All posts by Warmzone Editor

HOTNEWS

Of Water and Wires: Hydronic Heated Driveways vs. Electric Heated Driveways

‘Ride the Current’ or ‘Go With the Flow’?

If you’ve finally put down the shovel and decided to purchase a heated driveway system, will you be going hydronic or electric? If you’re a newcomer to the concept of driveway heating, hydronic and electric are both popular, and extremely viable forms of driveway heat, and Warmzone has the expertise, and experience, to help determine which is best for you. What these systems share in common—four key components you should be familiar with before purchasing a heated driveway system:

  • The Heating Element (Embedded in the driveway)
  • Snow Sensor
  • Power Controller Unit (Powers the heating elements on and off)
  • Power Supply (Circuit breaker panel)

Of the components mentioned above, the heating element and the control source distinguish hydronic heated driveway systems from electric heated driveway systems.

Hydronic Heated Driveway Systems: Going with the Flow
The heating element for a hydronic snowmelt system, as you may have guessed, involves water. Specifically, hydronic heated driveways use what is known as closed-loop tubing to heat the surface of the driveway. The tubing is generally made of a flexible (and quite durable) polymer or synthetic rubber to circulate a mixture of hot water and propylene glycol (antifreeze). The fluid is warmed to temperatures between 140 to 180 degrees F to deliver enough heat for snow melting.

Heated driveway with brick pavers

A water heater or a boiler is the chief source of heat for a hydronic driveway heating system, which can be powered by any energy source that satisfies the btu requirements, including natural gas, electricity, oil, wood, or even solar collectors. A circulating pump and supply and return manifolds, installed in an easily accessible location, transfer the water between the heat source and tubing.

Electric Heated Driveway Systems: Riding the Current
Unlike hydronic systems, electric heated driveway systems use hot wires to heat paved surfaces. These wires are surrounded by layers of insulation, copper grounding braid and a protective outer layer of PVC or polyolefin to form a flexible cable about ⅛ to ¼ inch in diameter. What’s great about the heat cables is the flexibility of the application. Cable is available on spools as well as pre-spaced and woven into mats, and can be customized (cut) to suit virtually any type of layout, including odd-shaped driveways, common walkways and sidewalks, etc.

After being triggered by the snow sensor, the control unit then powers the heat cable to warm the driveway. To reduce the power demands (and operating costs), you can install cables in just the tire tracks of a driveway rather than the entire area. Warmzone provides complete system design services to ensure that you receive the best system layout and products for your project.

Radiant Heat for Custom Applications

Finding a Radiant Heating Solution as Unique as You Are
As temperatures plummet and heat bills skyrocket, consumers everywhere are turning to radiant heating systems. As the most affordable and customizable option out there, radiant heating is quickly making a name for itself as a titan in the heating market.

So radiant heating is the latest and greatest, but what exactly is so great about it and what can it do for you? One word: customization.

When it comes to radiant heating, the possibilities are endless. Warmzone can design a radiant heating system completely customized for your home and lifestyle, and it’s as easy as one, two, three!

Choose
The first step of your radiant heating revolution is studying the available options and talking with a radiant heat expert to help determine the best radiant heat system for your needs.

Indoor Radiant Heating
Radiant heating can be installed under just about any surface, including tile, carpet, wood, etc. Put it in your bathroom, your kitchen, your living room—anywhere you need heat. Each room, or zone, can be controlled with its own thermostat. giving you great flexibility along with outstanding efficiency. Radiant floor heating is an affordable way to keep your house perfectly warm without racking up the electricity bill.

Outdoor Radiant Heating
You can also enjoy the benefits of radiant heating outdoors. Exterior snow melting systems keep your property safe by preventing pesky snow and ice buildup. There are several outdoor radiant heating products and options, including heated driveways, sidewalks, roof heating, pipe tracing, and portable heating mats; all of which will make your life a little easier in the harsh winter months.

Design
We realize that your radiant heating system isn’t the same as the next customer’s, so we’ll work with you to come up with a radiant heating system tailor-made to your needs.

