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Easy Driveway Snow RemovalEver wondered why snow seems to stick on some driveways and not others? Maybe the south driveways stay a little warmer due do sun radiating across the surface, but you've probably noticed that there are some driveways on the north facing side of the street that don’t have any snow on them at all. Chances are fairly good that the well-informed occupants of that house have installed a radiant snow melting system in their driveway. Just as radiant floor heating systems warm the surface of floors, snow melting systems radiate warmth under the surface of the driveway, resulting in a very clean, fully automated snow removal system. If you haven’t heard much about these radiant snowmelt systems, here’s a brief description. When the driveway is being formed, radiant heat cable is installed and then the finish surface is applied over that. ClearZone cable is a common heat cable mat system which has proven itself over the years to be among the best – if not THE best – radiant heat cable on the market. It is durable enough that fresh concrete or asphalt can be placed directly over the cable. Radiant heat can also be applied under brick and stone pavers. In addition to the grid of heat cable embedded in the driveway, an activation device (snow sensor) is also installed, either in the surface of the driveway or mounted in a location where it will detect weather conditions. (These are the components that replace your snow shovel and snow plow or salt.) When conditions are right for snow, the system is activated, applying current to the heat cable that radiates heat throughout the driveway surface. Snow removal has never been so easy. This can be an especially big plus for driveways with a fairly steep incline. Radiant snow melting systems can also be applied to existing asphalt driveways. Make life easy for yourself and install one before the next winter hits. You will be so glad you did. |
What Are the Environmental Benefits of a Heated Driveway?Have you ever heard it said that if you simply love someone they will love you back? Could the same be true of our beloved Mother Earth? If we show her just a smidge more kindness and tender loving care, will she in turn love us back? The news and media is all a Twitter (literally) about the lasting effects we are having on our planet. Our resources are depleting, our landfills are, well, filling and we are being bombarded with messages of going “green.” Believe it or not installing an electric heated driveway is one of those ways to “go green.” A snow melting system has the brain-power to automatically detect snow, so it only uses energy when needed. Utilizing this renewable energy to heat your driveway cuts down on unnecessary power use and becomes a smart and eco-friendly choice. By electrically heating your driveway, you also eliminate the need for salt or harsh chemicals that harm the environment. Mother Earth may be under the weather but small and simple choices in our lives and homes can make a big impact on her health. The smart part of driveway heating is that it not only shows Mama Earth the love she so desperately needs, but it also shows your wallet a little love as it cuts down on energy and increases the value of your home. |
Warm Tile Floors - The Very Definition of ComfortIf you look up “ultimate comfort” in the dictionary, there may be a mention of radiant heated tile floors. Well, there would be if I had any influence with Mr. Webster. Hopefully you have had the experience of walking on a heated floor. Better yet, hopefully you have had the experience of living in a home with a heated tile floor. It's a comfort that just can't be beat.
One of the other big advantages of a heated floor is that it enables you to easily adjust the level of heat for each room. Want one room a little warmer than another? It’s easily accomplished with this set up. With a forced air system it’s not so easy. Many tout the potential of increased efficiency using a heated tile floor system. That’s cool – or warm I should say – but I can’t stress enough the added comfort this form of heat will offer. You’ll lose track of your slippers. If your feet are warm you will be warm all over. Trust me, I'm a tile setter and I've installed a heated tile floor in my home. I haven't worn a pair of slippers since! |
Radiant heated floors utilize a wire grid
that is installed either in a concrete slab or placed in
thin set on top of the slab, directly under the tile.
A sensor in the floor is wired to a programmable
thermostat, so you can maintain the desired temperature
or activate the system only when you want. If you have a
raised wood subfloor, the radiant heat cable is
installed on the top of that and the finish surface is
then installed over it. Tile is a common surface for
radiant heated floors. Not only is tile attractive, it has a
low “R” value, which means it
won’t insulate you from the heated floor. This
equates to efficiency. And nowadays, energy-efficiency is
paramount.
Radiant Heat Installation Warmzone wants
to make it as simple as possible to install radiant
heating systems, snow melting systems, and
roof deicing systems for their customers.
Intuitive, user-friendly installation manuals are available
for download on
www.warmzone.com
. Click on the installation tab to access these
radiant heat manuals
provided as PDF files. There is a section
specifically for radiant floor heating systems, space
heating systems, radiant driveway heating, snow melting, and
ice melting systems.
