A metal roof can have gutters, and in Sioux Falls it usually should. The gutter is the same aluminum gutter any house gets. What is different is the roof above it. Shingles grip snow and let it melt slowly. Metal lets it go, all at once, in a sheet, and a standard gutter hung in the path of that sheet is the thing it takes with it.
Why snow behaves differently on metal
A shingle roof holds snow in place. A smooth metal panel does the opposite: snow builds up, the bottom layer warms from the sun or the attic, and the whole mass releases and slides. People who live under metal roofs describe the sound as something like a car crash.
Sioux Falls averages about 45 inches of snow a year, and the city designs roofs for a 40-pound ground snow load. That is a lot of weight to have moving, and the gutter sits exactly where it lands.
The two ways to handle it
| Let the snow slide | Hold the snow on the roof | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Gutter set low, so snow and ice pass over it | Snow guards or a snow rail stop the slide; snow melts in place |
| Protects the gutter | Yes, if it is set low enough | Yes |
| Protects people and cars below | No | Yes |
| Downside | Heavy rain can overshoot a low gutter | More weight stays on the roof, and meltwater feeds the gutter all at once |
| Best for | Walls with nothing underneath | Entrances, walks, driveways, decks |
Most houses end up using both: snow guards over the places people walk, and a gutter set low enough to shrug off a slide everywhere else.
Letting the snow slide
Installers who work in snow country set the front lip of the gutter about an inch below the plane of the roof, extended in a straight line. Sliding snow and ice follow that line and clear the gutter. Rain, which falls off the edge rather than sliding, still lands in the trough.
The trade-off is heavy rain. Water coming fast off a steep metal roof can shoot past a gutter set that low, which is why this works best with a wider gutter. A steep metal roof is one of the cases where a 6-inch gutter earns its price.
Anchoring matters more here too. Hangers every 24 inches, fastened into sound fascia, and roof straps rather than fascia hangers where there is no solid board. A gutter that is loose in summer is the one that leaves in February.
Get a free quote for your house
Holding the snow on the roof
Snow guards are small brackets clamped to the seams of the roof; a snow rail is a continuous bar across it. Both stop the slide and let the snow melt where it sits. The metal roofing trade treats them as safety equipment rather than accessories, and recommends metal ones built to last as long as the roof.
They go on the lower half of the roof, where most of the snow load sits. A single continuous rail typically sits a foot or two up from the eave. Placement depends on the panel, the pitch and the snow load, so it should be specified by whoever installs the roof, not added as an afterthought.
Retention has a cost for the gutter. Snow that used to leave in one slide now melts in place over days, feeding a steady trickle of meltwater into a gutter sitting in cold air. That is how a gutter under a snow rail can fill with ice. Keep the outlets and downspouts clear going into winter, and treat the downspouts under a snow rail as the ones most likely to freeze.
Metal roofs still get ice dams
Snow slides more easily off metal, but it still melts where heat from the house warms the upper roof and refreezes at the cold eave. A metal roof over a leaky, under-insulated attic will ice up at the edge just like a shingle one. The fix is the same: air seal the ceiling and add insulation. It is covered in our ice dam guide.
Heat cable can keep a channel open in a gutter or downspout that keeps freezing, but it is a way of managing ice, not a cure for it.
Who should design it
The roofer and the gutter installer, together, before the roof goes on. The roofer decides the eave trim, the drip edge and the snow retention. The gutter installer decides the height, the size and the hangers. Each one changes what the other should do, and a gutter bolted onto a finished metal roof by someone who never saw the snow plan is how gutters end up in the yard.
If the roof is already on, ask the gutter installer to look up the roof before quoting: where the snow will slide, where the rails are, and what is underneath. The rest of the quote works like any other gutter job.
Questions about gutters on metal roofs
Can you put gutters on a metal roof?
Yes. The gutter itself is the same. What changes is how it is placed and anchored, because snow slides off metal in sheets and can tear a standard gutter off the fascia.
Will sliding snow rip my gutters off?
It can, on a metal roof with no snow retention and a gutter set in the path of the slide. The two defenses are setting the gutter low enough for snow to pass over it, or holding the snow on the roof with snow guards.
Do I need snow guards on a metal roof?
Over doors, walks, driveways, decks and anything you park beside the house, yes. A slide off a metal roof can weigh hundreds of pounds. Elsewhere it depends on whether you would rather manage the slide or the gutter.
How low should the gutter be on a metal roof?
Installers in snow country aim to put the front lip of the gutter about an inch below the line of the roof, so sliding snow and ice clear it. The trade-off is that very heavy rain can shoot past a gutter set that low.
Do metal roofs get ice dams?
Yes, when heat from the house warms the upper roof. Snow slides more readily from metal, but it still melts and refreezes at a cold eave. The fix is the same: air sealing and insulation in the attic.
Is heat cable a fix for a metal roof gutter?
It is a way of managing ice, not a cure. It keeps a channel open in the gutter and downspout but does nothing about the attic heat or the sliding snow.
Get a quote
Tell us about the job, including your roof type and anything below the eaves, and a local gutter contractor will call, text or email to set up a visit. The quote is free.
Related
- Frozen gutters and ice dams
- Gutter materials, including steel for eaves that take a beating
- Gutter installation
- Sagging gutters and hanger spacing