Heated Gutters and Gutter Guards for a St. Joseph Home
Winters on the Lake Michigan shoreline bring heavy snow, freeze-thaw cycles, and icicles hanging from the eaves. This St. Joseph, MI homeowner wanted gutters that stay free of leaves in the fall and keep draining all winter. Dennison Roofing & Gutter Toppers delivered new seamless gutters where they were needed, a tune-up on the rest, Gutter Topper gutter guards, and a new heated gutter system.
New 6″ Seamless Gutters Where They Were Needed
We tore off 65 ft of worn-out gutters and replaced them with new 6″ seamless aluminum gutters in Buckskin, along with oversized 3×4 downspouts on hidden mounts. Six-inch gutters and 3×4 downspouts carry far more water than standard 5″ gutters and 2×3 downspouts. On the garage, we checked and adjusted the flashing around the end caps so water goes into the gutter and not behind it.
A Tune-Up for the Existing Gutters
The rest of the home’s existing gutters were still sound, so we kept them and gave them a full tune-up before the gutter covers went on. We cleaned out the gutters and downspouts and repitched them where needed so water flows to the outlets.
Gutter Topper: The #1 Solid Metal Gutter Cover
On top we installed Tan Gutter Topper on Buckskin gutters. Gutter Topper was rated the #1 solid metal gutter cover by a leading consumer testing magazine. Its solid aluminum hood lets rainwater follow the curved nose into the gutter while leaves, needles, and seeds slide off. Each panel is 5 ft long. We added a B1 diverter where the heaviest flow of water comes off the roof to spread it out so it doesn’t overshoot the Topper.
Safe for a Flat or Low-Pitch Rubber Roof
This home has a low-pitch rubber roof. Our crew used a fascia-mount installation, so the gutter cover attaches to the fascia and never touches or harms the roof. It doesn’t affect the roof warranty. The full Gutter Topper line is the only gutter cover certified by roofing manufacturers not to harm or void their warranty.
Benefits for the homeowner:
- No more climbing ladders to clean gutters
- Birds and squirrels kept out of the gutter system
- One of the only gutter protection products to pass 2 independent tests: no clogging, torrential rain, 110 mph winds, and 1,200 lbs per sq ft of ice and snow load
- Lifetime Transferable Performance Warranty and a 20-year paint finish warranty
Heated Ice Release System: How Heated Gutters Work
Gutter Topper already includes the industry’s only built-in Ice Release™ system. As the temperature changes, the aluminum panel expands and contracts, which helps move ice off the roof’s edge. This home also had an old heat cable that had failed. We removed it and installed a new Heated Ice Release System.
Here’s how we route the heat cable:
- It starts in a downspout. When possible, we start the cable in the lower half of a downspout near an electrical outlet.
- Down and back up. The cable runs down the rest of the downspout to the bottom and back up into the gutter, so the whole downspout stays open.
- Along the gutter bottom. It lies along the bottom of the gutter all the way to the far end.
- Back under the Topper. On the return trip we mount the cable with aluminum J-channel to the underside of the Gutter Topper, so the heat reaches the front nose of the panel, where icicles form.
- Valleys and extra downspouts. Where a roof valley empties into the gutter, the cable can run up the valley and back down. Where there are extra downspouts, it runs down each one and back up.
The result: ice melts in the downspouts, in the gutter, and at the edge of the Gutter Topper, so meltwater keeps flowing instead of refreezing at the eave. That helps stop icicles and the ice dams that can push water under roofing and into the home.
Homeowner tip: turn the system on a few days before the first snow and leave it on until the last snow and ice are gone. Our customers in Indiana and Michigan tell us the power use is very minimal.
Why St. Joseph Homeowners Choose Dennison Roofing & Gutter Toppers
Dennison Roofing & Gutter Toppers has installed Gutter Topper since the 1990s. We serve Western Michigan, all of Northern Indiana, and all of Michigan except the Lansing area. We offer Gutter Topper, Solution, Needle Guard, and Leaf Terminator gutter protection, heated gutters, seamless gutters, and CertainTeed roofing, so every home gets the right fit.
Looking for gutter guards in St. Joseph, MI, or heated gutters before winter? Call (269) 371-4685 for your free estimate.
