Best Way to Remove Ice in Gutters

While it is easy to clean snow and leaves out of your gutters, cleaning frozen ice proves to be more difficult.  However, clearing out the ice is important to do because otherwise your gutters will become so heavy that they may fall down around you.  This can cause serious damage to your house and roof resulting in expensive repairs.

• Make sure to clear out your gutters before winter comes each year.  Ice will be unlikely to build up if there is nothing in your gutters to cling to.


• Check to make sure that there are no blockages in your downspouts.  If there is a blockage, take some time to clear it out.  This will allow the water to run down your gutters without clinging to something and forming ice.


• Use a roof rake from your local hardware store to clear excess snow off of your roof.  Pull it in a downward direction based upon the slope of your roof.  Never pull it across the roof because you could break off shingles this way.


• When ice does form in your gutter, use a chisel, large screwdriver or the back of your hammer to chip away at it.  You only need to chip away enough ice to create a path for the water to flow through the area.  Make sure that you are gentle so as not to break the gutter, which is under a lot of strain already.


• Use hot water to hose down your gutter.  This will melt the ice.  However, you should only use a hose with a spray nozzle.  You also need to make sure that the water is warm enough that it won’t freeze on contact with the ice.


• Install gutter guards and aluminum or mesh heating panels.  There are some roofing companies that specialize in this work.  Once installed these systems will stop ice before it solidifies.  Unfortunately, this is expensive but it does save you both time and money each winter.