Heated Driveway News

Prudent Thinking, Prudent Spending

How many of us plow out of the other side of winter saying to ourselves, “I think I’ll move to Florida?” After the back breaking, agonizing work of shoveling snow and clearing driveways and countless sidewalks, the Sunshine State with its charming flower, the Orange Blossom, seems like a blissful way to survive next year’s snowy months. Sadly, most of us don’t have the luxury of picking up our lives and shifting to greener, sunnier pastures where orange blossoms, well, blossom. Winter is almost behind us this year and the memory of that hard work is still fresh in our minds. Right now is the most prudent time to start thinking about installing a heated driveway snow melting system.

As the final signs of winter move behind us for another year, many products go on sale in the hope of clearing shelves for brighter, cheerier summer products. Snow shovels and sleds are the clearance “item of the week” for many hardware stores as they hope to make room for plastic swimming pools and sand toys. The same can be said for radiant heated driveways. Installing a heated driveway during the off season can always save you money. It’s like rushing out to buy Christmas lights for your house, the day AFTER Christmas. There is always a good deal to be found.

What type of driveway heating is right for you? The answer is, “it depends.” The bottom line is that installing radiant heated driveways is easier than ever and very affordable, making it a prudent way to spend in this tight economy. Heated driveways can be installed in new construction or under existing driveways and sidewalks, so maybe you won’t have to move to Florida after all. Consider the following:

There are two types of radiant heat for your driveway, electronic and hydronic. Both systems require heating elements be installed beneath the surface of your driveway. Electric driveway heating systems utilize durable long-line heating cables while hydronic systems generate heated water which is pumped through plastic tubing. Electric driveway heating systems are generally cheaper and easier to install than hydronic systems. Electric heating is ideal for home use, while hydronic is better suited for larger heating projects in excess of 4000 square feet.

Heated driveway systems are highly customizable and can be installed in any phase and configuration of home construction. It doesn’t matter if you plan on concrete, asphalt, or brick, a heated driveway system uses radiant heat to warm the surface you choose. As a plus, if you live in an existing dwelling where the driveways and sidewalks are already in place, radiant heated driveways can easily be installed. Using concrete saw-cut technology, appropriately measured grooves are cut into the concrete (or asphalt). Once the grooves have been cut, radiant heating cable is laid into the grooves, sealed using an epoxy topcoat and driveway heating becomes a reality. Weather is rarely a factor for installation, so there are few limitations on the timing of placing a driveway snow melting system. A side note to be aware of is that it is recommended that all electrical connections to the master control box be handled by a qualified electrician.

The cost to install a heated driveway is minimal compared to the long term benefits. Electric snow melting systems have three basic components: the heating element, the controller, and the snow sensor. Thanks to DMC-100 master control unit, which was recently developed for use by Warmzone, the snowmelt system features fully automated operation and manual override capability, as well as energy-efficient driveway heating. An outdoor snow sensor is connected to the master control unit and is programmed to automatically activate the radiant driveway heating cable when the sensor plate detects precipitation and temperatures are below 38 degrees Fahrenheit. With this smart technology you never have to worry about running the system needlessly, thereby eliminating energy waste and saving you from high operational costs.

A home that boasts the convenience of a heated driveway system has added property value. While the initial monetary outlay exists to install a snow melting system, installing radiant driveway heat ends up being a smart investment in the long run as you reap the property value benefits and the added convenience of never buying and replacing snow shovels, blowers, ice melt, ice picks, salt and other harsh chemicals.

(Continued. See Part II )