By Angel Perkins Editor
Dale Cox of Atlas Continuing Gutters and Siding of Lakeville/LaPaz says that while fall is his busiest time of year, winter is what does the most damage to gutters.
“Regardless of who put them in or how much you spent your gutters can get damaged by ice," he explained. "The weight of the ice can pull out the old spike and ferrils (the hangers that hold the downspout against the building that were installed in old guttering systems) or (for the newer homes) the straps out. Ice build up can cause problems with the roof edges because they melted ice can't get through so it will puddle back and try to get under the roof edging."

Another way that ice damages what it is supposed to protect is in the situation where you have a flat roof. "Every flat roof is not perfectly flat," Cox said. "You have to do some figuring to find exactly which area it runs off but it will be there."
The 78-year-old got into the business when his sons decided to get in to the construction business. "They realized it (guttering) could be a business all of its own," he said.
After 19 years, Cox and his son Phil, Phil's son Kyle (who is the foreman) and Cox's daughter Sue (who works in the office) have built a customer base and continue to serve homeowners in and around the areas of Argos, Bourbon, Bremen, Culver, Etna Green, Knox, Nappanee, New Carlisle, Plymouth, and their Lakeville and LaPaz area.
He says that regular and timely care in cleaning your gutters is the only way to assure that only ice is clogging the runoff, a problem that can be easily solved with some sunshine. "If you have trees anywhere near your home you're going to need to clean them every year," Cox recommended. "Lots of people are busy and they forget about it (clearing the gutters of debris) or wait until the spring."
For more information or to contact Cox call 574-784-3917.