Heated Driveway Possibilities??

[robs400]

My house is located in New England, I'm used to the snow and realize its a part of living here. A few years ago I purchased a house that I felt was a great deal even though I knew the driveway would be difficult to clear during inclimate weather.

It is a concrete driveway, 6' thick with rebar in it. I wish the driveway was made differently, however there is no changing that now..at least not at a realistic price.

I have done some searching on google and put in some requests for information at the few websites I did find and pretty much received generic responses. Ideally radiant heat would be put in before the driveway was poured. As you can see that is not an option.

Several websites hype up their retrofit applications with a low quality pic, however I have been unable to obtain any good info about an install like this.

When I first moved into the house, it was just myself so I didnt mind parking at the bottom of the driveway during bad weather, however there are now three vehicles in use during the winter and it forces one vehicle to be left at the top and stuck until the driveway is cleared...which can be days if we have ice like we just got. I have not been using salt on the driveway as I dont want to deal with cracks and spalling from the freeze thaw cycles.

I currently use an old ariens snowblower with chains that pulls me up the driveway behind it if I need it too, and its not that bad to clear but I would still like to explore the possibility of a heated driveway if anyone has any input on it!

The pics do not really do it justice for how steep it is....

 

[sneezer41]

to do a decent heated drive, just like a garage you need insulation under it. If you can picture ripping it out, then go for it. Probably need a separate boiler just for the driveway although solar is a possibility

 

[Mike83]

Sounds like a great idea if you want an ice rink in the road at the bottom.

Joking aside, I suggest investing in a plow for your truck. It will be cheaper than what you are asking about.

 

[CraigFL]

I cannot imagine how much energy it would take to keep that driveway clear during the cold winters. If you didn't have enough, it would just freeze into glare ice. I've known people to put heat cables on their roof to stop ice dams and promptly removed them when they saw their first electric bill.

 

[kywildcat]

That first picture would make a great X-mas card......Beautiful!!!

 

[Joe B.]

Why not just hook some sprinklers up to an on-demand hot water heater. You could just melt the ice away.

 

[gtivr4]

I would think you could pay someone to plow that driveway every day for years before you came out ahead with a heated driveway. Its one of those things that sounds great, but unless you have free heat, its doesn't make sense.

Or just pave it with these

(solar powered roadways, with built in heating).

 

[romoman]

Sounds like a great idea if you want an ice rink in the road at the bottom.

The Central Artery in Boston is heated, including the off ramps. It was only used for part of the first year it was built becuase the runoff created skating rinks at teh bottom of the ramp.

Buy a plow truck. And do some research - there are ice melters that are safe on concrete. I use one (can't remember which) on my 60' x 12' concrete driveway when needed.

 

[rickairmedic]

Ok heres my question . how does your property line run on the driveway side of the house ? I would say the best option to me would be to remove a couple tree's and make the drive more of a straight shot than curving through the tres as it is now . Then at least even if it was a little slick there would be less worry of playing bumper cars with the trees with the driveway winding through them . Even just putting in a gravel singe car driveway straight down would be better than the way it is .


Rick

 

[frozen_bohemian]

this would work

 

[Northstar9126]

Ok heres my question . how does your property line run on the driveway side of the house ? I would say the best option to me would be to remove a couple tree's and make the drive more of a straight shot than curving through the tres as it is now . Then at least even if it was a little slick there would be less worry of playing bumper cars with the trees with the driveway winding through them . Even just putting in a gravel singe car driveway straight down would be better than the way it is .


Rick

I think he would be better off with the curved driveway that he has. A straight driveway that steep would be deadly heading down it if it got icy, much better to hit a tree.

 

[Mike83]

The Central Artery in Boston is heated, including the off ramps. It was only used for part of the first year it was built becuase the runoff created skating rinks at teh bottom of the ramp.

Buy a plow truck. And do some research - there are ice melters that are safe on concrete. I use one (can't remember which) on my 60' x 12' concrete driveway when needed.

You guys in Boston have more than your fair share of infrastructure problems.

 

[jtbinvalrico]

Suggestions from sunny Florida:

One of these:


Or a fleet of these:


Make sure you aim this one away from the house:


Seriously though, something self-powered with the right attachment up front.

 

[Jackfre]

Why not just hook some sprinklers up to an on-demand hot water heater. You could just melt the ice away.

Sheepishly, I must admit that when it gets bad, I've done that but with a hose. Only once on the driveway, but I've fixed the mother of all ice dams on the roof a couple times with my tankless.

