Frozen downspout with ice dam; open face downspout the solution?

Like many of you, I have frozen downspouts, leading to ice damming and (in my extension) some leaking on warm days. A friend suggested that open face downspouts were a good solution to prevent ice buildup in the gutters; anyone have any experience with/thoughts about open face downspouts? Where would I get them? Not a Home Depot item, methinks. Thank you for any thoughts!

sprucenik

in Brownstoner Renovation 12 years ago

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brooklynbemused | 12 years ago

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The advantage of an open faced downspout is that you can throw salt and then hot water down it to unfreeze it. I just did so a few days ago after a leak in to my house. The key is to remember to do so before you have a problem. I forgot!

Arkady | 12 years ago

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A neighbor of mine has open face & it’s frozen solid w/ huge stalactites of ice hanging off it.

anotherposter | 12 years ago

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Heat wire on the gutters is pretty good, imo. We just paid to have an outlet put in near the wires and wired it to a switch inside the house, so it’s easy to turn on and off. You could also run it down the gutter, or at least part of it.

BSDOD | 12 years ago

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You can try stockings filled with rock salt. Also, you can buy heated wires from Home Depot if you have a plug in the back of your house. None of these things are perfect solutions and can keep up with the precipitation, bright sun, and cold nights that we’ve been having. Seal you home as bet you can…water always finds a way