On Wed 12 Nov 2008 07:26:01p, dpb told us...

wrote:
...
think that with most driveway snowmelt systems, the moisture contained
in the snow will evaporate into the air as it is melting, so the water
wont have a chance to run down the driveway and refreeze. ...

No way, no how if it's going to melt any amount of snow at all is all
the water going to be evaporated. W/o a drainage if it's allowed to
cool below freezing again, it'll be a skating rink wherever there isn't
drainage when it cools below freezing again.

Years ago we moved to a house in NE Ohio that had a heated driveway. Since
the driveway wasn't on a slope, I surmise it had been installed strictly
for convenience. The circulated water was heated by a dedicated oil-fired
boiler. There was a 6 or 8 inch wide grate at the foot of the driveway
that ran the full width and emptied into the storm sewer, to dissapate the
drainage water. I never measured the surface temperature, but I do know
that we never had an accumulation of snow on that driveway in the 8 years
we lived there. The walkway in front of the house was similarly treated,
but with no drain, as the water ran into the grass on the treelawn.

--
Wayne Boatwright
(correct the spelling of "geemail" to reply)

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