Warmzone Blog

Most young children think it’s magical to wake up, look outside, and see a world covered with a fresh blanket of gleaming white snow. It’s a serene and lovely sight to see for parents, too. Until you remember you’ve got to shovel that show in order to get out of the house or your driveway…then your peaceful mood is broken and you start grumbling.
Well grumble no more. With new advances in outdoor heating systems technology, snow melting systems for driveways, sidewalks, and patios are more affordable, and economical than you might assume.
Outdoor heating systems in driveways and sidewalks were once thought to be a luxury most people couldn’t afford. But no, now heating driveways, walkways or even parking areas is becoming common for many residences and businesses. If you live in a cold region that requires snow removal you should consider a automated snow melting system before you begin construction to assure yourself the best design and performance.
With installation of an outdoor heating system that takes care of snow removal for you, you can enjoy watching the snow fall once more.
Outdoor Heating System Tip: Adding an outdoor heating system or heated driveway to your home or business will add safety and value to your property.

Of the many outdoor heating systems available, heated driveways are quickly becoming the most popular.  The best heated driveway systems are radiant heating systems, similar to indoor floor heating systems. There are primarily two methods for heating: electric and hydronic. Electric systems use a line-voltage cable, while hydronic systems generate hot water, then pump it through plastic PEX tubing. The heating elements are embedded in the surface and use resistant heating to heat the surrounding area. Most heated driveway systems incorporate an automatic sensor that detects inclement weather to activate the system. Electric systems tend to be more efficient, require less maintenance, and heat surfaces quicker. Hydronic systems are usually slightly more expensive to purchase and install, but the operational costs can be lower depending on the local fuel rates. Both systems have their advantages, however, the electric systems are gaining a lot of interest due to their price, ease of installation, and threatening future of the cost of fuel.
Some of the obvious benefits are, of course, not having to shovel your driveway again, avoiding injury due to slippery surfaces, and having the confidence that your driveway will be cleared when you need to use it. Other notable benefits include adding value to your home, preserving the life of your driveway, and avoiding damage to bordering landscape with harmful salts and chemicals.

For those of you who are weighing the pros and cons of the different types of driveways, including how they rate for ease of snow removal, you may find yourself wanting an outdoor heating system. For example, if you’d really like a driveway made from paver blocks, which are beautiful, you may find yourself surprised at how difficult they are to shovel in the winter. Therefore, instead of forgoing the driveway you really want, you could install a snow melting system that would automatically melt the snow for you.
Concrete driveways and asphalt driveways are both suitable for the installation of such outdoor heating systems. If you are attracted to a different type of driveway, such as pavers, or cobblestone, you’ll have to weigh its pros and cons (as compared to concrete or asphalt) before deciding.
It’s true, an outdoor heating system is not exactly the first thing that comes to mind when you’re thinking about stocking stuffers, but it’s the kind of luxurious and affordable gift that you’ll all enjoy for years to come—and even add value to the property, too.
Outdoor Heating Systems Tip: With heated driveways or other outdoor heating systems, not only do you get the driveway you really want, but you’ll have more free time, and less back aches from shoveling snow this winter.

Installing a heated driveway when you build or re-pour a driveway is a great way to increase the value of your home, and make it more sellable.  Even if you don’t want to activate the heated driveway, installing the components when you pour can still add value and allow a future owner to finish the project with minimal expense.  Start by installing the bare necessities. A popular option we have with our driveway heating systems is to “rough-in” the basic components for the heated driveway. Roughing-in a snow melting system consists of installing only the materials needed at the time of pouring a new concrete driveway.

Components Needed for Rough-in:

1) Driveway Rough-in Kit - The “rough-in” kit contains a backplate, cold lead, and splices. The backplate is installed between studs on a wall and the control unit for the driveway heating system is mounted to the backplate. The cold lead is a non-hot wire that is used to run power from the control unit to the low-voltage heating cable. Splices are used to connect the cold lead to the cable.

2) Driveway Heating Element - A low-voltage cable is the electric heating element used for all driveway snow melting applications. The cable is secured to the remesh, spaced at 6 inches and raised with the remesh (using MeshUps, dobies or chairs) to be within 2 inches of the surface. The concrete is then poured over the cable.         Preparing a driveway heating system

The materials for your “heat ready driveway” can be purchased for only a couple of dollars - or less - per square foot. You can then purchase the remainder of your snowmelt system at a later time. Even if you never activate your heated driveway, “roughing-in” a driveway heating system will increase the resale value of your home.

This fall you will most likely heave a big sigh of relief when you rake that last leaf into that pile and bag it up or put it in the mulch pile. At that point,  you’ll be done caring for your lawn until next spring, right? Well, just because it’ll be wintertime doesn’t mean you can’t protect your garden or lawn. In the colder months, heating systems are the best option to melt the ice and to protect your landscaping. Outdoor heating systems like heated driveways do more than just melt snow and ice from driveways and sidewalks. They also help preserve your landscaping while avoiding the use of harmful salt and chemicals.
The potential damage done to lawns and landscaping by salt spread over asphalt and sidewalks to melt the ice is notable. The sodium chloride burns the plants and gets absorbed by the plants’ root systems. This just means you’ll have damage to repair in the springtime — so easily avoided with the use of heating systems.
The solution isn’t to use alternate “ice-melt” products, which don’t work as effectively as outdoor heating systems. You see, these systems don’t use any harmful chemicals, and they melt the ice so effectively that you don’t have to do any of the work.
Heating Systems Tip: These heating systems are state of the art but easy to install for any contractor or do-it-yourself expert.

Even if you don’t get a lot of snow in your area, or if you get just ice, you still have a lot of preparation to do for wintry weather: covering the AC units, buying ice-melt, or buying a new ice scraper for car windshields. Here is a timesaving tip: a little planning this summer, could save you hours this coming winter. That’s because with one of the new outdoor heating systems available that can automatically melt snow and ice from sidewalks and driveways, you won’t be as busy with winter preparations and will have a lot more family time.
Outdoor snow melting systems in concrete, asphalt and under pavers was thought to be a luxury most people couldn’t afford. Now, heating driveways, walkways or even parking areas is becoming common for many residences and businesses. If you live in a cold region that requires snow removal you should consider a automated snow melting system before you begin construction to assure yourself the best design and performance.
Not only is an outdoor heating system convenient, but it’s inexpensive as well. By the time I account for the ice melt I won’t buy, the time I won’t spend, and the money saved on trips to the chiropractor after shoveling snow, I should have the outdoor heating system paid off in a winter or two.
Outdoor Heating System Tip: Adding a heated driveway to your home or business will add safety and value to your property.