Funny enough, I’ve actually had fewer ice issues with link chains than cups, at least here in the Midwest. The open design seems to let things thaw and drain faster, even if you get a bit more splash. Cups look tidier, but when we had that polar vortex, they froze solid for days. Just something to consider if your winters are rough.
Link chains definitely seem to handle freezing a bit better, at least from what I’ve seen. We switched to them after a couple winters where the cup style basically turned into solid ice sculptures—looked cool, but water just spilled over the gutters and made a skating rink below. The links do splash more, but I actually don’t mind that since we planted some native grasses underneath to soak it up.
One thing I noticed, though: if you get a lot of wind, the link chains can whip around unless you anchor them at the bottom. We just used a big river rock and it’s held up fine. Cups look neater for sure, but after dealing with those frozen blocks during that crazy cold snap last year, I’m happy with “functional but messy.” Midwest winters don’t mess around... sometimes you just gotta pick what works instead of what looks best.
I get where you’re coming from on the frozen cup issue—seen plenty of those turn into solid blocks after a bad freeze. But honestly, I’ve had link chains ice up too, just in a different way. The water can still freeze along the links and create icicles that sometimes pull on the gutter if it gets heavy enough. And about the splashing... if you’ve got a basement or foundation close by, that extra water can be a headache over time, even with grasses. I’m not saying cups are perfect, but with proper sizing and regular clearing, they can work pretty well in cold climates. Sometimes feels like it’s six of one, half dozen of the other.
I’ve had both, and honestly, neither is perfect up here in Minnesota. My cup chain froze solid last January—looked cool, but it was basically a giant icicle. Swapped to links and yeah, less blockage, but more splashback near the foundation. I ended up adding a big river rock bed underneath to help with drainage. Still have to knock ice off sometimes, but at least it’s not pooling by the house anymore.
Cup chains looked great on my place for about a week—then we hit that first cold snap and it turned into a frozen waterfall. My neighbor’s link chain doesn’t freeze up as bad, but he’s always grumbling about mud splatter on his siding. I tossed some gravel under mine too, but honestly, half the time I’m just out there with a broom whacking ice chunks off. Minnesota winters really don’t care what style you pick...
