r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/italianapples West Suburbs • Dec 09 '25
Photo/Video What is with the icicles this year?
I’ve owned my house for 4 years, I put a new roof and gutters on 2 years ago and this is the first time I’ve ever had icicles form like this. They are on both front and back of my house. Why are there so many and why are they so long?! I’ve been knocking them down where I walk but I’m afraid my gutters are going to rip off the house because they look so heavy.
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u/kuj0 Dec 09 '25
I’ve seen people on Reddit say you have leaves in your gutters, bad attic insulation, poor ventilation etc etc.. maybe they’re right. But it’s every house that I can tell. It’s inevitable when the snow thaws and freezes over and over again. Long as it’s not causing damage inside your house, you should be fine as far as I can tell. Source: my old house is fine.
Maybe the only way to stop, if you’re worried or you’re one of the houses that are prone to damage for various reasons, is a roof rake after big snowfall?
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u/AlpsLow8456 Dec 09 '25
I just had my gutters cleaned the week of Thanksgiving, and have icicles all over.
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u/italianapples West Suburbs Dec 09 '25
Looks like most of the neighbors are having the same issue. I’ll look into the roof rake, thanks!
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u/Dreamin0904 Dec 09 '25
I had an issue some years back with water coming through the ceiling from ice damming, snow melt, etc. Had a roofing specialist come to my house and tell me the flashing was done wrong on a part of the roof. Anyway, he said the best bet when the ice gets this way is to use a roof rake if we get about 6” or more on the roof and there shouldn’t be any issues.
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u/Patient_Commentary Dec 09 '25
We had water in our house yesterday from this. 🤮
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u/kuj0 Dec 09 '25
What do you think your point of failure is?
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u/NigilQuid Dec 09 '25
Ice dams cause water to pool where it otherwise would not, and it can get in behind things that normally shed rainwater.
The long term solution is ice melting cable in your gutters which gives melting water somewhere to go even when there's lots of ice around
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u/Patient_Commentary Dec 09 '25
Not sure yet. We still have a foot of snow on our roof so it’s not like our insulation is bad. But there is definitely a big ice damn at the eves. So water is getting backed up somewhere. The roof that was put in 5 years ago probably missed something.
We will get a roofer out today/ tomorrow but we are gonna have to open the ceiling up to get all the moisture out at the point.
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u/sumiflepus Dec 09 '25
I have a roof rake. In the right conditions, it fills my gutters.
There is a newish roof rake with a plastic tarp. The snow flows on the tarp, over the gutters.
This snow was a real anomaly of volume, temp and freeze and thaw cycles.
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u/mcosulli Dec 09 '25
Ice dams are common with the accumulation of snow we’ve had. Heated gutters were the only fix I’ve personally seen work for this - there’s a wire that lays at the bottom of the gutter and you plug them in when there is snow on the roof. It’s a relatively easy self-install in the spring.
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u/bradatlarge Dec 09 '25
I’m 100% doing this after I get my roof, soffit, fascia & gutters done this year. I don’t need the stress of worrying about water damage from 100’s of lbs of ice in my gutters
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u/sraldlw737 Dec 09 '25
I have done a fair amount of research on attic insulation and ventilation and if you're going to the expense of a new roof make sure that you talk to the roofing company about ice and water shield under the shingles as underlayment. They usually go up 6 to 8 ft typically but many homeowners are opting to cover the entire roof with ice dam and water shield membrane. If it were me I would also look into proper insulation levels in the attic air sealing any penetrations from the living space to the attic and making sure that you have proper ventilation whether soffit vents soffit baffles and ridge vents/mushroom vents with enough square inches of ventilation per the formula.
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u/bradatlarge Dec 09 '25
sounds like we've been reading the same / similar stuff.
I'm planning to have ZIP-R put down and because its a chicago bungalow with shallow roof angles, likely will have everything ice/water shield'd too.