Example of a Warmzone floor heating AutoCAD

Once we assess your project’s requirements, our team will design a custom radiant heat solution with an AutoCAD of your system, complete with all the technical specs you need so you know all the details prior to any installation taking place.

Enjoy
With radiant heating, your only job is to sit back, relax, and enjoy your custom radiant heating solution. Let your heated floors warm your home evenly and efficiently. Sit back and watch from the warmth of your living room as your radiant heated driveway does the shoveling for you. And sleep in peace knowing that your gutters and pipes are safe from nasty and potentially devastating snow and ice buildup.

Why settle for an out of the box heating solution? Let us help you customize a radiant heating system that meets your needs, fits your budget, and keeps you and your family warm and safe.

Radiant Heat News

Radiant Heating 101

The number of types of radiant heating systems available for residences or businesses is awfully mind-boggling. There’s really a lot of selection for homeowners to choose from. Today we’ll discuss the electric cable heating system kind of radiant heaters.

Electric cable heating systems are gaining popularity in as radiant floor heating systems and are ideal for heating smaller areas (10-300 square feet) like bathrooms, kitchens, and sun rooms. These systems are comprised of a thermostat and a heating cable. On some systems, the cable will be shipped to you as a large spool of cable. These systems are oftentimes less expensive, and give you the ability to space the cable how you want and customize a layout that will heat every square inch of your floor. Other systems have the cable attached to a plastic mesh or tape to create a mat to maintain its proper spacing.

Every available cable system is equally effective, so when determining which radiant heating system to purchase, you should look at the warranty of the product, along with the ease of installation. Some cables must be embedded in a separate layer of concrete or mortar, whereas other systems can simply be installed in the thinset.

Radiant Heat News

Snow Removal Bliss On-the-Go

Warmzone’s Portable Snow Removal Systems Bring Snow Removal to you, no Matter Where you are.

You’ve heard of radiant heated driveways and they’re stellar snow melting power. You’ve seen the magnificently snow-free driveways they produce and the overjoyed customers they please, but did you know that all of this also comes in a portable version? It’s true—radiant heat that goes with you is finally possible.

Warmzone’s WarmTrax portable snow melting mats are the miniature, pocket version of a radiant heated driveway. Designed to be as durable as a tire, these rubber traction mats will melt snow wherever you want whenever you want. All you have to do is roll the mat out on an existing surface, plug it in, and let it melt the snow—no shovels, ice melter, or harsh chemicals required.

The WarmTrax portable snow melting mats allow you to reap the benefits of a radiant heated driveway without having to install anything. You can place your WarmTrax mats over stairways, handicap ramps, entryways, or even rooftops and then move it and take it to the next snow-riddled area. Radiant heat has never been so flexible.

WarmTrax snowmelt traction mats have a continuous chevron pattern and heat continually, obliterating snow and ice before it has a chance to accumulate and leave you on your buttocks. What’s more, the WarmTrax heated mats eliminate the need for salt or ice melter, which not only leaves a mess on your shoes, but also wreaks havoc on your concrete.

Radiant Heat News

Increase the Value of Your Home With a Heated Driveway

Installing a heated driveway when you build or re-pour a driveway is a great way to increase the value of your home, and make it more sellable.  Even if you don’t want to activate the heated driveway, installing the components when you pour can still add value and allow a future owner to finish the project with minimal expense.  Start by installing the bare necessities. A popular option we have with our driveway heating systems is to “rough-in” the basic components for the heated driveway. Roughing-in a snow melting system consists of installing only the materials needed at the time of pouring a new concrete driveway.

Installing heating cable in mats for heated driveway and sidewalk

Components Needed for Rough-in:

1) Driveway Rough-in Kit – The “rough-in” kit contains a backplate, cold lead, and splices. The backplate is installed between studs on a wall and the control unit for the driveway heating system is mounted to the backplate. The cold lead is a non-hot wire that is used to run power from the control unit to the low-voltage heating cable. Splices are used to connect the cold lead to the cable.

