Ice on the Walkway

[Doofy]

Some type of drainage sump could also help immensely. My 3x16' wooden walkway has 6-8" of space under the planks and it is plenty enough to absorb and drain away all our snow, ice and rain.

 

[MossRoad]

Do you have a gutter corner guard installed?

 

[Doofy]

Gutter and downspout heat tapes should help alleviate that valley problem. Move that water to a less dangerous area.

 

[jyoutz]

Pretty much only way to eliminate the ice is to redirect the water to somewhere else. If that cannot be done, then you are correct, some brand of ice melter has to be put down as often as needed. Or, you can chop the ice and scrape most of it away by hand.

As for brands, that's kind of a personal preference. Look at the ingredients on the brands. Some are the same, but cost more. Some are different. Some only work down to a certain temperature. Some work colder.

I like the Prestone brand and the Morton brands. Don't know why. But they work, so I use them.

I use garden fertilizer. It thaws ice but doesn’t kill the grass (in moderation).

 

[Torvy]

A possible solution, depending on the specific layout...move the walkway a little further from the building. It could be just a bow out away from the icy area or just installing a new walkway a few feet away.

Another option would be to extend an overhang from the roof beyond the walkway... again, it really depends on the layout.

These would be more permanent solutions if you cannot redirect. Melting and removing, whether on the ground or the roof are time consuming and/or costly over the long haul.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I am also wondering where the water come from ? is it due to rain\freezing rain or is the snow melting on the roof ? ... if its below freezing and the snow still melt on the roof you need to add insulation in your attic. it could be worth checking it out you would save in heating and reduce the water problem.

 

[oosik]

It's not the snow/water off my roof that is the problems. It's the snow lying on the steps/walkway/ground that turns to ice. So - after I get up the energy and shovel everything - I get sawdust from my work shed and spread where needed.

I would much rather have sawdust tracked into the house - not some type of ice melt product.

 

[ljjhouser]

Just wondering - is the entrance to the house totally flat. Might be better if it was tapered enough to run off water before it freezes. Maybe.

 

[metalheart]

A couple of images might clarify my post, and yes checking the insulation is on the list of things to do as a long term solution. You can see there is a diverter at the 90 degree corner where the gutters meet, but it is not as larger as the one in the imager above. The ground is pretty flat at the entrance. And, the snow melts from the top and sides of the valley and comes over the edge at the diverter as well as along the edge of the gutters. I'm thinking for this winter that heat mats in the area where the water drips is my best solution. Longer term, I still need to investigate the options, including getting a larger diverter. Up until the past two days thee was about 8" of snow on the roof, but temperatures in the 40s and 50s melted most of the snow and high winds too care of the rest. It is snowing again today.

 

[shooterdon]

I use Ice Melt. Broke an ankle two years ago and that made my choice easy. Shoes come off when entering the house and enter through the garage.

One bad fall and your wife will not be as upset about a little bit of stuff getting tracked into the first couple of feet on your doorway.

We do not wear shoes in the house anyway....so... Slippers are cheap.