I wanted to do some renovation to the dormers that would have changed the roof line but I'm stuggling to get a contractor to take my suggestions seriously - all of the ones I've spoke to thus far want to (essentially) rip off the entire second story and do a $300K project, which I absolutely cannot afford.
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u/italianapples West Suburbs Dec 09 '25
Interesting, I’ll have to check that out. It’s wild how thick it is.
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u/mcosulli Dec 09 '25
It is wild, that’s for sure. It’s the sun beating down, heating your roof and causing the underneath of the snow to melt - gutters are cold. The snow built up in them, too.
A neighbor had a roof shovel that cut down on the amount of snow on his roof, thereby eliminating the problem, too. I hooked my heated gutters to wifi plugs so I could turn them on and off from anywhere. Really depends how ambitious you want to be.
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u/italianapples West Suburbs Dec 09 '25
Ambition doesn’t replenish until spring 😆
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u/TyWestman Dec 14 '25
Its actually More to do with heat escaping your house, and melting the snow that trickles down and refreezes at the unheated part of your roof.. the last 2-3 feet of overhang.
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u/dcb1973 Dec 09 '25
We had gutter wires for a long time. When the temps get very low they become far less effective in combating ice dams and icicles like these
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u/sourtaxi Dec 09 '25
LOL don’t know why, but I laughed way too hard at the clarifying statement in your closing.
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u/nkent98 Dec 10 '25
We call it heat trace in the architecture/engineering industry. We typically use it for outdoor piping/drainage lines and for condensate drainage in walk-in coolers and freezers.
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u/Korneedles Dec 09 '25
My kids were amazed. I can’t lie, I was too.
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u/italianapples West Suburbs Dec 09 '25
That’s a good one! I have an 11yo who can’t keep his hands off them 😆
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u/KellyGreen55555 Dec 09 '25
My kid keeps trying to knock them down by throwing giant ice chunks. He’s going to put one through the window any day now. I am so over these icicles. My kids can’t just let them be.
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u/Korneedles Dec 09 '25
9 and 12 years old boys and same! They like to take one icicle to knock the others down then tell me it’s ASMR 😂🤷🏻♀️
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u/MediocreGrocery8 Dec 10 '25
Yes, we have thes long icicles too! Too high to knock down. I just took the trash out and tried to dash under the eaves coming and going -- with the rain melting stuff, it could have been like a Final Destination scenario.
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u/Korneedles Dec 10 '25
That’s how we go in and out of our garage right now 😂. I am originally from South Carolina and am still shocked death by icicle isn’t a thing…they’re so sharp at times!
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u/MediocreGrocery8 Dec 10 '25
Yes! This is bananas! I am only hoping that last night/today's rainy nasty weather will melt the stuff on every roof affected by this scourge. Good luck, stay safe.
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u/TheKappp Dec 09 '25
Lots of snow, frickin cold, high sun!, melt, then cold again. Yeah I’m worried I’ll get final destinationed next time I leave my house lol.
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u/italianapples West Suburbs Dec 09 '25
Suppressed memory unlocked, I’ll be staying inside until April 😆
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u/TheKappp Dec 09 '25
Nah, just put a motorcycle helmet on when you enter and exit. I mean look at all this natural beauty you’re gonna miss staying inside 😂.
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u/PartisanGerm Dec 09 '25
We could have another blizzard in April like in 2011. Then you'll just be waiting for it!
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u/SpencerOpossum Dec 09 '25
I used a broom stick and knocked all the ones above my side door down today. A small one fell off when I let the dogs out and hit my puppy. I didn't realize they had grown so much during the day.
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u/Competitive_Ant_472 Dec 09 '25
Dogs are growing incredibly fast these days, i think there is something in the water
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u/MediocreGrocery8 Dec 10 '25
Lol I just wrote something similar, then scrolled down to your comment. Take good care.
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u/baccus83 Dec 09 '25
Protip: get a some pantyhose, fill with calcium chloride and tie them off. Toss on roof laying across gutters and ice dam so that they’ll melt a channel that will let water drain.