2) Driveway Heating Element – A heat resistant cable is the electric heating element used for all driveway snow melting applications. The cable is secured to the remesh, spaced at 6 inches and raised with the remesh (using MeshUps, dobies or chairs) to be within 2 inches of the surface. The concrete is then poured over the cable.

Preparing a Driveway Heating System
The materials for your “heat ready driveway” can be purchased for only a couple of dollars – or less – per square foot. You can then purchase the remainder of your snowmelt system at a later time. Even if you never activate your heated driveway, “roughing-in” a driveway heating system will increase the resale value of your home.

Radiant Heat News

Home Heating Options that are Both Efficient and Affordable

Raise your hand if your list of home improvements including upgrading the heating system for a small space in your home. You’ve probably been putting that project off, thinking that a traditional heating system may cost you far more than it’s worth. This is almost always the case for those who may live in small or older homes and apartments. Older homes often times don’t have the necessary heating ducts needed to install a traditional forced air system, and installing these ducts is very expensive. Due to the cost associated with installing these systems, many people choose not to heat smaller rooms and instead suffer through the winter, chilly and miserable. However, there is a very cost-effective and efficient solution to this problem: electric radiant heat.

Electric radiant heat systems are very cost-effective solutions for smaller spaces (1-5 rooms) because they are easy to install and have a very low start-up cost. An electric thermostat is all that is required and costs only about $100-$200.

Another advantage of electric radiant floor heating over a warm-water system is the floor build up or height. Floor build up can be from as little as 2mm. The electric cables are usually installed onto an insulation board or directly onto the subfloor or padding (under carpet or laminate), then the floor covering is placed directly over the heating system or thinset.

Electric Radiant Heat Tip: Your electric radiant heat system could use 30% less fuel than the average new forced air heating system.

HOTNEWS

Back on Track with a Heated Driveway

Heated Driveway System in Illinois Paves the Way to Big Savings for one Warmzone Customer

When a Warmzone customer in rural Illinois found he did not have the resources to heat his entire driveway as originally planned, Sales Manager, Bryan Morris, offered a reasonable alternative. “Tire tracks were a great option in this scenario,” he explained, “because you can still get a heated portion that allows you to drive in and out, without breaking the bank. After consulting with the customer and our design team, we laid out the options (verbally and with drawings) before deciding on a more cost-effective, two-track heated driveway solution. Ultimately, heating two tire tracks (500 sq.ft.), as opposed to heating the entire 1,250 sq.ft. driveway, resulted in a $3,900 cost savings.”

Retrofitting asphalt driveway with heated tire tracks-1      Retrofitting asphalt driveway with heated tire tracks-2

Another consideration was the lack of available power. “To heat an entire driveway would have required a large number of amps from the home’s electrical power panel,” Morris stated. “Most homes only have a 200 amp panel, yet it takes approximately 180 breaker amps per 1,000 square feet to heat an entire driveway.”

The two-track radiant heated driveway system required installation of four Warmzone ClearZone snow melting mats, a 200-amp Warmzone electrical timer panel, an aerial mounted moisture/temperature snow sensor, a remote manual control unit and an NEC marker plate. Tire tracks were easily installed by rolling out the mats like sleeping bags. A protective asphalt layer was then raked over the tire track mats (photo 2) before the final surface coat was applied. “We use an asphalt machine that straddles the heating element to prevent damaging the heat cable,” offered Morris.

Asphalt driveway being retrofitted with heated tire tracks - 3      Heated asphalt driveway retrofitted with heated tire tracks.

The great news is that you don’t have to pour a new driveway to benefit from a heated driveway. Warmzone can customize your system to fit your needs and budget. “On this project,” said Morris, “the customer was paving the whole driveway anyway. Some customers pick other install methods, such as saw cutting, to achieve their goals.”

