What is an Ice Dam and How can they be Prevented

WHAT ARE ICE DAMS AND HOW CAN THEY BE PREVENTED?

With winter comes snow and ice: it’s a fact of life we have to deal with. This not only means more time spent outdoors shoveling snow and clearing off cars after a storm, but also more time spent maintaining our homes to ensure they’re safe. Preventing ice dams from forming is a major part of winter maintenance on your roof, and one that you simply can’t neglect. Let’s explore how to prevent ice dams and what you can do to ensure they don’t harm your property.

WHAT IS AN ICE DAM?

First off, what is an ice dam? It’s a ridge of ice that accumulates at the edge of your roof or inside the gutters during really cold weather.  When outside temperatures are below 32 degrees Fahrenheit for an extended period of time, heat from inside the home can rise and warm the top of the roof.  This prevents melting snow from running off the roof properly. It gets stuck at the ice dam, backing up slowly until that water starts to leak and damage your walls and ceilings. This can quickly become a problem for homeowners, as leaks spring up to let in not only water but cold air also. That water can leak into your insulation as well, causing even more problems for your home’s heating efficiency. The ice dams can form particularly after a snow storm. When combined with the warm air from your attic, the snow naturally melts, then refreezes once it hits the roof’s edge, where it’s colder, says the Family Handyman. (http://www.familyhandyman.com/roof/prevent-ice-dams/view-all#ixzz3Krh4zooR)

HOW TO PREVENT ICE DAMS

Fortunately, there are some things you can do to prevent ice dams from forming in the first place. In order to efficiently stop ice dams, you should keep the roof the same temperature as the eaves underneath, explains This Old House. (http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,1131346,00.html ) You can achieve that by boosting your attic’s ventilation, adding some more insulation to the attic and sealing up any air leaks you may find. Those warm air leaks could be heating up the underside of your roof, encouraging melting and pooling of water. By keeping your roof as cold as possible, you will discourage the melting of water, which leads to major problems for your home. Since you’re losing one-third of your heat through the attic (just like you lose most of your internal heat through your head), you need to be diligent about blocking up leaks around light fixtures, telephone jacks, doors, windows, drywall gaps, pipes, access hatches, and chimneys. Use extra insulation where needed and caulk any cracks you find. Another wise idea is to add ventilation in the form of additional roof and soffit vents. You essentially want to suck in cold air from the outdoors and flush out that warm air in your attic to cool off your roof. Finally, you can install some heat tape, also known as heat cables, along the edge of your roof, which warms it up so ice doesn't even have a chance to form.

Do your part to prevent ice dams and you will experience a leak-free winter this season with your loved ones.

Importance of Gutter Protection

If your gutters look more like a garden instead of a system designed to protect your home from water damage, then you already know one of the reasons why gutter guards can be important. Plants and small trees belong in the yard, not on your roof.

Unprotected gutters will fill with debris from surrounding trees and other debris carried on the wind that ends up on your roof. No matter where you live, nature’s elements will find a way into your gutters and lead to serious problems.

When a gutter clogs…it fills with water, overflows, and becomes totally useless. Issues caused by debris collecting in your gutters are:

• Water overflow leading to foundation damage and soil erosion
• Build-up of dry debris is a fire hazard
• Water leaking into your attic and walls
• Standing water creates the perfect habitat for mosquitoes
• Moisture problems that encourage mold growth and termite/pest infestation

Cleaning your gutters regularly can help keep these things from happening, but getting up on the ladder several times a year isn't just a hassle – it’s not safe.

Cleaning gutters is notoriously one of the worst outdoor chores and we’re confident that many folks agree. At THE RHINO, we save homeowners from doing dirty work.

RHINO Gutter Guard is a system that creates a protective barrier keeping leaves, seed pods, pine needles, shingle grit and other debris out of your gutters. Our goal is to take gutter cleaning off of your “to do” list.

We researched a number of gutter protection technologies including reverse curve, hoods, foam, screens, and other mesh guards. The one consistent issue with each product was that they all failed to do what they were intended to do…keep debris out while allowing all of the water in.

We knew we could do better and we did by developing a product that would optimize water flow while keeping all debris out of the gutter system.

How to Install Gutters - DIY or Hire a Professional

Many homeowners have asked us about the best way to install gutters on their home. With tons of articles online explaining how to install gutters, some consider the do-it-yourself option to avoid hiring a professional. While this sounds like a good idea, homeowners should be aware of the risks associated with installing gutters themselves.