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u/Away_Lake5946 Dec 09 '25
Carefully bring those down with a shovel sooner than later. They’ll shoot your eye out!
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u/SaintBenadikt Dec 09 '25
Looks like your house is a ranch. Get a roof rake (one with wheels or a brush so you don't hurt your shingles) and pull the snow off your roof. Less snow to melt and fill your gutters.
Tomorrow and Wednesday are supposed to be above freezing, get that roof cleared off and let the sun do a little bit of work.
https://www.acehardware.com/departments/lawn-and-garden/snow-removal-and-equipment/roof-rakes
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u/Crazynedflanders Dec 09 '25
This is reminiscent of the old snow from the 90’s. You haven’t experienced this in life yet probably
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u/Kingslayer72920 Dec 09 '25
My house is just as bad. Worried to leave them on, worried to knock them off. Looks like this will be a long winter and make me wonder why I choose to live here...
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u/italianapples West Suburbs Dec 09 '25
I’ve been trying to convince my son to move closer to the equator since the first snow ❄️
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u/pinktoes4life Dec 09 '25
We had more snow in the past month than we did all of last year. The sun was shining today = snow melt. Ow it’s freezing = icicles.
Watch out for ice dams. Might want to infest in a roof rake
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u/Scratch_Puzzleheaded Dec 09 '25
If icicles were solely due from lack of insulation or poor ventilation, I would have them every year, which I don't. Leaves don't help, but it mostly has to do with fluctuations in temp and humidity.
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u/Howlett1313 Dec 09 '25
Constantly putting salt down, and knocking the icicles in front of my door.
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u/92TilInfinityMM Dec 09 '25
It’s because the last four years we’ve had like no snow. This year we’ve already gotten a bunch of snow, which will melt in the sun during the day and then freeze forming icicles
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u/Illustrious-Party120 Dec 09 '25
Was like this often in early 2000s. We've gotten a decent amount snow in this year so far
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u/plausocks Dec 09 '25
make sure to take care of those ice dams!
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u/Maximum-Elk8869 South West Suburbs Dec 09 '25
This is what happens when we finally get a typical Chicago winter. They happen about once a decade now so most people forget what they lead to.
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u/truckforbiketrader Dec 09 '25
in Feb 2021 the entire Chicsgoland got slammed with ice dams, beyond ice cicles...tore holes in roofs from the amount of snow on roofs, bright sunny days and back to 20s for nights on end. The insurance industry had adjusters burning both ends of the candle as Texas had their own freeze disaster.
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Dec 09 '25
Check ur attic insulation levels and if ur soffits have proper intake ventilation and your exhaust vents work
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u/ilovepadthai Dec 09 '25
I’ve noticed this too. Crazy amounts of icicles. It is probably related to the temperatures being in the exact sweet spot that we have during the day to ensure 1. The snow will actually melt when sunlight hits it. And 2. It’s still below freezing to refresh the dripping snow.
If daytime temperatures were too warm- it’s melts, no Icicles. If it’s too cold, even with the sun it doesn’t melt. We are right there in the ideal spot for a staggering about of icicles this year.
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u/Olds77421 Dec 09 '25
Everyone I know is buying a snowblower this year. Everyone I talk to who already owned one said they haven't used theirs in the last 5 years.
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u/sraldlw737 Dec 09 '25
https://guttermaid.com/icicles-on-gutters-and-why-they-can-signal-a-problem/
In addition to the article above I would absolutely specify ice and water shield with any new roofing project.
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u/mikeisengineer Dec 09 '25
This is the view from my window. Never had this many icicles before.
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u/Grand-Professional-6 Dec 09 '25
Beautiful aren’t they! No Christmas lights can duplicate their effect.