Saw cutting is cutting grooves or paths and inserting the heat cable in areas where heat is desired. With certain driveway heating systems, it is also possible to pave over the mats and create the appearance of a seamless transaction. “You can cut out the area you want to heat and then pave only that area,” Morris added. ClearZone is used under cement, asphalt and pavers on a regular basis.

Flexible options make heated driveway solutions a very popular equity booster for homeowners, and are becoming a popular home improvement option. “On average,” Morris stated, “the overall materials (cable, electrical and auto sensors) cost $6.00 per sq.ft. for 1,000 sq. ft., and the operating cost per 5-hour storm is $18.00, or $3-4 per hour depending on the state the heated driveway system is installed in and the power company’s cost per kilowatt hour.”

While the initial cost of installing a radiant heated driveway system may seem a bit daunting, the benefits of driveway heating are well worth the initial investment, the most obvious being convenience. Heated driveways don’t require shoveling, harmful salt and chemical applications or expensive snow removal services. Instead, driveway heating systems provide a safe, thorough snow removal solution with curb appeal, solving snow  removal challenges posed by problematic driveways, steps, and other heavy traffic areas.

Heated driveway systems are fully automated, so they will automatically turn on or off when needed. “If it snows at 3 a.m.,” Morris smiled, “our customer will wake up to a clear driveway. He now has a reliable, efficient snow removal solution.”

Project Spotlight – Colorado Homeowners Install Solar Powered Radiant Floor Heating System

When two Colorado homeowners decided to build a new home from the ground up, they had two main objectives in mind. They wanted a home just for them and they wanted to be as eco-friendly as possible. One of the components they chose in their new construction was to install radiant floor heating through the 1600 square feet downstairs and 900 square feet upstairs.

After doing some research and finding Warmzone online they were pleased with the many options available for various applications and the customer support offered during the entire process.

These Rocky Mountain homeowners had several great reasons for wanting to go the radiant heat route. A major consideration was allergies and how forced air systems exacerbate this condition. Cost was another concern, as was the noise of a running furnace and the desire for a comfortable, even-air temperature throughout the home. Many customers are finding their way to radiant floor heating for some of the same well thought-out reasons.

Installing radiant floor heating cable

In order to accommodate the necessary electricity needs for a radiant floor, they installed 28 solar panels to meet the demand of the electric heat. This means they are using electricity solely produced by them, helping to keep costs down and mother earth smiling.

This project called for ComfortTile heat cables and a low-voltage floor heating system laid under a variety of flooring throughout the home. The Colorado couple chose tile, wood laminate, and carpet in various parts of the home. The radiant flooring systems were chosen because of their particular capabilities and installed throughout different zones. Warmzone provided the design layouts and helped walk them through the entire process.

When asked about the benefits of using radiant floor heating, the homeowner produced a long list, including evenly spread heat through the whole house, toasty floors, noiseless heating system with easy-to-program thermostats, lack of dust, and no need to wear shoes indoors anymore.

Solar panels installed to power radiant floor heating system

Asked if they would recommend radiant floor heating to others Jane responded, “Definitely! Check out the different flooring options and applications and determine where you want the zoned heating.” Warmzone provides customers with a variety of options and helps you select the best solution for your home and budget.  Warmzone prices, product offerings and professional design services are among the best in the industry.

HOTNEWS

Powerblankets – Rugged Durability and Unlimited Versatility

Powerblankets Perform Under Extreme Conditions

Warmzone is known for its innovative heating solutions. If it kicks out heat better than the competition, chances are Warmzone has investigated it, tested it, or sold it. One of the leading multipurpose product lines available through Warmzone are the patented Powerblanket® outdoor heating solutions. While the Powerblanket has specific heat-spreading properties that deliver a lightweight targeted heating solution, it can in no way be said that it does only that. The Powerblanket is a versatile, weatherproof warming blanket that has many universal uses, including heated tote boxes, barrel warmers, concrete curing mats and other solutions that aid in the heating or thawing of various materials and equipment.