There is also
valuable information on different types of
snow melting systems
. You can find out how to install a driveway
heating system or use radiant heat cable on your roof
to keep it free from excess snow and dangerous ice. With the help of
cross-section diagrams
and helpful videos, users can access Warmzone’s
site and be a click away from their very own
installation manuals for the varied radiant heating
systems and products Warmzone provides. If you aren’t
certain whether or not your technical knowledge is up for
the challenge you can also follow the link to
radiant installers
to find the nearest contracted radiant heat
installer. You only need to provide your zip code and
the site will match the closest available installers. |
The Warmzone website provides
detailed information on all
Driveway Snow Melting Made EasyWith spring approaching you might not think too much about installing an electric heated driveway system. As is very often the case however, now just may be the best time to make such a move. Contractors are not swamped before the onslaught of cold weather. Their availability for such projects and less demand for materials mean a better deal for you. If you haven’t heard or aren’t familiar, driveway snow melting systems are the modern convenience to have in snow country. In fact, even if you are well informed, electric heated driveways are still the ticket. You'll love it when you drive right up that steep driveway without incident where you used to have to get a running start or do much shoveling first. Radiant snowmelt systems can be installed in new construction jobs or even in existing asphalt driveways. To retrofit your asphalt driveway, a grid of radiant heat cable is installed over your existing driveway and then a finish layer of asphalt is applied over that. A sensor automatically signals the control panel to activate the system whenever snow conditions are detected. That white stuff may pile up in your yard and on the road, but not in your driveway. Clearing your driveway doesn’t get any easier than that. The snow melting system operates on the same principle that radiant floors utilize in radiant floor heating applications. And believe it or not, such a system is not that involved of a project, so don’t be intimidated; and more importantly, don’t put it off for one more year. Take advantage of the conveniences – and spring prices – offered to us these days. |
Customize Your Underfloor Heating to Fit Any Room
Radiant floor heating is a wonderful addition
to any home and versatile enough to be added to one room or
the entire floor plan. Most homeowners believe that
the installation of a heated floor is something best
done during the initial construction of a home. The
belief also exists that radiant floor heating be cast
throughout the entire home, thereby maximizing the
heating potential and benefits. The reality is that a
heated floor can be added at any stage of home
ownership and to any size space you desire to have a radiant
heated floor. There are many
of us with smaller do-it-your-self attitudes that would
love to walk into a small tiled bathroom or entryway and
feel the same luxurious heat offered by radiant heat
floor systems. Radiant floor heating can be installed
beneath tile, hard wood flooring, or carpet making
this a plausible reality for your smaller spaces. If you
have access to the floor joists below, then RetroHeat
is a great fit for your home. Achieving heat with radiant floor heating is easier than ever before. RetroHeat makes it possible to receive the same benefits of radiant heat without doing damage to your existing floors or causing costly damage in repairs. RetroHeat uses warming panels that are cut to proper length, which can then stapled in-between the floor joists. Using a RetroHeat floor heating system under an existing floor can be added to any space and is an effective floor heating solution at an affordable price. |
Radiant Roof Heating Helps to Protect our Homes from Ice DamageAs mankind faces the forces of nature we have learned to develop ways of combating the negative elements that hamper our existence. We invent things to make our lives easier. It’s just something we do. We used to rely on horses to get around. Then there were cars. Then planes, etc. Technology marches on.
Radiant heat
systems are also commonly used for
roof heating
to melt snow and prevent dangerous ice buildup.
These roof heating systems have proven to be more
valuable than most of us realize. By preventing snow
and ice buildup on our roofs, these radiant systems help to
prevent structural damage, as well as eliminate
dangerous icicles. Just as we have
developed ways of preventing frozen pipes through the use
of pipe tracing, we have developed ways of preventing
damaging ice buildup through the use of roof heating.
Every year, many of us are faced with damage caused by
ice buildup on the roof.
Roof
heating cable
can provide a means of preventing this concern. A
gutter melt system will prevent that heavy ice
accumulation that so often leads to broken gutters or worse. Homes in the higher elevations would be well advised to acquire this convenience. It’s a matter of time before it is more than just a convenience. A radiant heated roof may save you from serious damage due to ice buildup. |
Early
homes were rudimentary structures that offered
protection from the elements, but offered little else
in terms of creature comforts. Like
transportation, homes also reflect our
advancements in technology. After the fireplace, along came
central air heating systems. Becoming increasingly popular
is the time-tested, yet only recently adopted
technology of radiant floor heating, which not only
warms the floors, but the home as well.
Chopping wood
this winter, or comfortable under floor heating? Heating
your home this winter, doesn't mean having to go back to the
dark ages.
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Fall is here and the weather is getting cold.
What are you doing to prepare for winter? Making sure
your house is properly insulated is a good start, but
what about heating? Higher energy prices have people
running to find alternative heating methods for their homes
– many are buying wood, pellet stoves and
electric heaters, but are these really the best
solutions?
Winter time is near. Are you going to spend winter shoveling your walks, or enjoying the benefits of automatic snow removal?
There are a lot of radiant snow melting options out there, and it’s easy to get caught up in the hype. Before you make a decision, it is always good to do some research first. I chose Danfoss GX electric radiant heating mats and this is why: I looked up several different snow melting systems and I discovered something very surprising. Many of the systems on the market claiming to be cutting edge radiant heating technology were not initially made as a heating cable. These systems are often low voltage, and have very little insulation, which makes them easy to damage. But the biggest reason I said no to this cable is the high cost. Expensive and higher chance of failure = don’t waste your money. Choosing to pave the new driveway with asphalt made selecting a radiant system even more difficult. The high temperatures from the asphalt can melt the cables of most systems. The Danfoss GX cables are durable with thick insulation, giving them the ability to withstand even hot asphalt. Danfoss GX cables meet the ASHRAE standards for snow melting systems. Low voltage systems do not reach these standards. The Danfoss offers a great warranty of 10 years and covers up to 2 times the cost of the original installation. Danfoss is one of the veteran radiant heating manufacturers in Europe (where radiant heat originated), and as a result, they really know what they are doing. The choice to choose Danfoss GX cables was obvious for me because it best suited my project. But really, who can say no to high quality at a lower cost? |