Keep Your Home Safe This Winter With a Snow Melt System

Icy driveways, walkways, and stairs can present dangerous situations in your Oak Lawn, Illinois, home. Trying to carry groceries or a child while walking on ice may result in a slip or fall, causing bumps, bruises or even a broken bone. However, having a snow melt system installed can keep you and your family safe this winter.

What’s a Snow Melt System?

Parts of Europe have used snow melt and deicing systems for years, and now America is using this technology. From large commercial parking lots to private driveways and stairs, home and business owners alike are embracing snow melt systems for safety.

Snow melt systems use either electric or hydronic cables embedded in concrete slabs or wooden stairways to prevent ice or snow from building up in areas where people walk or drive. Which one is best for your situation?

Electric System

Electric systems are best for smaller areas, such as stairs, walkways and wheelchair ramps. The electric wires, which are surrounded by layers of insulation, a copper grounding braid and an outer layer of a protective PVC jacket, are custom cut to size. A professional installer then embeds them in the surface material.

Sensors detect the outdoor air temperature and moisture level. The controller then turns the power on as needed to melt the snow. It may be smart to have a generator to turn the system on during a power outage to melt the ice.

Hydronic System

Hydronic systems are useful for melting snow in large areas, such as a parking lot or a large driveway. A professional installer lays tubes or pipes under the concrete slab and fills them with a mixture of hot water and an antifreeze compound called propylene glycol. The liquid then heats to temperatures that range from 140 to 180 degrees to provide enough heat to melt the snow or ice.

Do you want to know which snow melt system would be best for your home or business? Call Climate Master Mechanical Contractors, Inc. at 708-597-5470 today to speak with our team of experts. We’ll make sure the snow or ice around your home don’t increase your risk of injury.

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