A downspout freezes when melt water stops moving inside it in cold weather. The usual reasons are leaves or sticks that slow the flow, an outlet buried under snow or ice at the bottom, or a buried drain in frozen ground. Clear the debris before winter, keep the outlet open, and check where the water goes.
Water freezes where it stops moving.
Backed by Wood & Wood Seamless Gutters, more than 30 years in the gutter business.
Where the water comes from
University of Minnesota Extension explains that roof snow melts where the roof is above freezing and the water freezes where it meets a surface below 32°F. Melt that stops in a cold downspout can freeze there.
What stops it moving
Three things slow it down.
- Leaves and sticks in the gutter or the elbow. The National Weather Service says to clean them out before winter.
- Snow and ice over the outlet. The Weather Service says to keep downspouts clear of snow and icicles all winter.
- A drain in frozen ground. InterNACHI notes that downspouts tied into perimeter drains can stop working when the ground freezes.
After a freeze
Clear snow and ice from the outlet so the thaw has somewhere to go.
InterNACHI warns that homeowners may disconnect a downspout from a frozen drain and never reconnect it. If you do, put it back.
Before the next winter
In the fall, run a hose into each gutter, as InterNACHI suggests. A slow downspout has a plug. InterNACHI puts the outlet 4 to 6 feet from the foundation; where should downspouts drain? cites 10.
A gutter guard keeps leaves out of the gutter and the downspout. It does not stop water freezing.
What it costs
Downspouts are priced per foot, $14 installed or $16 for 6-inch, elbows included.
Call to install: every step
Three ways to start
- Call (617) 401-9301. It is answered any hour, and a missed call gets called back.
- Send the short form on the home page with your street address, and your number lands in your inbox.
- Text or chat through the chat window on this site.
Understand what you actually need
About fifteen minutes on the phone: the length of the roofline, the number of stories and the trees around the house. The roofline is measured remotely, so nobody comes to the house to sell. You get your price the same day, from the published per-foot rates.
- Gutters still in good shape: Gutter Clean Pro goes over the gutters you already have, from $18/ft.
- Gutters that need replacing: new gutters with the guard built in. T-Rex (continuous hanger) from $25/ft, or DoublePro (two filtration layers) from $30/ft.
- Fascia that cannot be drilled: Hover Pro, quoted for your house.
- Complex rooflines, third stories and copper are quoted separately, and we say so on the call, never after arrival.
Your plan, in writing
You get a written quote and your StormRail plan: photos of your house, the system, the gutter size and your color choices. The certified installer works from that same plan, so you and the installer are never on different pages.
A deposit capped at one third
Massachusetts law caps a home-improvement deposit at one third of the contract. We hold to that in every state we work in. Your quote names the exact figure before you pay anything.
Material ordered and confirmed
Your Alu-Rex system is ordered through the Alu-Rex distributor and confirmed before an install date is set, so the date you get is one the material can meet.
Scheduled with a certified installer in your county
A certified Alu-Rex installer working in your area takes the job, and you get the date without chasing anyone. In season we're typically booking four to six weeks out. We'd rather tell you that now than promise you Tuesday and send whoever happened to be free. Emergency work — a collapsed run, active water in the basement — gets triaged ahead of the queue.
Installed
The installer fits the system on the plan you already approved. Any balance is due as your quote states.
After the install
We check in after the job is done. Each system carries its own written Alu-Rex warranty:
- Gutter Clean Pro: manufacturing lifetime limited, clog performance lifetime limited, including coniferous areas
- T-Rex: manufacturing lifetime limited, clog performance 25-year prorated limited
- DoublePro: manufacturing lifetime limited, clog performance lifetime limited, including coniferous areas
Questions homeowners ask
Can a frozen downspout cause an ice dam?
Ice dams start on the roof. Do gutter guards cause ice dams? covers the cause.
Should I take my downspouts off for winter?
Keep them on and keep the outlet clear.
How do I get a price?
Call (617) 401-9301 and tell us which downspouts freeze. We price the fix on the call.
Compare the systems before you call: all gutter guards, Gutter Clean Pro, T-Rex, DoublePro, and the full price list.
Sources
- University of Minnesota Extension: Dealing with and preventing ice dams extension.umn.edu/protecting-home-rain-and-ice/dealing-and-preventing-ice-dams
- National Weather Service: Preventing roof ice dams www.weather.gov/grr/roofIceDams
- InterNACHI: Roof drainage systems, part 2 www.nachi.org/roof-drainage-systems-part2-24.htm
- InterNACHI: Inspecting gutters and downspouts www.nachi.org/gutters-downspouts-inspection.htm
Get a number for your roofline
One call is enough to start: the address, how many stories, and what grows over the roof. The published per-foot rate is the starting point, and the full scope and total are confirmed in writing before you pay anything.
Call (617) 401-9301