We get asked by customers all the time about heated driveways. What do they do, do they really work and are they worth it are a few of the most common. Ahead we’ll answer all those questions and a bunch more.
Heated driveways are warmed by a form of radiant floor heating meant for the outdoors. Tubes filled with hot water and an anti freeze solution are installed under the driveway’s surface. When it gets cold enough, either hot water is pumped through the tubes which creates heat. That heat radiates upwards, warming the surface. Heated driveways have a single purpose and that’s snow and ice removal. If you live anywhere cold, then you’ve probably spent countless hours each winter shoveling your driveway. Or paid someone else to do it for you. Well you won’t have to any more if you install a heated driveway.
Having to shovel your driveway every time it snows is back breaking work that can lead to injury. Snow blowers are expensive, they break down whenever you seam to need them most and spreading salt is a pain. Even if you don’t live in a region that gets hit with heavy snow, black ice in the early mornings can still be an issue. Snow-melting systems work by heating the driveway from underneath the surface, ensuring that snow and ice never stick to the pavement.
Heated driveways are actually a form of radiant floor heating system. The same basic system you install to heat your bathroom floor can be used to heat your driveway. However, for outdoor use the system is much stronger. The heating system sits just under the finished flooring layer. In this case the pavement, concrete, pavers, black top, etc. When temperatures drop cold enough for ice to form or when it snows, the system heats up. Heat radiates upwards warming the floor. This heated floor is enough to melt snow and ice.
A thermostat that controls the system can be installed anywhere inside the house or garage. The system can be set to come on automatically or you can do it manually. It’s just like using the thermostat inside your home.
There are also systems you can control remotely via an app so you can heat things up even when you’re not home.
Driveway heating systems can be installed under almost any surface. This includes concrete, black top, pavers and brick. And these radiant systems aren’t just for driveways either. You can install them under your walkways, front stoop and sidewalk too. Pretty much any masonry surface can be heated with a radiant heating system.
Remember that with a hot water system, it’s best to have your boiler placed as near as you can to the driveway. In order for it to work properly all the water throughout the entire system has to be pumped with hot water so it’s best to have the hot water source as close by as possible. We generally install it in the garage.
There are lots of options in terms of controls too. Turn it all off and on with a switch or control it with a thermostat. That thermostat or switch can then be programmed to come on at predetermined times, operated by hand, with a sensor system that detects snow and ice or via an app on your smart phone.
Another thing to consider is how you’d like to control the system. Manually or automated.
An automated system has sensors that detect snow and ice build up. Once the sensors are triggered your heating system turns on and heat the driveway. The benefit of a setup like this is total automation. You don’t have to do a thing other than turn the sensors on once winter hits. The downside is that you give up control to a computer which means it may turn on when you don’t want it to. Another negative is the system drawing power all the time, in order for sensors to work properly you can’t turn them off. It doesn’t cost much over a season but it’s more than you’ll spend with manual controls.
However, a manual system allows you to save a little money since you only turn the heat on when you actually need it. The system turns on at the flick of a switch.
Another great option are apps you can control remotely. Turn the system off and on whenever you like from wherever you are. It’s a great feature to have if you don’t like the automated system but aren’t always home to switch the system on. This is the option we recommend most to our customers.
With any of the control options you can adjust the temperature inside the tubes via the thermostat and all of these setups are available for either an electric or hydronic system.
Radiant heating is a great way to warm your driveway to melt snow and ice. But is it really worth the money. Although the cost of installing radiant heating is high, when you weight that cost vs. the benefits it may be worth the money.
- Heated driveways prevent ice accumulation during winter. They eliminate the need to use rock salt or other de-icers on the driveway and you won’t need to shovel snow again or pay someone else to do it for you.
- Snow shoveling often causes injury so why do it if you don’t have to.
- Typically, once the heated driveways are installed, there is normally no or very little maintenance required.
- If you owned and paid to operate a snow blower in the past you can save that money from now on.
- Heated driveways are rising in popularity as an option that permanently deals with snow and ice so you can finally get rid of that shovel and bucket of salt for good. It’s generally an expensive project but the benefits far outweigh the costs. Hopefully some of the information we’ve provided here helps in some way.
- If you have any questions or comments call us any time.
