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ERIE, Pa. (Erie News Now) – With the warm up we’re seeing you may be concerned about some large icicles hanging from your gutters, leaving many wondering what do I do with them? Do I knock them down?
While your first instinct is to knock the icicles down to get rid of them, at Gutter Solutions in Lawrence Park they say to not touch them at all and let nature take it’s course.
Breaking off icicles can lead to more harm than good for both you and your home, your best bet for dealing with these icicles is prevention instead of a resolution.
Updating or improving the insulation in your home is the best approach to avoid getting the larger and more dangerous icicles.
At Gutter Solutions, Marketing Manager Nathan Brewer informs Erie News Now that there are other approaches that can lesson the load but aren’t full solutions.
“For safety just naturally if you try to knock those things down something bad could happen, whether it’s breaking something at your house or hurting you” says Brewer. “So if you can avoid the area, maybe use a different door for the time being, let nature take it’s course.”
One way to help with icicles forming is using heat tape to melt the snow but, it’s too late in the season to install them now.
“It’s more of a band aid for the underlying problem,” says Brewer. “Unfortunately now is not the time to put it on, now is the time you may see that you need it, that or insulation but to put it on you really need a clear roof to be able to install things properly.”
If your house is leaking water into your home, he suggests getting ice pucks if you are able to find them at the store.
“They (ice pucks) do work in a pinch and in an emergency if you can get them in the right spot. That chemical will start to break through the ice and will allow it to drain away is the idea so it’s not going to keep coming inside your home,” says Brewer. “You don’t want to overuse things like that but get to to root of the problem.”
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