How to Thaw Frozen Ice in House Gutters
Frozen ice in house gutters is one problem cold, long winters bring. It can cause damage to a house's shingles and cause leaks into a home. Thawing out the ice is important during the winter months to keep a house in great shape all year long and prevent costly damages.
Things you'll need:
- Ladder
- Extension cord
- Heat gun or blow dryer
- Heat cables (optional)
- Set up a ladder close to the gutters. Make sure the ladder is not standing on ice or else you could face injury. If there is ice covering the ground, remove the ice with an ice pick and shovel before setting up the ladder. This will help ensure your safety while thawing the ice from your house gutters.
- Plug an extension cord into an outside electric socket. The extension cord should be long enough to reach and run the length of your gutters. If your extension cord is not long enough, attach two extension cords together.
- Attach the cord of a heat gun to the extension cord. If you do not have a heat gun, you can use a blow dryer used for hair.
- Scale the ladder and have someone hand you the heat gun when you are securely in place on the ladder. Have the person hold the ladder while you are thawing the house gutters for your safety.
- Turn the heat gun on.
- Starting with the farthest end of the gutters near the downspout, heat the ice with the heat gun until the ice thaws.
- Move down the gutters thawing the ice with the heat gun until all the ice is thawed. You will have to move the ladder down the gutters as well. In order to do this, turn the heat gun off, hand it to the other person, climb down the ladder, move the ladder the next location, and then scale the ladder and begin to thaw the ice once again. You may want to wear warm, waterproof gloves during this process so your hands do not become wet and freeze.
- Lay heat cords inside the gutters to prevent future ice build-ups.