The reality is that any gutter guard is likely to accumulate snow and ice on the surface simply because it is covering the opening of the gutter, which prevents snow and ice from accumulating inside your gutters. There really isn’t a system on the market that will prevent this issue from occurring, unless it has larger openings into the gutter. While icicles can be a pain, the fact that snow and ice does not get into your gutters is a good because it keeps the weight on the top side of the gutters and allows the sun to more quickly melt the snow and ice from that area.

I recently took photos of icicles that had built-up on different gutter guard systems after one particular snowfall, and there really wasn’t any type of system that was immune from this problem.

It is possible to buy heat tapes, but, as others have noted in this blog and elsewhere, its effectiveness is limited to the area immediately around the cable and is not very effective with larger amounts of snow. Plus, since your guards have a plastic framework, it’s probably not advisable to put a heat source on them.

Our back yard is maples, doug firs, cherry trees, etc.
Should we go with what we have or try the gutterglove, although I am worried about debris staying on top of the mesh.

Additionally, in the last 40 years I have tried solid covers, mesh/screens, and micro-mesh. None work. If I can push a leaf tip or stem in, trust me, nature will do so, all along the gutter. None keep out the strings of seeds or whatever my trees put out, or roof grit, even micro-mesh. I’ve also tried all the things one puts in the downspout – those don’t work either. It takes longer and is harder to keep the covers clear than it does and is to clean the gutters; the covers need clearning about as often as my un-covered gutters.

My pet peave is the solid-cover demos in malls. They send perhaps a light rain’s worth of water down a small section of roof with a shallow pitch, and tell people their syster will handle even the water from a gully-washer storm on a large steep roof. They won’t.

If I didn’t have inside corners, I would investigate hinged gutters. Until someone invents something that works, I will leave my gutters uncovered, put up the ladder, grab my leaf-blower, and clean each time rain is projected in the fall or spring.

Best,
Coryn Weigle