You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
I'm curious to hear about anyone's experience in using an exterior hydronic snow melt heating system in their patio, walkway or driveway.
How well does the system work for you?
I am especially interested in hearing about this type of system used in outdoor 'seating'.
I have a project inwhich the homeowners want to heat the stone seats that surround their outdoor fireplace , so that during the winter months they can enjoy a fire and a warm seat too.
In our master bathroom we have 'Warm Tiles', which is a blanket of electric wire coils that is laid down over the sub-flooring prior to the ceramic tile. We have a thermostat for temperature control and I can tell you that we keep it set very low during the winter, and the bathroom is very large. As I recall, the blanket was mylar or something similar and the wires were sandwiched between the layers. Would something like this system work under a patio floor or under stone seating? Here is a link to the website and the architectural specs. Note it does say you can use it under granite and dimensional stone. I just couldn't find anything that specifically said you could use it outdoors.
Duh! I just realized you indicated 'hydronic' in your post. I completely filtered that one out. Anyway, I'm fairly sure I've looked at some things on-line at some time or another about this, but only from the commercial side. I don't know of anyone, especially in the south, who has any need for something like this. We have such comparatively inexpensive electric heating around here, but I imagine your situation in Calif is different.
I think I've run across some type of snow melt system on walkways at ski resorts in Colorado (the last few years we have been to either Beaver Creek or Telluride). Is it possible you could you find a resource at one of the resorts to see what they use?
Wow,
Your post sparked a latent braincell !
Thanks !
One of my first jobs out of school was working in Telluride as a part time architectural model maker for Tel Co and full time ski bum.
( built a model over 6 months of the " 20 year Plan" for the development of Telluride .. lots and lots of little green styrofoam trees ! . ... That was when Telluride had only one paved street in town and I lived directly across from down town ski lift in a big old victorian house that was rented for about 200 a month ! )
I still have a few contacts in Telluride from the engineering dept and will have to give 'em a call !
My Tahoe project starts next week so I betta get crack'en
I love that place. Maybe you can go back and see if anything remains of your 20 year plan. Somehow I doubt it, but it's still a lovely little town, which they have mostly preserved and kept separate from the main ski village. I'm afraid the $200/month days are long gone. More like $200/day...in the off season.
