How to De-Ice Gutters & Downspouts
If you live in a colder climate which gets snowfall in the winter, you run the risk of ice building up in your gutters. These ice dams are potentially dangerous, because as the ice builds up melting snow has nowhere to run off, and it can cause serious damage to your roof. While there are preventive measures you can take, which can keep the ice from forming, they do no good if the ice has already formed. If you have an ice dam in your gutters, you will need to take care of it as soon as possible in order to keep your roof from harm. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Pantyhose or stockings
- Calcium chloride
- Chisel
- Garden hose
- Roof-mounted heating cables
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Instructions
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Cut up a pair of pantyhose so that you have two "legs." Fill the legs with calcium chloride.
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Lay the sausage-shaped hose packets perpendicular to your gutters over the roof. You should position them at least 18 inches apart for the best results.
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Chisel a pathway through the ice so that any runoff from the roof will have some place to drain. You don't have to chisel the entire dam away, as the water which runs off will be above freezing and will help melt the rest.
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Attach a garden hose to a spigot and run it over the downspout. Turn the water on to get a small stream. Place the garden hose over the downspout so the water drips into the spout. As long as the water is warmer than freezing, it will help break up the ice.
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Install roof-mounted heating cables in the gutters once they have been cleared to keep the ice from forming again.
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Tips & Warnings
Take extra care when working on the gutters. Frozen surfaces can be slippery, and you could injure yourself if you are not careful. Do not get onto the roof.
Do not remove the gutters when they fill with ice. If the weather remains cold, icicles can form on your roof which can be dangerous if they begin to fall.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit roof image by sanyal from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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mrfixitnj
Feb 01, 2011
You can purchase De-iceing cable Home depot, Lowes or most of the hardware store. It does not require any maintance and run long term. Melt all the ice from gutters. Does the job perfectly... MrfixitNJ -
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...