Typically, installing gutters can be done in a day or weekend, making the project enticing for a homeowner to add to their “to-do list” around the home. Homeowners should think twice before committing to this project. Installing gutters requires time spent on a ladder and quite possibly the roof. In the US, over 175,000 people fall from ladders each year, while 350 of those falls prove to be fatal. Hiring a professional, rather than attempting a gutter installation yourself, can save you from potential injury and costly medical bills.

While hiring a professional gutter company might seem daunting, the benefits are far greater. Professional gutter companies know this tarm in a safe, efficient manner. Installers spend most of their day on a ladder and practice proper safety techniques. Gutter companies are experts on installation of gutters. They know how to properly hang and pitch the gutters, inspect the fascia for damages, and the proper methods of sealing gutters to prevent leaks. All of these factors affect the performance of your gutters and most homeowners don’t have the appropriate knowledge to address these issues.

Another benefit to having a professional install your gutter system is the warranty you often receive. Many companies offer a warranty which gives you peace of mind that your gutters will continue to protect your home for years to come.

When deciding to hire a professional company to install your gutters, you should consider gathering estimates from multiple companies. Don’t forget to check their references, make sure they are licensed and insured, and ask about their warranty. A quality company will have this information readily available for homeowners, and it will help you find the best company to fit your needs.​

Smart Snow Removal - Digging out the Right Way

Ah, snow: as it’s falling, nothing could be more serene than this magical winter wonderland. It’s as pretty as a picture – until you have to get rid of it. That’s when the real hassle begins. No matter what your snow removal method is, it’s important to do the job right. That means being aware of the type of snow you have, how to properly lift if you’re shoveling, and the best way to go about snow removal if you’re using a snow plow or snow blower. This winter, be smart about snow removal and dig out the correct way.

PROPER WAY TO SHOVE

You've heard it before: lift with the legs, not with the back. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, nearly 17,000 people are treated in emergency rooms each year for injuries sustained while shoveling or removing ice. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00060

Keeping your back from suffering injury is possible if you do some stretches before shoveling and lift the right way. If possible, it’s better to push the snow off to one side instead of lifting it directly. If you must lift, make sure you’re bending at the hips, and not using your lower back. Jut your chest outward and bend with your knees, keeping your back straight. Hold the snow shovel as close to the blade end as possible with the other one grasping the handle. Instead of twisting to dump the snow, turn your whole body and then dump the load. To maintain your center of gravity, keep the shovel close to your body and avoid throwing the snow off to the side, which can strain the lower back, advises. Source: http://www.spine-health.com/wellness/ergonomics/snow-shoveling-techniques-prevent-low-back-injuries

SNOW BLOWER SAFETY
Snow blowers have made snow removal so much easier. Clearing your driveway now takes a fraction of the time it used to when you were armed with just a shovel. However, a snow blower comes with its own safety rules. You’re probably already aware you should never stick your finger into the machine to clear out an obstruction, but we’ll tell you the stats anyway: finger injuries and amputations made up half of the 3,300 ER visits in 2012 related to the use of a snow blower, according to Consumer Reports. Source: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/12/common-sense-tips-for-safer-snow-blowing/index.htm

Before heading out to clear snow with a snow blower, make sure you wear proper clothing.  It’s safer to wear tight fitting clothing, rather than loose pants, scarves, jackets, and hats that dangle at the side. Protect your ears from the noise with ear plugs or muffs to avoid hearing loss and cold exposure. Keep kids and pets far away from snow blowing machines at all times. Push the machine slowly and walk in straight, back and forth lines. If a blockage occurs, shut the engine off before inspecting what the problem could be.

SAFE SNOW PLOW OPERATION
If you own a snow plow and are providing community plow services, there are many safety tips to keep in mind as well. Never plow going faster than 14 MPH, always keep the blade toward the curb when not in use, check the temperature gauge regularly to ensure the engine’s not overheating, and always check for hidden obstacles, such as shrubs, mail boxes, fences, fire hydrants and speed bumps before using snow plows.

Following these safe snow removal tips will help keep you and your family safe during this brutal winter season. Stay warm, stay safe, and happy plowing.!!!

How to Clean Gutters - DIY or Hire a Professional

If you’re like most homeowners, you dread the idea of having to clean your gutters. Depending on your environment, this task might need to be done every month or several times a year. The internet is filled with “do-it-yourself” videos on how to clean gutters, but which method is the safest route for you?

Before we delve into the “how to” portion of cleaning gutters, let’s first discuss why having clean gutters is functionally important to the health of your home. Gutters serve one purpose: to move water away from your home. By design, gutters clog very easily…quickly filling up with debris and standing water.

