Heated Driveway News

Choosing Eco-friendly Snow and Ice Removal

Now that Earth Day has come and gone, many of us are resolved to find new, meaningful ways to contribute to our environment, including driveway heating . Not only do radiant heated driveways take the shovel, and the responsibility of snow removal out of your hands; they are darn good for the environment.

Electric heated driveways are unobtrusive snow removal systems and virtually maintenance free. Embedded within concrete, asphalt, or placed beneath paver stones, radiant heated cables comprising these systems are activated by a snow sensor when conditions warrant, providing a clean, silent, efficient, eco-friendly alternative to traditional snow and ice removal methods.

Unlike driveway heating, using harsh snowmelt chemicals can really take a toll on your driveway and the surrounding landscape, killing grass and other foliage. Salt and chemicals also tend to find their way into unsuspecting dog paws, and greedily gnaw through our leather boots and shoes. With the spring thaw, most of these chemicals also make their way into our groundwater system, contaminating our drinking supply.

Snow blowers are just as destructive. They scrape asphalt, tear up yards and spew smoke from incredibly loud gasoline-powered engines. Unlike eco-friendly electric heated driveways, which draw on a renewable energy source, these fossil fuel burning machines emit harmful pollutants into the atmosphere as you work. They also make enough noise to wake the dead, as I’ve discovered with my neighbor, who is both a proud snow blower owner and early riser!

While more traditional methods of snow removal can damage your driveway, your yard, and the environment, installing an electric heated driveway will boost your property value without destroying your investment. Yet the biggest incentive (for me, at least) is the time and effort I’ll save with a fully automated snow removal system. I’d rather start my day relaxing with a nice cup of joe, watching the snow fall while my neighbors are outside pushing snow around!

When it comes down to choosing the right snow removal solution, you might not associate environmentalism with a radiant heated driveway. But considering just how *cost and energy efficient heated driveways are, living a greener life has never been easier.

*The cost for a 500-square-foot heated driveway to operate continuously for 5 hours is approximately $7.50.

Clearing Your Driveway in Your Sleep

Remember when you used to have to get a shovel and go outside and shovel snow and ice? Remember when you used to have to run taxi service for your neighbor when he was stuck in the driveway? Why not say “goodbye” to those days and start enjoying the benefits of an automated driveway snow melting system?

Electric heated driveways have been around for a while now. What you may not have known is how easy they are to install and maintain. These snow melting systems are about as convenient as one could ever hope. A snow sensor monitors weather conditions and activates the system only when needed. How much easier could it be to watch the snow instantly melt as hits lands on the driveway? (Was it Sylvester the cat who used to say “simultaneously even?” I’m getting fuzzy on my cartoon characters nowadays. Saturdays just haven’t been the same for many years now. I digress.)

Heated driveway systems consist of heat cable installed underneath the finish surface. The automated sensor signals the snowmelt system's control unit, which then activates the system. The heat cable generates heat that radiates throughout the driveway surface (concrete, asphalt, tile or brick pavers, etc.), so the driveway is warm when the first snowflake hits; thus, melting the snow even while you sleep. It doesn't get much better than this! I like the idea of my driveway being cleared while I sleep – or perhaps I just like the idea of me being asleep. Regardless, driveway snow melting systems is an idea whose time has definitely come.

Radiant Snow Melting Systems Keep Snow at Bay

Radiant snow melting systems are a muscle-saving way to put the NO in snow. It happens every time the snow flies at many homes across the country; a small curse is heard pointed in the direction of the gloomy skies each time a snow flake lands its mark on an unheated driveway. Homeowners watch in dismay as the skies open up and dump white, harmless looking bits of snow crystals on their sidewalks and driveways. Shovels and snow blowers are taxed and so are backs, necks, and arms. Sure, it can be beautiful, but many people just want a way to say “no thanks” to snowy days and back-breaking efforts to clear their property.

Heated driveways are in vogue now and with great reason. Installing a driveway snow melting system saves time and money for every homeowner smart enough to add it to their property. Home values increase, winter blues decrease, and screaming body parts silence in homes that offer the perk of an automated radiant snow melting system.

Smart and savvy builders and home buyers are including snow melting systems in many large scale new construction projects as well as single dwellings. A heated driveway can be installed after construction as well, so the ease and affordable comfort is not merely limited to new construction.

