Snow and ice guards

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  • Spectrum1c
    Junior Member
    • Mar 2018
    • 12
    #1

    Snow and ice guards

    Hi all,

    I haven't posted in a while as I've been thrilled with my solar setup. Thanks to the members on here for their great advice!

    An hour ago I heard a huge crash from a clump of ice sliding off the solar panels. Last year we had a fairly new gutter get bent up pretty bad by these ice clumps. The gutter installer replaced it for free, but mentioned ours was not the only gutter destroyed due to ice from the solar panels that year and recommended we install ice guards. He said that ice from solar panels are not usually an issue in our area, only about once every 10 years. I live in Cape Cod Massachusetts, so not a huge snow area and tends to melt away from driveways within 3 days or so whether you plow it or not.

    What kind and brand of ice guards would you all recommend for my situation? I don't mind installing it myself if it is easy enough.

    solar panels setup.jpg


    Last edited by Spectrum1c; 03-01-2022, 11:47 AM.
    Tags: None
    • bcroe
      Solar Fanatic
      • Jan 2012
      • 5199
      #2
      So you need new gutters every decade? That goes as number 52 on why a
      ground mount is better. What I have seen, is gutters have a minimum of
      support to deal with such loads. I am hoping to get up to my new gutters this
      year and triple the number of supports, already on hand. Maybe every 8 in.
      Bruce Roe

        Comment

        • Spectrum1c
          Junior Member
          • Mar 2018
          • 12
          #3
          The gutters on the upper roof have stood up just fine. Its the ones on the lower roof which got damaged from the ice coming off the solar panels crashing down on them.

            Comment

            • no2gates
              Junior Member
              • Feb 2022
              • 6
              #4
              I live in the Dallas area, and we don't get ice or snow very often, but it's happened twice this year, so I want to be prepared next winter.
              I have a similar number of panels and a similar roof slope to the picture on the OP. My question is, what exactly do the ice guards do? Just breakdown the sheets into smaller segments?

                Comment

                • bcroe
                  Solar Fanatic
                  • Jan 2012
                  • 5199
                  #5
                  Originally posted by Spectrum1c
                  The gutters on the upper roof have stood up just fine. Its the ones on the lower roof which got damaged from the ice coming off the solar panels crashing down on them.
                  I have had that problem with ice dropping from 16 feet, and here is how I fix
                  it. A doorway might have an awning sticking out. good luck, Bruce Roe
                  Oct202.JPG

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