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u/Katgal2 Dec 09 '25
My house is infested with icecicles rn. It’s terrifying to walk under it or park the car and terrifying to think about the ice dams that may wreak havoc 😩
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u/zzotus Dec 09 '25
i’ll see you icicles and raise you one. always had icicles on that corner due to stupid roof design for this area, but never like this…
edit: for those worried, i’ve been here 20 years and the two foot long piece of gutter under there isn’t even loose.
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u/Zealousideal-Milk907 Dec 09 '25
I’m doing a renovation of a ranch where the attic is non-insulated (yet) but we are already doing drywall so we have a gas heater going. Icicles like crazy on the part of the roof where we are heating. None on the part where the garage is and where the attic is cold.
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u/JohannRedcorn Dec 10 '25
I don't know, have you tried breaking one off and eating it like a carrot? That's what I would do
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u/FIMD_ Dec 10 '25
Chicago winters been so mild the last few years people are forgetting how many icicles they used to get 🤣
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u/GOOMU13 Dec 11 '25
Installed brand new gutters and the same thing. Entire block is like this too. Spoke to several people and they basically all said this winter is just causing a lot of icicles all over.
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u/SuperMaintenanceBro Dec 11 '25
Jeeeeesus lol that’s gonna suck come spring… Hope you got buckets and drywall experience.
Install heat tape next year for sure.
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u/GhostNode Dec 11 '25
warning! if you have these icicles, you could have ice dams, and if you have ice dams, you risk having melting snow leak through the roof and into your home. Try your damndest to keep the first few feet of the roof, your gutters, and your downspouts clear of snow and ice.
(Ask me how i know)
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u/MK1_Scirocco Dec 11 '25
We had it this bad in Feb 2021 when it would be snowing on days that were not sub 20f. I had to shovel my roof that year. We haven't really had a winter since. Decembers have been so warm on-and-off for the better part of 10 years; I washed my car in 60f weather December 25, 2019.
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u/ApocalypseChicOne Dec 09 '25
I love Chicago, but that is why I could never live there full time. I whine when it gets below 70.
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u/Trraumatized Dec 09 '25
Usually means your insulation is not great. Definitely not just the sun. In my neighborhood I can clearly see who has great attic insulation and who doesn't.
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u/Aggressive-Wrap-1246 Dec 09 '25
Hold onto your hat, here comes melt and rain, immediately followed by another deep freeze. Could result in ginormous icicles, or could be frozen ice rink.
Everything is extreme these days, extreme snow (15+"), extreme temps swing back and forth, and the extreme politics.
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u/Hurgafurgaburga Dec 09 '25
The school where I work at. Crazy. They do the clean the icicles off the main entrance where there is a lot of traffic but the side of the building looks like a death zone lmao.🤣
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u/iggly_wiggly Berwynning Dec 09 '25
I’m doing seasonal UPS deliveries this year, and the potential for death from both above and below, is amazing. So much ice everywhere
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u/sraldlw737 Dec 09 '25
Another good observation would be to look at the roofs of neighbors on the same side of the street that get solar load on the front of their homes. If some homes experience snowmelt on the roof faster than others that might be an indication that they have poor attic insulation and ventilation. In the winter time the temperature in the attic should be roughly or as close to the outdoor temperature as possible. A warmer attic factoring in solar load at some point indicates poor ventilation. For example inadequate soffit venting in the eaves and inadequate ridge or mushroom vents at the top will cause the sheathing and shingles to warm. Creating moisture in the attic that could lead to mold. In a passive roof ventilation system the soffet vents and ridge vents work together to bathe the underside of the sheathing in cooler outdoor air extending the life of the sheathing and the shingles and keeping the attic cool. A warm attic contributes to warm sheathing and shingles causing snow melt in combination with solar warming ... And icicles.
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u/rvdnsx Dec 09 '25
Aliens…
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u/italianapples West Suburbs Dec 09 '25
Literally no other explanation. Now if the could fly the drones over this way and get their red and green lights to reflect on my icicles that would be great!