Powerblankets were initially designed as concrete curing blankets in construction jobs. A Powerblanket utilizes electricity to provide the spread of heat which warms concrete evenly during the curing process. What results from the heating power of these concrete curing blankets is the ideal curing with crack-free finish that every project manager dreams of. The Powerblanket helps retain moisture during wet concrete curing, bringing it to the desired PSI more quickly and definitely more efficiently. When Powerblanket is used as a concrete curing blanket, they may be used in both cold and warm weather, in turn protecting the concrete from rapid drying, freezing, or cracking. Powerblankets achieve a compressive strength in concrete of 4300 psi in only nine hours. The result is defect free and a better product all around for the customer.

Powerblanket tote warmers, hotboxes and portable heating

Powerblanket doesn’t stop there however. Although most often associated with construction jobs, many customers are finding out about the many uses of this versatile warming blanket. Even though they are designed to be durable enough for the largest construction projects the Powerblanket can be used for many home projects.

If you do any projects outside you may find that your list of uses for a warming blanket is extensive. You may not have known that one product could achieve so many results. If you have need to thaw ground during cold months, simply plug in a Powerblanket and let it go to work for you. Cemetery workers often use Powerblankets for this purpose.

Another helpful application is for equipment warming. This includes tractors, machines, construction tools, snowmobiles, and engine warmers. If dependable start-ups on cold winter mornings are a must for you, the Powerblanket engine warmer may be your best cold-weather friend. All that is required is a 120V outlet.

Powerblanket engine warmer

What about outdoor pets or livestock? They need to be kept warm year-round. Powerblankets are proven to be durable and safe enough for animals to walk or sleep on. Drop it, roll it up, or even fold it, you can’t hurt this durable heating blanket, and neither can your animals. This is an ideal way to keep your animals warm during winter as well as keep water troughs from freezing.

Should you require the use of any liquids or gases in the freezing days ahead, wrap a Powerblanket around any container and keep the liquid flowing. Powerblankets are available for heating small paint containers, propane tanks, barrel heaters and water containers, and other temperature sensitive materials.

And don’t forget about protecting exposed pipes during cold winter nights. The Powerblanket warming blankets provide safe, efficient pipe freeze protection quickly and safely. This eliminates the need for expensive propane burners.

Versatile, handy, user-friendly, affordable to operate and oh-so-many uses! The Powerblanket is a product worth investigating for any outdoor warming needs.

Snowmelt Systems Feature Top Rated Safety Design

Your Homeowner’s Insurance Policy will not be Void with Driveway Heating
If you have any hesitation about installing an electric snowmelt system for fear of jeopardizing your homeowner’s insurance, let’s clear this up now. Some fear that enjoying the benefits of a heated driveway means you have to forfeit certain benefits on your insurance policy. Not so with any Warmzone snow melting system. Using any of our radiant heated driveway cables is safe and approved for use in residential properties.

Each Warmzone driveway snow melting system is UL safety approved for both residential and commercial use. Warmzone electric snowmelt systems meet the highest industry standards of safety to ensure there is no added risk for fire damage. These industry-leading snowmelt systems are designed to be fail proof and maintenance free. If a heating cable does become cut or damaged in any way, the system’s GFEP (Ground Fault Equipment Protection) will automatically shut-down the power to the system. This enables repairs to take place before any hazardous effects come into play.

Large heated paver driveway

Having a heated driveway has many benefits, including energy-efficient automated operation. Warmzone snowmelt systems have been designed with smart technology to keep the electric radiant heat working properly and safely. Warmzone offers snowmelt systems that feature an impressive 10-year manufacturer warranty which includes up to five times the initial cost to offset costs of reinstalling any defective cables.

HOTNEWS

Electrical Thermal Storage

What is ETS and Why You Should Care

Here’s another acronym that’s worth remembering – ETS. Learning about Electrical Thermal Storage (ETS) may help you save some coin. Who can turn that down right now? And let’s be honest, who would want too? Saving money is on everyone’s mind, and this may be one more chance to do just that. Electrical thermal storage is the term given to certain types of heating, specifically, electrical storage heating that stores heat during the nighttime hours, allowing radiant heat to slowly transfer throughout your home or commercial site without drawing electricity during peak hours.

