Heated Driveway News

Keeping Customers Happy Each Season is Simple

Keeping your customers happy is usually in the top five priorities (and if you are smart, it’s most likely number one) when running a business. Without them your business is sunk. If you operate your business in a harsh winter climate and customers have a need to visit your location regularly, installing heated driveways and walk-ways is a sure fire way to keep them coming back for more.

Businesses like banks, fast food restaurants or car washes all have drive-through areas or driving bays that would benefit from a radiant snowmelt system. Installing a heated driveway system reduces the manual labor required to keep precious business arteries open and clear for customers. Snowmelt systems also cut down on the need for salt or other harsh chemicals, which is especially critical for a car wash. Customers visiting a car wash in the winter months are looking to rid their vehicle of those products and would certainly appreciate not picking up more while patronizing your car wash bays.

Using a radiant snowmelt system is not limited to those aforementioned businesses. Snow melting systems are an added benefit to any walkway, as they are easily installed under sidewalks and driveways. Using the technology of electric or radiant heat increases the comfort and safety of your property – and makes you much less vulnerable to potential liability issues. A snow melting system will insure your walkways and driveways are always clear of snow and ice and ready to be used by each and every one of your valuable customers.

What if NASA Could Install Heated Driveways/Runways?

Last week the space shuttle, Discovery, returned to earth after a 13-day mission. Following a few minor weather delays, the cloudy skies in Cape Canaveral, Florida, finally allowed the Discovery crew to touch down at the Kennedy Space Center. The amazing ability to travel through space got me thinking how thrilling it would be to see a space shuttle lift off with all its turbo boosters spewing thick clouds of smoke. Sadly, I do not dwell in any state near Florida, so my chances are slim of this becoming a reality, unless I travel across the country. It made me start to wonder; “What if NASA could install a snow melting system on runways and launch pads across the country?”

Think about the joy and marvel youngsters would experience if their home state was able to host a shuttle landing. Even winter-locked states could theoretically brag about the upcoming landing of the future shuttle, North Pole. Electric radiant heat systems used to heat our driveways to keep them clear of snow seems like a great solution for a NASA approved shuttle landings.

Admittedly, my imagination may be getting the best of me. Weather is just one of the millions of considerations, I’m quite sure, when launching a rocket into space. But for today, it is fun to imagine a giant heated “driveway” at a NASA facility somewhere near the Rocky Mountains, housing the next shuttle ready to fly and ready to land on the world's largest snow melting system. Hey, if we can put a man on the moon, who’s to say that one day my dream of witnessing a launch from my cold climate can’t come true. Technology brought us space travel and it brought us electric radiant heat. Maybe one day they will unite somewhere other than in my overactive imagination.

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.

Electric snowmelt and hydronic snow melting systems both keep your driveway free of snow and ice, but which one is better? The debate over hydronic versus electric systems is ongoing and may not reveal immediate and apparent differences right away – so here is a breakdown of each type of system, to help you make a well informed purchase.

Hydronic heat is the oldest radiant heating technology, and has proven the test of time. While both electric and hydronic heat systems offer great advantages, the ease of use and flexibility of electric radiant heat makes it suitable for a larger number of applications. Ultimately, the system you choose will be based on your project parameters, size, budget, and location.

We are clearly into the time of year where the snow is upon us. When I was out shoveling snow off the driveway a few days ago I thought, wow, I don’t really need to be doing this. Oh sure it was great exercise, but I prefer a good runaround on a racquetball court as opposed to shoveling snow from the driveway. Why not turn your existing driveway into a heated driveway with the installation of a radiant snow melting system?

Retrofitting your driveway with radiant heat is not a major remodel project that you need to avoid. It really isn’t that difficult. Your existing asphalt driveway surface can be “grooved” and a grid of radiant heat cable can be laid out. (As a contractor, I can attest to the fact that Danfoss GX cable is by far superior to other heat cables.)

The cable can be embedded into the surface and as little as a half inch of asphalt covers the surface. You then have a radiant snow melting system. Get up in the morning and drive out to work. The bad news is that one excuse for being late has just been removed.

Radiant heated driveways are a nice way to simplify your life. Automated sensors switch on when the temperature and conditions indicate snow, turning your driveway into an energy-efficient radiant snow melting system. And you thought it was just a driveway.