The freezing of snow on driveways or walkways has always been a major issue for homeowners in cold areas. It can be dangerous, especially for the elderly and children who might slip on the ice. Also, it can be difficult or even impossible for you to drive your car on the ice. For these reasons, Snow Melting Systems came to help. In this article, we talk about the snow melting driveway. If you want to read more about these systems, keep scrolling.
What is a Snow Melting Driveway?
The essential idea behind snow melting systems came from the snowfall on a warm car. A heated or snow melting driveway helps prevent the accumulation of ice and snow instead of the traditional way of shoveling, salting, or other snow-removal methods (See figure 2). This system can be installed under a driveway concrete, asphalt, or pavers. It is equipped with a sensor that controls its activation. Although you can use a snow melting system for an existing driveway without demolition, it is better to use it for a new driveway.
What are the Differences between Types of Snow Melting Systems?
Typically we have two different types of snow melting systems for driveways.
1. Hydronic Snow Melting Systems
2. Electrical Snow Melting Systems
These systems differ in a variety of ways. Knowing these differences is essential for everyone who wants to install a snow melting system.
- Since hydronic systems usually require a water heater or boiler, their installation is more difficult and expensive.
- Hydronic systems require higher maintenance than electrical ones because their fluid level should be checked regularly. In contrast, electrical systems have fewer moving parts resulting in less maintenance.
- The response time of a hydronic system is long because it takes time for the fluid to get hot. An electrical system does not need a warm-up time resulting in a shorter response time.
Bringing all these together, hydronic snow melting systems are mostly recommended for larger areas such as commercial buildings. Because they need a place for a boiler and providing this area in large buildings is easier, and they also have low operating costs.
Electrical snow melting systems are preferred for residential buildings since they operate more quickly and require less room for the control unit. In what follows, we explain more about the electrical type since the audience of this article are homeowners.
How to Design Your Driveway and Walkway Snow Melting System?
1. Draw a Plan.
First of all, you need to decide which area should be covered. Do you want to use the snow melting system for the driveway, walkway, or both? You should draw a plan which shows the coverage area by the system. You can use software such as Planner 5d, Sketchup, or Autocad to draw your driveway and walkway, or you can easily ask your contractor to do that for you. This drawing helps you to estimate the square footage covered by the snow melting system.
2. Zone Your Coverage Area.
After drawing a plan, divide the coverage area into at least three or four zones. These zones determine the way you should install the snow melting system (See figure 3).
3. Get a Quote.
The next step is sending your square footage and zoning area to a company around you to get a quote. Now you can modify your drawing plan and send it again to get a new quote.
How to Decrease Your Costs in Snow Melting System Design?
Maybe choosing both areas will cost you a lot of money. So you can decrease your cost by some different methods.
1. Decrease the Coverage Area.
Complete coverage of driveways may cost a lot for you. To cut installation and operating costs, you can consider covering just the tire tracks instead of the whole driveway area. This method is functional and cost-effective at the same time. Using this system, you only need two sets of heating elements, each two feet wide, to melt snow during the heaviest snowfalls.
2. Combine Different Quality Systems.
Another way to cut costs is to use both high-quality and medium-quality products. You can use high-quality products only for the most used areas. For example, use high-quality materials for the walkway that reaches the front door and medium or lower quality for the driveway or the other walkways on your property. In this way, you may need to separate the electrical systems for two kinds of materials by your priority zone drawing.
3. Use the Retrofit Method.
In this method, you can execute the snow melting system without demolishing the driveway and install the system on the existing asphalt. You can lay the cables on the asphalt and then cover the cables with a two-inch thick layer of asphalt. Another way to do this for concrete applications is to cut channels, lay down the cables in those channels, and then cover those channels with concrete.
Snow melting system can also be added to heat existing brick or stone pavers. You should install the cable in the sand bed and cover it. Then place back the pavers into position.
4. Use a Combined Method of All the Above.
Combining all the above options can help you significantly reduce your costs. Using combined quality products for different zones and the retrofit method for tire tracks provides you with the most cost-effective snow melting system installation and operation.
What Equipment do You Need to Install a Snow Melting System?
The electrical devices and components that you typically need for your home’s driveway snow melting installation are as follows:
1. Snow Melting Mat or Cable
2. Controller Timer Panel
3. DS Controllers
4. Indoor Monitor (optional)
5. Connection Kit (optional)
6. Branded Name Plate
What are the Major Companies for Snow Melting Systems in the US?
There are numerous companies which you can buy electrical snow melting system equipment from. You can buy each one you need from the following companies:
1. Warmly Yours
2. Warmup
3. Thermosoft
4. Snowmelt Pro
5. Warmzone
6. Warmquest
The Bottom Line
Snow melting driveway systems prevent slippery frost, snow, and ice build-up, reducing slip and fall accidents. Also, a heated driveway melts snow and ice safely without damaging the landscape or vehicles.
If you live in an area with cold winters like Philadelphia, we suggest you consider installing a snow melting driveway. You definitely appreciate it in snowy weather. Matrix Company Solutions Corp. can help you with the snow melting installation in the Philadelphia area. We make sure you get the best quality and affordable snow melting system for your property.
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