I've done snowmelt, but only on the sidewalk. you would have to put at least 4" of asphalt on your driveway. Previous comment about insulation is correct. It would cost serious money to do this. I'd get a good snow blower and deal with it. I'd also get a good Warn winch Bolted to the back garage wall to help with ascents and descents in what we have had the last few weeks. That for the snow blower and the cars. Going down that must be like the kid who plugs his nose, closes his eyes and jumps off the diving board.

 

[327-365hp]

Sounds like a great idea if you want an ice rink in the road at the bottom.

Yup, there is a house in Southboro Ma. that has a heated driveway. The town made him stop using it because it made a glacier in the road.

 

[UncleJoe]

I knew a guy in Kentucky that had a heated drive. He also owned a bunch of coal mines. Yeah he had a few dollars.

Seriously for what it would cost to do this you could have a contractor keep your drive spotless. Or buy a subcompact John Deere with heated cab and snow blade or front end loader and you would still be thousands ahead.

 

[Northstar9126]

A drum at the top of the driveway filled with sand that you toss a couple of shovels from down the driveway when it gets slippery wouldn't hurt either.

 

[gte718p]

I saw one in steamboat springs. I thought that was pretty cool. I don't think you can do it with a retro, but for a new construction I don't see it being any different from a normal radiant heating system. I think geo would be perfect unless your in the insane cold areas. You really only need to keep it up around 40 to keep snow from sticking. It's not cheap, but a 400 ft well should do it.

 

[santagary]

Not sure what your skills are or you wifes', but perhaps you could barter with someone to keep it cleared/shoveled/sanded/melted...my 2 cents

 

[romoman]

You guys in Boston have more than your fair share of infrastructure problems.

True. That was in the 60s or something, but there are still plenty of problems. The "Big Dig" isn't heated.

 

[tonydanzah]

when its done it is awesome. The entire downtown area of Holland michigan is heated. All the sidewalks and streets.

 

[KrisKustomPaint]

you could just learn to drift.

 

[Jaburd1]

Studded snow tires are a lot cheaper than a heated driveway and you would have them with you wherever you go.

 

[ScaldedDog]

I heated part of my driveway, and learned a few things:

1) You can put in too much insulation. I used 2" of XPS, just like under the garage slab, and it was a mistake. You get *no* help from the earth's free heat with too much insulation.

2) Most of what melts evaporates, at least at this altitude.

3) Melting snow burns dead dinosaurs like they are free. They aren't. I've got a 175K btu boiler that'll run for hours on end melting snow on less than 1000sf.

Unless you're planning on tearing out all that concrete, I'd seal it well and salt it like old meat.

Mark

 

[robs400]

I appreciate all the info guys....this is exactly what I was looking for. It pretty much tells me that radiant heat is not a realistic option based on install and the price to run it once its set up.

The property line is straight on that side of the house, so the driveway could be straight, but it would be even steeper so altho I would miss the trees on my ride down the driveway, I would be taking my chances with passing traffic. Although it is a back rd with little traffic thats not a chance I would like to take.

The winch idea has crossed my mind and may be something I pursue down the rd. I feel like its something I could handle and even find interesting....but being a pain for anyone else that had to use it.

The snowblower I have clears the driveway fine...and to be honest I feel better snow blowing it than I would plowing it. I slid down the driveway once in my truck....pretty scare feeling, I think plowing it would be a real pain.

A vehicle with studded snows has been up the driveway a few times, and it leaves marks like crazy on the surface of the concrete....which I feel would only speed up the surface deterioration of the concrete leading to cracks etc....

I looked into sealer for concrete this past fall. Could not find much good info....I would like to do a stain as well...but again, could not find much info.

I cleared the driveway with the snowblower last night in about 1/2 hr....but then I had to go back with the flat shovel and attack the ice. Luckily I have an almost endless amount of warm dirt this time of year in a crawl space under the house that I am in the progress of making into a basement.

 

[Auzivision]

Interesting, the mains streets along with the sidwalks are all heated in Apsen Colorado. I think they have a few bucks too!

Edit, I guess they aren't the only ones... First place I ever saw it!

 

[Weedwaka]

External wood boiler could provide the btu's for cheap but since you already have a paved drive, I would just find easy ways to keep it clear. Huge $$ project. You could buy a really cool used bobcat or something.

My girlfriend just worked on a house where the guy bought 3 lots and built a giant house with radiant everything including the driveway. All heated with natural gas. I bet your looking 700 a mo min for just the drive .

 

[Joe B.]

Why not get a yard tractor with a snow throwing attachment. That should speed up the process some. Just get a tractor with a manual transmission for the slope.

