Our gutters are overflowing here in SE Burnaby, BC, as a steady rain kicks in after weeks of snow.

Checking out the issue, I discovered that the gutters and downspouts on the shady side of our home are plugged solid with ice.

So today’s morning workout was to dig a trench away from the worst spot, drop a board in to help with deflection, and chip away at the gutter with a hatchet — a task I soon discovered was futile. Will simply have to redirect the flow away from the foundation as best as possible and wait for the downspouts to clear.

I suppose I could try pouring boiling water down, but that would take a loooong time : – ).

Just checked the weather and it’s supposed to reach around 8 C today, so hopefully it’ll melt soon.

UPDATE: Going on the principle of nothing ventured nothing gained, I just spent ten minutes boiling ~4 liters of water and pouring it into the gutter near the downspout, and it does seem to have helped a bit.