Some utility companies have adapted their rates to reflect high usage hours. In a way they have copied the telecommunications industry that charges more for calls during peak hours and drops rates during the less trafficked times of the day. Electrical thermal storage heaters draw upon this concept, allowing you to use your heat during non-peak usage times, storing heat for use during the more expensive times of the day.

In-Slab heating cable installed in concrete

You would need to check with your utility company first to make sure they offer these price incentives. If they do (and many are starting to jump on this pricing band wagon) then you may be a candidate for ETS.

Once you establish the rate system of your electrical provider, you may find you could benefit from a radiant heat system that provides electrical storage heating when the rates are lower. While it is important to distinguish that you will not be saving energy with this system, it can save you money because you’ll be taking advantage of the lower rates.

Warmzone offers radiant heating systems compatible with electrical thermal storage. Specifically the In-Slab cable systems provide underfloor heating ideal for this time of money saving advantage. Warmzone’s radiant heating floor systems are an inexpensive system that will effectively warm your floors and heat your entire home or commercial building. When you install In-Slab radiant floor heat, you are given a maintenance-free operating system as well as the peace of mind that comes with a 10-year manufacturer warranty. Warmzone’s In-Slab heat cable is durable, high quality, and hassle free. The In-Slab floor heating systems can be installed to provide luxurious radiant floor heating to almost any type of floor surface. The technology associated with these heat cables make them ideal for electrical thermal storage heating because they are typically installed beneath a concrete or brick floor. While heat is building up, drawing upon your electricity you may use the system during less expensive times of the day. The radiant heat builds up and then once shut down during peak hours, slowly transfers throughout the day from all the heat stored in the slab.

It may not be for everyone, but ETS may be another way you can save money as you heat your home. Contact Warmzone to find out if you can benefit from a radiant heating system that would allow you to take advantage of the cost-saving benefits of electrical thermal storage. ETS – it might just become your favorite acronym.

Electric Radiant Floor Heat – Steps for Installing a Radiant Heated Floor

We all know about forced air heating systems, which use burners to fire up and heat the air and then a fan blows heated air throughout the home. For the most part, this works rather well. It is reasonably quick and for years it has been the standard method of heat for homeowners. So, you ask, what else is there? Well, surely you have heard of radiant heated floors. It’s a form of heating for the home that is becoming more and more popular as of late.

Installing electric radiant floor heating is not extremely difficult. Here are the basic steps to installing a heated floor. (Don’t worry, you can do this.) Let’s assume that you have arrived at the point where you can get started. After thoroughly cleaning the subfloor surface, lay out Reflect ground insulation over the area you plan to heat. A proven ground insulator such as Reflect will optimize the efficiency of your heated floor.

Radiant heated floor being installed in bathroom.

ComfortTile heating cable is available pre-spaced and woven into mats that can be easily rolled out, or individual cable that is laid out with the aid of spacing straps. Individual cable is best suited for custom shapes while the heated mats are ideal for quick layout of standard shapes.

Thinset can be applied directly over heat cable

(It would be a good idea to check the resistance of the wiring before proceeding.  The instructions will give you a range that it should fall within. Temperature can make a difference in the reading as well so keep that in mind.)

If you are installing over a wood subfloor (after applying ground insulation), staple the heating mat or cable spacer tabs to the floor in the desired layout. Be careful to avoid damaging the heat cable anywhere. Lay the cable out in such a way as to allow for the connection to the switch in the wall of course.

Once you have the heat cable laid out and fastened, you should consider pouring a leveling surface over the cable. Technically, you could simply apply thinset and then install your tile, but since the heat cable has a thickness of around 3/8th of an inch or so, it is advisable to pour a leveling surface. Quick Level does a good job of this. Use the adhesion liquid that is recommended. Follow the instructions for applying the liquid and then simply mix the Quick Level with water and then pour it over the entire floor.