 

[mrailing]

I know two people with heated driveways, both in the Cincinnati area, both are electric. They have less snowfall, but once the snow is just about done, they turn it on, melt the snow and turn it off, about an hour before they leave. The snow is melted and cleared and they don't use it until they need it.

 

[planecrazy]

Robs400,

If you want a de-icer that is concrete safe, get some Urea. I get it at the local feed store. It comes in 50lb bags and is in granule form. My concrete driveway is also steep and I use Urea when I need to melt ice. It is also non-corrosive for my aluminum airplane that I keep in my garage.
http://www.cement.org/tech/faq_deicers.asp
We are planning to move to Michigan soon and will build a new home. I plan on installing electric heaters in the concrete driveway. While they are expensive to operate, I certainly don't have to use it but will be comforted by the fact that it is there if I need it.

 

[kbs2244]

I have been in parking garages that have overhead radiant heaters aimed down at the pavement on the ramps.

Something like that on light posts along the sides of the drive may work.

But, I would bite the bullet and get a tractor with a blower and cab on it.

 

[PAToyota]

I've worked on a few designs of plants with refrigeration systems that used the "waste" heat from the chillers for snowmelting around the plant in the winter - sidewalks, docks, and such. If you have a waste heat source, it can be an excellent option - your blowing the heat into the atmosphere otherwise. If you're paying for the heat, that's a different matter.

 

[kartracer23]

I've seen it done a few times under brick so the snow melts through. I know of one guy with his entire driveway done that way, and another with just the approach / parking pad with a system. It's a 2 level / 20,000 sf. garage so the approach / parking pad is pretty large.

 

[6768rogues]

I work at a public school that has two heated entries. One is a large landing with stairs and a ramp; the other is a large monumental stairway. They have glycol systems with tubing embedded in the concrete and stand alone natural gas heaters. They are not too bad on energy, because the surface is kept just above freezing and the weather here is not often more than 15 or 20 degrees below freezing. Compared to paying people to shovel, chip off ice and buying ice melt, they are affordable. We have thousands of students, and their shoes are much cleaner when they enter the buildings. We save money on cleaning and extend the lives of the floors.
Your driveway would need to be removed and recast to put in a glycol system. You could buy a used Bobcat with a snowblower for less money and have a cool toy year round. I would not go for it but my son is going to at his place.

 

[Question]

The lady next door to me has a heated driveway. Her son bought it for her when she turned 75, payed more for it than I paid for my house!!.. Works great, any time its even close to making snow I see heat from the chimney and the driveway is dry. After a major snow storm its clear a couple of hrs later with all the snow melt going down a couple of drains, which is good so the oil truck can get right in and refill the tank....

 

[thammel]

With my last house, I personally installed a heated driveway. It was one of the most difficult things I've ever done. Check out deltatherm.com. I installed their MI cable under asphalt and the system definitely worked. I basically heated two tire tracks about 150 feet, if I recall. I did this about 10 years ago. Now, bear in mind that I anticipated using this only a few days to a week or two a year, because it is expensive to run. I had to bring in an extra 200 amp service to the house. The driveway consisted of 4 separate circuits, each at 220v and running between 30-40 amps each. Also, the parts alone to do this, as I recall, were in the $8000 range. You really have to need this or want to do it to do it. It also was tough to find an asphalt contractor to work with me. Would I do it again? Probably not.

Tom

 

[jdieter]

I have a 500ft asphalt drive on a 30dg slope. At the bottom there is a 90dg turn with a cattle bridge right after the turn. I bought a bobcat to keep it clean. Would like to get a blower for the bobcat someday. Snow is no problem as long as I get to it before it's driven on. I also keep a mixture of 50/50 mixture of ice-melt and sand to spread when it ices. Made a pusher for the bobcat bucket out of 2x12 lumber and a few old cut up tires to help people up it with extremely light vehicles or bald tires.
The only problem I had was sliding down it on ice in my jeep, coming home from work at 11pm, forgot it had iced during the night and didn't put the jeep in 4wd granny gear so I could idle down under control. Ended up with the jeep halfway off the edge of the cattle bridge.

 

[KrisKustomPaint]

My grampa's voice springs to mind, "Close the door. I'm not paying to heat the outside!"

 

[NUTTSGT]

I can't imagine trying to cut wood to heat my driveway and I enjoy cutting wood.

 

[jhelrey]

I gotta admit, I really like the heated driveways and sidewalks. Now, would I pay to have one installed? No. Would I use it? Maybe.

I'd rather use driveway/sidewalk safe salt.