Just heating up the downspout will do the trick at least for melting the ice it will do nothing if there is a large blockage due to debris this is why cleaning your gutters at least twice a year is very important.
Frozen gutter solutions.
Heating panels cost about 500 to 750.
A more involved solution is to install a heating panel.
The simplest one is to take a few handfuls of calcium chloride not rock salt.
Yet another recommends running electrical heat tape to prevent melting.
How to fix frozen gutter problem.
When it forms the water then backs up behind the ice dam and creates a pool of water.
Sometimes we resort to using a hammer on the gutter only to pop the ice out.
Striking frozen downspouts with a hammer or baseball bat in the hopes of breaking up the ice inside them may cause more damage and make the situation worse.
If none of these trick help please call a professional.
The only foolproof way to melt the ice in your gutter is to hire an ice dam removal company who will use steam to heat and melt the ice and clear your gutters.
Instead use a hair dryer or consumer grade heat gun to heat up the outside of the downspout near the ice blockage.
This can corrode the gutter and cause harm to vegetation when the ice melts and sprinkle it inside the gutters.
In such a system wires or heating elements run the length of the gutter and downspout warming the metal and preventing ice buildup.
On line advice about frozen downspouts varies.
For us with our cheap easy to bend gutters this worked rather quick and easy.
Others recommend taking ice melt to the gutters see below a few say heat the gutters to clear them.
Alu rex has developed an advanced winter shield technology that protects your gutters from ice and snow allowing them to perform effectively all year round.
An ice dam is a wall of ice that forms at the edge of the roof usually at the gutters or soffit.
This add on to your gutter system is designed to allow water to fall to the ground in a controlled manner away from the foundation and structure of your home.
Experts recommend having them cleaned out every six months.
If your home s gutters aren t completely frozen into what resembles a solid block of ice then there are some measures you can take which could bring you some relief.
You can also have a heating panel system installed.
Alu rex winter shield technology.
Some say just leave it alone.
You can try laying the cable on the gutter to melt the ice and pray for warmer days and then keep moving the cable down into the gutter as the ice melt.
