing-and-preventing-ice-dams
- National Weather Service: Preventing roof ice dams www.weather.gov/grr/roofIceDams
Get a number for your roofline
One call is enough to start: the address, how many stories, and what grows over the roof. The published per-foot rate is the starting point, and the full scope and total are confirmed in writing before you pay anything.
Call (617) 401-9301