Heated bathroom floor

Ensure that it spreads evenly and doesn’t form any lumps anywhere. Only pour to the top of the heat cable. The less you use the better. This will provide you with a clean flat surface to which you will adhere your floor surface.

Tile is a common surface since it conducts the heat very well. Reflect floor insulation is effective in preventing the heat from being lost, and the radiant properties of the tile further enhance the efficiency of the system. Once installed, the sensor embedded in the floor will automatically maintain the temperature you desire.

One of the big advantages to radiant floor heating systems is that you can heat only the rooms you are using. There is no need to heat the whole house. In that sense these floor heating systems are very efficient. The greatest advantage though is the enhanced comfort level you will enjoy. It is really true that when your feet are warm you feel warm and comfortable all over.

Articles

Radiant Heaters

Radiant heating, as opposed to warm air systems (such as a forced air unit heaters), deliver the source of heat to the floor level, not the ceiling. And since warm air rises, heating the floors proves to be the most efficient means of heating living areas.

Radiant floor heating or radiant energy is the oldest form of heating used to provide comfort and is the basis for all heating systems. Radiant energy is totally pure radiation and is absorbed by an object without physical contact with the heat source or by heating the surrounding air, as is the case with convective, forced air systems.

Under floor heaters were first used by the Romans. Initially the preserve of the rich, under floor heating became increasingly commonplace in public buildings and villas, particularly in the colder regions of the Roman Empire. The Roman system was based on hypocausts, comprising ducts that underlay the floor (itself built on raised brick piles) and flues that were built into walls. Hot air or steam from fires circulated up through this system, warming the floor and walls, with heat passing into the rooms.

More specifically, the floor was laid out as series of concrete slabs acting as radiant heaters supported by columns of layered tiles, with a furnace at the bottom of one exterior wall. By placing the fire here, the draught would take the radiant heat under the floor, and up through the walls to radiant heater chimneys located in the corners of the room.

Today we recognize the brilliance of the Romans and Koreans as early adopters of radiant heating, as the technology is still a desired method for delivering comfortable and efficient heat in our homes. Now we have radiant heaters using electric resistance cables that are constructed of highly rated materials and feature manufacturer warranties of up to 25 years.

Articles

Outdoor Radiant Heating Systems

Following the trends of the indoor heating market, where radiant heating systems have been used for decades, the great outdoors is warming up, too. Radiant heat warms the floor and any object in contact with the floor to distribute an even, no-draft heat. Outdoor settings like patios or pathways leading to a hot tub can now benefit from using a traditional hydronic radiant heating system or even more intriguing is the emerging trend of embedding electric heating cables to provide that desired surface temperature. Raising the surface above 38 degrees will conveniently remove any snow or ice and allow you to use your outdoor living areas more often.

Outdoor heating systems (snow melting systems) are more suited towards new construction since these electric heating cables are actually embedded in the concrete or placed in a sand bed directly under brick pavers. Ambitious do-it-yourselfers will have no problem laying out the cable and preparing them for a certified electrician to do the final hook-up. Outdoor heating systems have always been efficient in delivering heat; the problem has been shutting them off when the job of removing snow from a driveway or outdoor patio is complete.

Recent designs in aerial sensors and surface mounted sensors make these outdoor heating systems cost effective to operate. Automated sensors detect the combination of precipitation and cold temperatures and activate the outdoor heating systems during inclement weather conditions and then automatically turn off a few hours after the storm. Manual operation of these outdoor heating systems can also be used to spot heat your driveway or patio if additional heat is required.

Obviously, an outdoor heating system is not for everyone. Those who live in warm climates year round will not be well served. However, think of those residents in New York, Illinois and even Colorado and Utah with long steep driveways or exposed sidewalks. Even businesses are adopting outdoor heating systems to curb their liability to slips and falls. Sidewalks, entryways and even loading docks are benefiting from embedded heating systems as an effective way to remove pesky ice and snow hazards.