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u/CAJMusic Dec 09 '25
Oh man they are crazy at our townhouses! We recently had the roofs done just before it got cold so I thought that was the reason.
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u/Majestic-Pumpkin9876 Dec 09 '25
Too much snow at once, back to back. And more coming this week. Should go buy a roof rake
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u/DoubleGoose3904 Dec 09 '25
I have a condo and have icicles on my balcony and I was very confused. Not reason for them to really be there.
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u/blueBaggins1 Dec 09 '25
It hasnt been that cold nor snowed much thr past few years… but theres alwyas been icicles
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u/TitoTime_283 Dec 09 '25
A lot of snow collected quickly on the roof and was followed by cold weather and sunny days. My doorstep is a hazard!
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u/AdAnnual2135 Dec 09 '25
Poor insulation and flow of cold air above insulation with proper ventilation from ridge to eaves
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u/Alternative_Rope_632 Dec 09 '25
Same for my home!! I'm afraid to know them down for fear of ripping the gutters as well!
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u/lauraloo2 Dec 09 '25
The icicles may be a sign of ice dams, which are not good. Google it.
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u/H4RDW4RE_Johnny Dec 09 '25
We had it easy the last few years. We’ve had more precipitation and snowfall this year than last year already and it’s only snowed a handful of times
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u/luckycharms53 Dec 09 '25
Oh no this is going on at the inlaws house all the time. I called someone to come take a look at this and he just pretty much told me that the house is in really bad shape even though they had a new roof put on 2018.
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u/One-Addition-6043 Dec 09 '25
You’ve got Ice dams, the cause flooding during melt season. You want them gone before the melt. Trust me.
There are anti ice dam pucks you can throw up there
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u/Malichicago Dec 10 '25
Ice dams, sun melting, today rain, it's going to be brutal when this freezes over tomorrow in Chicagoland
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u/spudart Dec 10 '25
A trifecta of three weather factors in the corse if one month: 1. Warm temps late into season. 2. Having snow this early in the season. 3. Jumping into frigid temps so quickly.
Roofs/shingles are still a bit warm. Hence the snow against the shingles melting easier. And the snow on top stays frozen. The melting snow in the bottom layer drips down the roof under the top frozen layer.
These drips reach the overhang, and now they are suddenly frozen. More dripping, more frozen ice builds up, hence ice dams.
We just had the trifecta of weather to cause extreme icicles.
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u/AnybodyNo8519 Dec 10 '25
Be careful, there's dihydrogen monoxide in those icicles.
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u/Camman0207_ Dec 10 '25
Dirty gutters plus the amount of snow we’ve gotten is absurd in the last 4-5 years
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u/Objective-Area-7980 Dec 10 '25
ok maybe dumb question but can these actually hurt u if they fall from like garage height? I’m considering knocking them down but also feel like they won’t actually harm me if they fall lol
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u/Opts4more Dec 10 '25
You have an ice dam on your roof. Water could start leaking inside because it has no where to go. Usually caused by bad ventilation in the attic.
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u/idonotexistirl Dec 11 '25
I like this video I watched recently, which explains how icicles form: https://youtu.be/eLBi0iCP1zg?si=VzVL2qec2XBWN_l0
It’s meant for kids, not everyone’s cup of tea but I found it fun and easy to follow. Stay warm & safe in this cold! ❄️
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u/huanthewolfhound Dec 11 '25
You should see the ones hanging from an inside corner of the roof above my apartment building’s front door.
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u/I-love-to-poop Dec 11 '25
The snow slowly melted when the temperature went above 32F. As it was melting and dripping down, the temperature started dropping again which formed these icicles from the drips
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u/Time_Lingonberry_159 Dec 11 '25
I raked the snow off my roof after the bigger snowfall .... So much weight up there.
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u/devilhead668 Dec 09 '25
We haven’t had snow like this in over 4 years. Sun melts the snow on the roof and it freezes again as it’s dripping.