If you live in an unforgiving climate where Mother Nature rules with white, then perhaps a snow melting system might help make the winters a bit more bearable and allow you to finally put the NO in snow!

Radiant Heated Driveways - The Driveway of the Future

When shopping for a home, how many of us have thought of looking for a house with a radiant heated driveway installed? Okay, it might not be the first thing you think of when organizing your criteria for a new home, but maybe it should make the list somewhere. Heated driveways are a convenience that won’t go unnoticed for sure. Imagine getting up in the morning and seeing all the new fallen snow and then seeing your driveway totally clear of snow and ice.

Radiant driveway snow melting systems generally use a form of electric radiant heat. They utilize an electric heat cable that is laid in the asphalt or concrete, under the finish surface. Sensors installed near the surface detect when the snowmelt system is needed and current is applied to the heat cable to warm the driveway and melt the snow. How much easier could it get than that? It’s a modern convenience that is a sign of the times. And because these systems run on electricity, they are environmentally friendly, eliminating the need for corrosive salt and harmful snowmelt chemicals, which can damage nearby plants and grass.

Heated driveways will only get more popular as more people become aware of their affordability and reliable performance. No more concerns about whether snow and ice will prevent you from getting up your driveway when you get home. Just don’t forget you loaned your snow blower to your neighbor. He’s probably not going to remind you, especially after he notices your snow-free, heated driveway.

Keeping Your Driveway Clear of Snow and Ice

I just ventured in from the frozen outdoors. The roads are packed with ice and the trees are laden with frost. My driveway has a rather steep incline, but good traction usually does the trick and allows me to pull up to my home. However, However, ascending my driveway's slope during winter time can often be an adventure. Truth is, my driveway is an ideal candidate for an electric heated driveway snow melting system.

Driveway snowmelt systems are the ticket during winter in any areas that regularly see the icy stuff. Every time you drive over snow you pack it further into dense, slippery ice. How nice would it be to not have that concern? With a radiant heated driveway snowmelt system there is one less thing to have to worry about when you are getting ready to head out in the morning (or pull up to your house in the evening). When morning hits, you get up and look out to discover that it snowed again. Then you look at the driveway and it is as clean as if it were July. You get in your car and drive off. Driveway snow melting has provided us with an easy life. It really wasn’t that long ago when you would have had to break out the snow shovel to clear the way.

A heated driveway system is a big asset in many areas and it isn’t that difficult to install. It will pay for itself in time savings over and over, as well as increase the value of your home. It can even be installed over existing asphalt driveways. Danfoss GX heat cable comes pre-spaced in mats that can be conveniently rolled out over the surface of the driveway. Hot asphalt can be applied directly over the top and vwalah, your icy worries are a thing of the past. Take a look into the many forms of electric radiant heat. You will find systems for virtually every application, both interior and exterior, that can make your life much easier and more comfortable.

In an Economic Downturn Purchases Have to Count

Economic downturns such as the one we find ourselves elbow deep in, dictate wiser, well-researched and more cost-effective purchases. The weak dollar and tighter credit allowances no longer allow the penny-pinching consumer the luxury of frivolous spending sprees. Each purchase needs to count and provide an investment for the future.

An inexpensive investment and smart way to add value to your home is by installing a heated driveway. Once installed, an automated snow melting system offers low operation costs in the long run, helping you lower your bottom line on home expenses. A heated driveway with an area of 300 square feet operates for under 50-cents per continuous hour of operation. The snow melting system generally only takes a few hours to clear your driveway when a storm hits, and automatically shuts off when it is no longer needed.

Driveway heating is an investment that has proven results. Not only does it allow you some free time with your family, it is a proven way to protect the life of your driveway by protecting it from harsh chemicals and salt used in traditional snow removal. One of the best features is the rugged, technologically advanced snow sensor, which triggers the radiant heating system only when needed, making driveway heating a fully automated process, so you can stay inside where it’s warm and count the dollars you are saving as you watch the snow fall. Or instead of shoveling for hours after a Nor’ Easter or powerful lake effect storm you can spend time relaxing inside with your family.

The peace of mind that comes with making a smart purchase is invaluable right now. We are all looking for ways to ride out this stormy economic climate, still enjoy some creature comforts, and invest in wise products, such as a heated driveway, that will enable our future to look bright.

