How to Keep Ice Out of Gutters
Ice in gutters can lead to serious problems. An ice-filled gutter--usually with icicles hanging down from it--can signal the beginning of an ice dam. An ice dam occurs when snow melts, then refreezes into ice that pushes its way under the shingles. This will damage the roof and may also leak inside your home, ruining ceilings and walls. You need to prevent ice in gutters before the first snowflakes fall. Regular gutter maintenance reduces the chances of ice buildup and the ice dams that may result. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Ladder
- Hose
- Insulation
- Sealant
- Roof rake
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Instructions
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Clean your gutters of leaves and other debris before the onset of winter. Remove larger obstructions by hand and rinse the rest away with a garden hose. Clean gutters give melting snow someplace to go besides your roof.
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Test the downspout for clogs by spraying water into it. If the water's flow is blocked, use a plumbing snake to remove the obstruction. This makes melting snow less likely to refreeze in the downspout and create an ice dam.
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Add insulation to the attic to keep its temperature lower. A warm attic will cause the snow above it to melt, but it will refreeze as it nears the edge of the roof, which isn't insulated.
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Be sure your attic is well ventilated. Proper ventilation will also help keep the attic cooler.
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Use sealant along recessed lighting fixtures, doors or any other place where warm air from the home could potentially rise to the attic and raise its temperature.
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Remove snow from the roof before it has a chance to melt and form ice. Use a long-handled roof rake to scrape off the snow while standing on the ground. You can try to stand on the roof to remove the snow, but this can be very dangerous if the roof is slick. Use a safety harness if you get on the roof in snowy weather.
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References
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Comments
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Dick Pennington
Mar 01, 2010
Ice in gutters and downspouts are virtually impossible to remove without damage. In many cases, the gutter system has to be removed from the roof. If you have never used a ice dam sock on your roof before, you will find that they provide an inexpensive method for removing roof ice dams and improving your home's heating efficiency. Roof ice dams are an annoying source of roof damage, leaks, and heat loss in the winter. The main causes are drip melt from improperly capped warm air vent pipes and poor roof insulation. Laying a snow melt sock onto the roof so it crosses the ice dam and overhangs the gutter, will melt through the snow and ice and create a channel for water to flow down into the gutters or off the roof. If done properly those ice sickles that form as the snow melts from the edges of the gutters will never appear, they too are a cause of much damage and are dangerous to lif...
