Easy Driveway Snow Removal

Ever 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 driveway snow melting system.

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.