Laying the paving – almost done!

This blog the sixth in a series of blogs designed for do-it-yourselfers. This series features step-by-step instructions for building your own heated driveway or patio using brick pavers. The process for building a non-heated driveway is the same (just omit install of heating cables).

Brick paving is laid as ‘flexible paving’ or ‘rigid paving’. The difference is very simple - flexible paving is laid on a bed of sand using sand joints; rigid paving is laid on a bed of mortar using mortar joints. Mortar bedding is used for more sophisticated designs, so for these DIY project, we’ll choose the flexible paving option.

To get started, the first blocks should be positioned from the edge or from outside the pavement area. Setting the first set of bricks is the most difficult part of the paving process and will set the stage for the placement of subsequent blocks. Depending on the pavement pattern you choose, this will be done in a number of different ways. Since we cannot possibly accommodate every kind of pattern and paver type here, let’s start as simply as possible: square pattern.

First things first, take care not to step on the compacted bedding layer by laying the first blocks parallel to the edge. An edge can be set using a taut string line along the perimeter of the paving area. Starting at the edge of the middle and working across, pay attention to the pattern to prevent drifting as you lay each block. Use a rubber mallet to tap blocks into line and keep joints tight.

Shapes of driveways/patios/pathways are not always square shaped with straight edges. Keep your pattern on course and omit blocks on the edges that will require cutting to accommodate varying shapes and curves of the course. Once all the blocks have been laid, the cuts for these blocks will be easily determined and measured. If you are offsetting the blocks, half blocks will need to be cut to fill the edges.

The paving now needs sand jointing, which is best applied by using a broom to brush the sand into the joints, sweep surplus sand off to the side. Compact the paving with the vibrating compactor. The compactor will help the sand settle into the joints, so you'll need to do a second pass of filling the joints with sand and compacting.

Now that you are finished designing and gathering tools, the next step is LAYERS.

This blog the third of a series of blogs designed for do-it-yourselfers. This series features step-by-step instructions for building your own heated driveway or patio using brick pavers. The process for building a non-heated driveway is the same (just omit install of heating cables).

Layers. All paving is made up of multiple layers that improve the structural quality of the paving.

Sub-grade is the first layer – the bare raw earth. You will need to reduce the sub-grade to formation level, in other words dig down. As you reduce the layer, keep in mind that you are creating a space deep enough to accommodate not only the brick pavers, but the sub-base as well. Make sure the formation level is as even as possible, removing all high spots and low spots until it mimics the profile of the proposed driveway/patio/pathway. Check for any soft spots that need to be excavated and filled with the harder clay based soil of the formation level.

At this point in the process, many people choose to put down a geotextile separation membrane. This layer has many different names but the goal of the layer is the same: to keep the sub-grade and sub-base layers from mixing and creating settlement. However, a geotextile layer is not needed for every job. If you live in an area with a sub-grade that is dry and firm, you can omit the geotextile layer with a minimal risk of mixing between layers. For sub-grades that are anything less than dry and firm, a geotextile layer can dramatically improve the performance of the completed project. So what is a geotextile layer? Surprisingly, it’s a simple sheet of non-woven fabric.

After the sub-grade layer comes the sub-base.  The sub-base provides flexibility between the sub-grade layer and the base. Although you may not always need a sub-base layer for all patio projects, it is an essential layer in the creation of driveway paving. The biggest cause of settlement and shifting of the base layer is a non-existent or unsatisfactory sub-base layer. Most residential building projects require an unbound sub-base layer such as crushed rock or recycled crushed cement (versus cement-bound and bitumen-bound sub-bases).  The goal is a mixture of larger particles and fine particles (sand) that creates a firm void-free layer.

After spreading the sub-base layer, level it out using spades and finish off with a rake. Next use the vibrating plate compactor to compact the layer and eliminate as many voids as possible.  The sub-grade layer should be between 100-200mm in depth (after the compacting process). To achieve a depth of 150mm, a safe rule of thumb is spreading 200mm depth of non-compacted sub-grade. After the compacting process, the depth will be reduced to 150mm. 

After designing and planning is finished, the next step is gathering proper tools.

This blog the second of a series of blogs designed for do-it-yourselfers. This series features step-by-step instructions for building your own heated driveway or patio using brick pavers. The process for building a non-heated driveway is the same (just omit install of heating cables).