Frozen Downspouts in Madison: What to Do and How to Stop It

Why downspouts freeze in a Madison winter

Madison averages about 52 inches of snow a year, according to the Wisconsin State Climatology Office. Snow on the roof melts in the afternoon sun, runs down the downspout, and refreezes when the temperature drops at night.

A downspout freezes first where the water slows down or sits in the cold. Once the bottom is plugged, every trickle of meltwater freezes on top of the plug, and within a few cold nights the ice can fill the whole pipe.

What a frozen downspout does to your house

A downspout that cannot drain turns the gutter into an ice tray. Ice is heavy, and a gutter packed with it pulls on its hangers and the fascia board behind them, which is how gutters come loose by spring.

Water that cannot get down spills over the front of the gutter as icicles or backs up behind it, where it soaks the fascia and drips from the soffit. Our guides to icicles on gutters and water dripping from the soffit explain what each pattern means.

Over a few winters that water rots the fascia and soffit, and our guide to why soffits sag covers that damage.

A frozen downspout does not cause an ice dam on its own, because ice dams start with attic heat melting snow higher on the roof. A blocked gutter gives the dam more ice to build on, and our guide to ice dams in Wisconsin explains the rest.

Madison's sidewalk rule and your downspouts

Madison requires owners to clear the public sidewalk beside their home by noon the day after snow stops, and to salt or sand ice that will not come off. The city issues citations without a warning first.

A downspout that drains across the walk can leave a fresh sheet of ice after every thaw. Point downspouts toward the lawn or a planting bed, and our Madison gutter guide covers where roof water can and cannot go in Dane County.

What to do when a downspout is frozen

Work from the ground and start at the bottom. Stay off ladders while there is ice on the ground or in the gutter.

1. Clear the outlet. Shovel snow and ice away from the bottom of the downspout and the end of the extension, so meltwater has somewhere to go once it moves.
2. Take off the extension. If the extension or bottom elbow is solid, unhook it and thaw it in a garage or basement. Most slip off without tools.
3. Thaw from the bottom up. Pour warm tap water over the lowest elbow, a little at a time. Use warm water, not boiling, because a sudden temperature jump can crack a cold vinyl elbow.
4. Let it drain. Once the plug at the bottom breaks, the ice above usually melts out on the next mild afternoon.
5. Refit the extension. Put it back so it slopes away from the house and away from walks and driveways.

Some common fixes do more harm than good.

• Hitting the pipe with a hammer or broom handle dents it and splits the seams, so it freezes faster next time.
• A torch, heat gun or open flame can melt vinyl, scorch paint and ignite dry leaves in the gutter.
• Rock salt poured into the gutter speeds corrosion of metal gutters and fasteners, and the salty runoff harms plants and concrete.
• Chipping ice from a ladder damages the gutter and puts you on an icy ladder.

If the gutter is full of ice, ice is building at the roof edge, or water is coming inside, call a professional. Our ice dam removal crews respond within 2 hours, use low-pressure steam that protects the shingles, and move the same day on an active leak.

Should you remove downspout extensions in winter?

Keep above-ground extensions on in winter in most cases. They carry meltwater away from the foundation during every thaw, and taking them off dumps that water beside the basement wall.

Take an extension off only when it lies flat and freezes solid, or sits where the snowblower or plow will crush it. A hinged extension flips up for shoveling and drops back down to drain.

Buried drain lines are the exception. If a buried line freezes every January, switch that downspout to an above-ground extension for the winter, and our guide to underground downspout drains explains why they freeze.

How to stop downspouts freezing every winter

A downspout that freezes once in a hard cold snap is normal. One that freezes every winter has a cause, and the fix depends on which cause it is.

• Clean the gutters before the freeze. Leaves and grit in the gutter or elbow give ice a place to start, and our guide to cleaning gutters in Wisconsin covers the timing.
• Upsize the downspout. A 3x4 inch downspout has twice the opening of a standard 2x3, so it plugs more slowly. Our downspouts are sized to the roof area each one drains, as our guide to how many downspouts you need explains.
• Fix the pitch. Gutters pitched toward the downspout and extensions that slope away drain before the water can freeze.
• Add guards where leaves are the problem. Micro-mesh gutter guards keep debris out of the downspout, though snow can still sit on top of them.
• Run heat cable on a chronic run. On a shaded run that freezes every year, heat cable along the gutter and down the downspout keeps a drain path open. Our heated gutters guide explains when it is worth the running cost.
• Fix the attic. Ice at the same eave every winter usually starts with attic heat melting the snow above it. On older homes around the Isthmus and the near west side, air sealing, insulation and attic ventilation do more than any gutter fix.

When a frozen downspout needs repair

After the thaw, check the downspout and gutter for damage the ice left behind.

• Split seams or cracked elbows on the downspout
• A downspout pulled from its straps, or crushed at the bottom by a plow or snowblower
• A gutter that sags or has pulled away from the house
• Peeling paint, dark stains or soft wood on the fascia behind the gutter
• Water stains on the soffit or the siding below the gutter

Our crews re-hang and re-pitch sagging gutters, repair the fascia behind them, and replace split downspouts with larger ones where the old size could not keep up. Most of this is gutter repair, not a new gutter system.

Get your gutters and downspouts checked

Buckshot Exteriors is family-owned, has served homeowners since 1979, and is headquartered on North Sherman Avenue in Madison. Our own crews install and repair gutters, downspouts, guards and heat cable across Madison and the nearby suburbs.

Call (608) 909-9109 to schedule a free gutter and roof edge inspection, or send us a message and we will set a time. If water is coming inside or ice is backing up under the shingles, the same number is answered 24/7.