When your gutters are clogged, they prevent water from flowing away from the home. Instead water will overshoot the gutter, causing damage to the roof line and foundation of your home. As a homeowner, it is essential for you to maintain clean gutters to ensure that they function as intended. There are two ways to clean gutters: clean them yourself (NOT SAFE) or hire a professional gutter cleaning company (SAFE).

NOT SAFE
In order to clean your gutters yourself, you will need to collect the necessary tools. These include a ladder, gloves, plastic bags, a garden hose, and other various items. The tools will vary depending on how clogged your gutters are. Let’s face it, no homeowner has ever said that gutter cleaning is fun: you get on a ladder and pull wet, filthy, soggy lumps of leaves and debris out. This task has to be repeated often if you have trees surrounding the home, or neighborhood pests such as squirrels, snakes, or rats.

Cleaning gutters not only takes time, but it is also considered very dangerous. Homeowners put themselves at risk for injury when getting on a ladder. Each year, countless homeowners nationwide visit the emergency room for ladder related falls.

SAFE
Rather than cleaning gutters yourself, you might want to consider hiring a professional gutter cleaning company to clean your gutters. You can schedule a seasonal service and the cleaners will visit your home once a season to remove all debris from your gutters. This will help save you time and prevent any risk of injury from falling while cleaning your gutters. The only downside to hiring a company to clean your gutters is that you have to pay them for the service. This can quickly add up, especially if they visit your home more than once a year.

What is a better solution to keeping your gutters clean? The answer is simple: gutter protection. Investing in quality gutter protection ensures that your gutters are protected from debris year around, allowing them to perform as intended and prevent clogs. Installing gutter protection on your home gives you peace of mind that your foundation and roof are protected by clean, free-flowing gutters and this will keep more money in your pocket.

So the next time you ask “how to clean your gutters?” consider asking yourself this instead: “why not just get gutter protection?”

The RHINO Offers a Complete Solution

Every inch of the gutter system and roof has its own set of issues. We've carefully studied each of those issues and realized that a properly designed gutter protection system was needed.

We started by creating RHINO Gutter Guard – a carefully crafted and patented micro-mesh
gutter guard made of strong aluminum and surgical-grade stainless steel mesh that handles an amazing amount of water while keeping even small debris like pine needles out of your gutters.

Confident in our beginnings, we continued to research more ways to provide complete protection for your home.

When gutters become overwhelmed in certain areas with heavy volumes of water, they ‘overshoot’ which defeats the whole purpose of having gutters in the first place. Our patented line of RHINO Miters complete THE RHINO® system by addressing such trouble spots as inside roof valleys, bay windows, and heavy water streams created by upper stories or underneath dormers.

Many homeowners report various animals making their way up the downspout and nesting in their gutters or burrowing into their attics. With RHINO Downspout Caps, this problem is solved. Made of corrosion resistant surgical grade stainless steel, these discreet mesh caps create a barrier that animals cannot pass through.

Once our complete gutter guard system is installed, we wanted to make sure debris, pests, or small animals could not enter your gutters through openings at the end points. To cap off these openings and ensure gutters are completely sealed, we created our specially designed RHINO End Caps to enclose the whole system.

BUILT TO STAND UP TO OUR PROMISE.

Many companies claim their product will end gutter cleaning forever. However, after those products are installed, they fail due to poor material quality, bad design, or the inability to stand up to Mother Nature. At THE RHINO®, we can confidently stand behind our products because we utilize the finest materials and enforce strict quality control measures.

Our 20-year warranty guarantees that RHINO Gutter Guard® will stand the test of time with harsh outdoor elements and continue to stand up to its reputation as one of the most trusted gutter protection systems on the market.

THE RHINO® is only sold and installed by one of our Authorized Dealers who are:

• Factory trained and certified
• Licensed and insured
• “A” rated with the Better Business Bureau
• Committed to 100% customer satisfaction

As a manufacturer, we pride ourselves on the ability to deliver a unique, professional experience to every homeowner through our National Network of Authorized Dealers – from the initial sales presentation in your home all the way through the installation and warranty process.

We’re so passionate about this that we encourage you to contact us directly if you are unhappy with your RHINO experience.

AFFORDABLE AND SMART.

We understand the importance of making a financial decision when it comes to your home. With that in mind, we offer financing options for customers who would like to spread the cost of THE RHINO® installation over time or simply streamline their cash flow.