How to Keep Your Gutters & Downspouts from Freezing in Winter

How Ice Damages Your Home

During winter, homeowners across Ohio grapple with frozen gutters and downspouts. When temperatures drop, water solidifies into ice, preventing it from flowing down the spouts and away from home. This can lead to icicle formation as water repeatedly freezes, thaws, and refreezes.

When the gutters and downspouts freeze, your home may experience issues, including:

While there are many methods for defrosting your gutters, we highly recommend taking the time to understand the most effective solutions. This will help you prevent your gutters from freezing in the first place.

4 Ways to Keep Your Gutters From Freezing in Winter

Here are a few things you can do to prevent your gutters from freezing:

1. Insulate Your Roof and Attic

When your roof or attic is too warm, it melts the snow above it. The snowmelt runs down the rooftop, and as it reaches the edges where there is no warm roof beneath, the water refreezes. As this happens, the water expands and pushes against the roof shingles, causing damage.

Insulation prevents heat from flowing upwards to the roof. It ensures you stay warm inside but keeps your roof colder. Ensure to insulate recessed lighting fixtures to prevent them from heating your attic. Also, ventilating the attic allows proper air circulation, ensuring the roof is uniformly heated. 

2. Install Heat Panels

This system provides an effective way to treat gutters that frequently freeze. A heating panel contains wires or heating elements that run down a gutter’s length. These wires warm up your gutters and melt the snow before it forms into damaging mounds of ice, which weigh down and damage your downspouts. 

3. Keep the Gutters Clear

4. Invest in Gutter Guards

The trees surrounding your house and other debris can substantially compromise the effectiveness of your gutters. If trees and bushes heavily surround your home, consider installing a gutter guard.

A gutter guard, when appropriately secured in place, has a filtering effect on the roof. It allows water into the gutters and filters out leaves and other debris. This helps prevent blockages and keeps water flowing, which prevents ice from forming in your gutters.

3 Things You Should Not Do When Your Gutters Ice Up

In the unfortunate event that your gutters freeze, here are some things you should avoid doing, as they may worsen the situation:

1. Hammer Down Ice

Do not use a pickaxe on your frozen gutters, as this can cause significant damage. The best approach is to wait for the ice to thaw naturally.

2. Thaw Out Your Gutters

Using a steam system or hot water application to clear the ice will cost hundreds of dollars, and the result is temporary. The same area is likely to freeze again a few days later.

3. Use Salt and Other Chemicals to Thaw Snow

Professionals advise against using salt and other chemicals to melt snow. These corrosive chemicals can damage your roof, siding, and gutters. Moreover, the runoff becomes toxic and is harmful to your lawn.  

Ohio Basement Authority Can Help You Protect Your Home

Frozen Gutter & Downspout FAQs

What signs indicate that my gutters or downspouts are frozen?

Look for visible ice buildup, icicles forming on gutters, water overflowing the sides of gutters, or a lack of water flowing from downspouts during thaws.

Is it normal for icicles to form on gutters, or is this a sign of a problem?

While small icicles are common, large or numerous icicles often indicate ice dams or poor gutter function. This can signal the need for gutter maintenance or improvements to your home’s insulation and ventilation.

How often should I have my gutters inspected to prevent winter freezing issues?

It’s recommended to have your gutters inspected at least twice a year—in late spring and early fall. However, in areas with harsh winters, an additional pre-winter inspection can be beneficial.

Holly Richards-Purpura

Content Writer

Holly is a Content Writer for Groundworks who has written and edited web content for the foundation services industry for almost 10 years. With a background in journalism, her passion for the written word runs deep. Holly lives in Columbus, OH, with her husband. Along with educating homeowners, she also has a big heart for the Big Apple.

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