There’s no longer any need to plow or shovel or walk through several feet of snow between the house and garage
Living in the north, the tremendous amount of snow we accumulate over the winter is a problem. It takes a great deal of time and effort to shovel walkways and plow driveways. Eventually, the snow piles up and blocks access to the garage. We get wet feet walking from the car to the house, and there’s the danger of slipping on icy pavement. Because it snows so frequently, it’s necessary to maintain the sidewalks and driveways nearly every day and sometimes more than once per day. My house is equipped with a boiler heating system that is linked to a network of pipes concealed beneath the floor. Radiant floor heating is wonderfully energy efficient and effective. No matter how cold the weather, the house is perfectly comfortable. There’s no cold pockets or drafts and minimal stratification from floor to ceiling. The equipment takes up no living space, makes no noise and requires no maintenance. We decided we wanted these same benefits outside. We tore up the driveway and sidewalks and installed a snowmelt system. It works very much like the radiant floor heating system inside. A series of pipes is hidden under the pavement and links to the boiler in our basement. The boiler sends hot water through the pipes, which melts snow and ice and keeps the pavement bare. The snowmelt system automatically starts up when the temperature dips below freezing and it senses moisture. There’s no longer any need to plow or shovel or walk through several feet of snow between the house and garage. I avoid harsh snowmelt chemicals which can damage landscaping and get tracked into the house.