How to Fix Gutter Damming

During the winter

• 1

  Inspect your roof after snowstorms. Walk around the house and look for deep snow, patches of quickly melting snow and icicles forming on the eaves and gutter. These are all warning signs that ice may be forming in the gutter. Bare patches on a snowy roof are areas that are warmer than the surrounding roof due to poor insulation or warm air under the roof.

• 2

  Remove snow from the roof with a roof rake or shovel. A roof rake has a long handle attached to a wide, flat blade designed to pull snow off a roof. If you can not reach the top of the roof, focus on removing snow from the 2-3 feet of roof closest to the gutters.

• 3

  Melt the ice. Fill the leg of a pair of old pantyhose with calcium chloride ice melt. Tie the open end with a rope and place it across the gutter, perpendicular to the ice dam. Toss this ice-melting sock onto the roof or lower it from a window, making sure it hangs over the edge of the gutter. Calcium chloride helps the ice melt and creates a channel in the ice, allowing water behind it to drain.

• 4

  Pour tap water onto the ice using a hose or bucket to speed the melting of the ice. This will melt the ice more quickly than the ice melting sock method. Make sure the temperature is above freezing and that there will be enough hours of warmth before the next freeze for the water to drain away.

Preparing for Winter

• 5

  Identify openings that allow warm air into your attic and close them. Look for holes or openings around chimneys, exhaust fans, ducts, wiring and plumbing and ceiling light fixtures. Seal openings using caulk, weatherstripping or other appropriate insulation material.

• 6

  Add insulation to the ceilings of your home. Sufficient insulation, especially where the wall meets the underside of the roof, prevents warm air from escaping your living space and warming your roof. Hire a licensed insulation contractor to assess your needs and install insulation to ensure it is done properly.

• 7

  Investigate other methods for warming your roof. Heating cables designed for roofs and gutters can be installed at the lower edge of your roof and turned on during snowy weather to prevent ice dams. These are effective at melting ice in the short term, but do not address the ventilation and insulation issues that will provide a long-term solution to ice damming.