Patent ID: 7051480

Claim:
A gutter-salt system for preventing ice dam formation at a roof edging, the gutter-salt system comprising, in combination: a gutter assembly for attachment in adjacency to roof edging, the gutter assembly comprising a gutter trough portion and at least one downspout portion, the gutter trough portion comprising a rear wall, a forward wall, a superior gutter end, and an inferior gutter end, the inferior gutter end comprising a substantially planar assembly-supporting surface and at least one water outlet aperture, the assembly-supporting surface extending from the rear wall to the forward wall, the assembly-supporting surface thus having an assembly-supporting width, the downspout portion comprising a matter inlet end, a matter outlet end, and a conduit length intermediate the matter inlet end and the matter outlet end, the matter inlet end being cooperatively associated with the matter outlet aperture for channeling matter from the assembly-supporting surface to the matter outlet end via the conduit length; and a plurality of salt-delivery assemblies, each salt-delivery assembly for placement in superior adjacency to the assembly-supporting surface comprising a substantially tubular mesh casing and solid, salt-based fill material, the mesh casing comprising an inner salt-retaining surface, an outer matter-engaging surface, a casing thickness, a casing length, a substantially uniform casing diameter, a transverse casing periphery, and a plurality of mesh apertures, the casing thickness and the mesh apertures extending from the salt-retaining surface to the matter-engaging surface in side-by-side relation about the entire casing periphery and along the entire casing length, the mesh apertures each comprising a maximal aperture dimension, the salt-based fill material comprising a plurality of salt pellets, the salt pellets each comprising a minimal pellet dimension, the minimal pellet dimension being greater in magnitude than the maximal aperture dimension, the salt-based fill material thus being retained by the salt-retaining surface, the mesh apertures, the casing thickness, and the matter-engaging surface allowing water to contact the salt-based fill material at a salt-water interface, a salt portion of the salt-based fill material dissolving in water when water contacts the salt-based fill material thus forming a flowable salt solution, the salt solution having a depressed freezing point, the depressed freezing point for preventing ice formation, the salt-based fill material being decremented by an amount substantially equal to the salt portion, the flowable salt solution flowing from the salt-water interface to the assembly-supporting surface to the matter outlet end via the matter outlet aperture, the matter inlet end, and the conduit length, the salt solution thus preventing ice formation, and the gutter-salt system thus preventing ice dam formation at the roof edging.