How Can I Thaw a Frozen Gutter or Downspout?
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Frozen gutters got you down? Gutter cleaners explain how ice builds up in your gutters and how to prevent it.
When winter storms hit, gutters and downspouts sometimes freeze into solid blocks of ice, and homeowners understandably worry about gutters pulling away from the roofs or ice dams forming. Unfortunately, dealing with frozen gutters is rarely simple or inexpensive.
First, resist the urge to go after the ice with a hammer or axe. “You won’t believe the damage we see every spring when we start post-winter work,” says Chester Lochman, owner of Monroe Gutter Cleaning in Rush, New York. “People try to chop the ice away with an axe or a pick and end up doing more harm than help to their gutters.”
Luke Miller, production manager of Milwaukee Gutterglove in Wisconsin, says costs range from $500 to $1,000 to reliably unfreeze your gutters. “The only absolute cure is to have a professional come in and use a steam system or hot water application to clear out the ice,” he says, but adds the gutters remain vulnerable to the ice returning. “It’s not a permanent fix. Days later it could snow again and you’ll find yourself in the same spot.”
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Gutter cleaners advise treading cautiously if you want to remove ice from your gutters. (Photo by Paul F. P. Pogue)
Patience protects your gutters
In fact, once your gutters are frozen solid, your best bet may be to wait it out.
“The only time I would even bother trying to touch an ice dam like that is if it’s going into the shingles and dripping into the house,” says Joe Hennelly, owner of Hennelly & Son Roofing & Gutters in Quincy, Massachusetts. “Trying to break it up is dangerous, and you can damage the gutters.”
He says the ice and water shield underlayment provides adequate protection to most modern roofs. “Even if an ice dam looks bad from the ground, I tell people not to get concerned until it’s actually dripping on their heads inside,” he says. “As long as water’s not leaking into your house, the underlayment is doing its job.”
To permanently prevent future freezes, several highly rated gutter cleaners recommend installing a heating panel system, in which wires or heating elements run the length of the gutter and downspout that warm the metal and prevent ice buildup.
“That’s the only 100 percent way to ensure it’ll never happen again,” Miller says. He says price varies based on size of home and length of gutters, but the average job costs between $500 and $750.
Hold off on the ice-melting home remedies
Professionals don’t agree on whether you can rely on home remedies such as pouring salt on the ice or filling a stocking with salt and placing it on top of the downspout so it slowly melts the ice. “That’s a low-performing method that might clear the gutter, but not the downspout,” Miller says. “All that water has to go somewhere, and it usually refreezes and builds back up again.”
Gutter cleaners say a little prevention goes a long way to save you from frozen folly.
“The best thing to do is make sure your system is cleaned regularly every six months,” says Brad Ladner, owner of Atlanta’s Best Gutter Cleaners in Roswell, Georgia. “The reason for the weight of ice is that debris in the downspout is getting wet, then freezing and adding unnecessary weight. If the downspout is clear, then water will fall right through and won’t freeze. Thawing won’t be possible because the gutters will hold in the cold, the same way wrapping soda in an aluminum can does.”
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Whoever you hire, whether to clear out the ice or keep it from coming back, make sure they carry the proper licensing required in your jurisdiction and verify that they carry liability and workers compensation insurance.
“A lot of fly-by-night companies are out there doing roofing and gutter work, and they’ll tell people they’re insured when they’re not,” Lochman says. “Make sure they have all the right insurance, because if someone’s injured by a ladder or a hot steam device and they’re not insured, they’ll go after the homeowner.”
Have you ever dealt with frozen gutters? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.
Editor's note: This is an updated version of an article that was originally published on Feb. 17, 2014.
