Snow and ice buildup makes outdoor stairs dangerous in winter. That is why at Heavenly Heat we are committed to providing the best snow melting deicing for stairs systems to help keep you and your loved ones safe.

What is Deicing For Stairs

Stairs covered with snow and ice can be hazardous. Snow melting for stairs allows you to enjoy the outdoor winter weather without the task of shovelling snow from your stairs and porch. Shovelling snow is a tedious task, especially if you are not accustomed to it. A great solution for both home and business owners is a deicing system for stairs. Snow melting system for stairs complete with heating cables placed beneath the surface padding. They heat the stairs’ surface making snow and ice melt and providing the proper traction for people’s shoes and boots. Your stairs and porch can benefit from the Heavenly Heat snow melting system, available in both cables and mats.

Many people use their stairs daily but rarely think about them until the winter season, when the stairs are covered by snow and ice. When the snow starts falling and ice forms, they begin to worry about slipping and devising ways of shovelling the stair system. You can make all the difference by installing the Heavenly Heat deicing for stairs system. The effective snowmelt system will melt all the snow and ice for you, saving you from the stress, hassle, and hazardous ice melt chemicals. Our cable snow melting system is fit for installation in motor, concrete, and asphalt.

Why Deicing For Stairs Is Beneficial for Your House

For most homeowners, the only time they think about safety on their outdoor stairs is during winter. When snow and ice falls, it increases the risk of slipping. There is also the issue of inaccessibility when there are heaps of snow on the stairs. This is what makes installing a snow-melting system in your outdoor stairs a great investment. The system offers protection by melting ice and snow for you—no more shovelling or trying to find your step in thick snow. The snow melting system further means no more using ice melt chemicals that can damage your property.

How Does Deicing For Stairs Work?

A Heavenly Heat snow melting system is connected to a control that clicks the system on at the first sign of moisture below freezing. We design our deicing for stairs systems in a manner that they click early to ensure that your stairs and porch are ice and snow-free. Deicing for stairs is advantageous for homeowners who do not have the physical ability or the time to remove snow using other snow removal methods. The snow melting system will keep your stairs safe and usable during the winter season.

Will the surface of your stairs and porch remain wet with the melted snow? Heavenly Heat snow melting systems continue to run for some time after the snow stops falling. The heat from the snow-melting system will evaporate any water from your stairs. Instead of slippery stairs, you will have clean and dry concrete or pavers. Deicing for stairs from Heavenly Heat allows you to do away with chemical snow melting agents, some of which might be toxic. You will have it much easier when you don’t have to physically shovel snow from your stairs or porch.

Types of Heated Stairs and Porch

Heavenly Heat stair and porch snow melting systems are available in both mats and cables. Our snow melting mats prevent snow and ice accumulation on your stairs, both at home and in residential settings. Snow melting mats are popular because they are easy to install. The heated stairs and porch mats roll out conveniently, at the right spacing, helping to save time during installation. The mats are available in different sizes in terms of lengths and widths. The mats provide heat of up to 50 watts per square foot, which makes them effective for snow and ice removal in any climate.

The mats are designed to remain outside throughout. You should install the snow melt mats before winter starts; for the best results, the snow melting system clicks on before snowfall and melts any snow that comes into contact with it.  The mats are usable on most surfaces, including stone, asphalt, concrete, and wood deck. You don’t need to go outside and turn on the heating system manually because our snowmelt system automatically clicks on upon detecting temperature changes.

We also provide stair and porch heated cables. Heavenly Heat embeddable electric heating cables produce 12-watts of heat per linear foot, translating to around 50-watts per sq. ft. The cables are embeddable in asphalt, concrete, or mortar under pavers. Installing a Heavenly Heat cable-based snow melting system on your stairs and porch means that you can enjoy ice and snow-free outdoors year-round.

When to Install Deicing For Stairs?

The best time to install a snow melting system on your stair and porch is during construction. It is easy to embed the system in concrete, asphalt, sand, or fine gravel during construction.  You should fully imbed the cable in the construction material. The construction material acts as a conductor, helping distribute the heat and prevents cable burn out. While installing the cable, the ideal minimum cable covering is 2″ while the maximum cable coverage is 4″.  Minimizing the height on top of the heating cables minimizes ramp up time.

You should keep several factors in mind when installing deicing for stairs. Your stairs treads should range between 11 and 12″ inches. This way, you can get four passes of well-spaced heating cables in each of the treads. You should leave some room for handrail mountings if your stairs include stair-mounted handrails.

How you embed the snow melting system on your stairs and porch will determine the system’s effectiveness. If the embedment is too deep, the system will not effectively melt ice and snow. If the embedment is too shallow, it might expose deicing for stairs. Shallow embedding may cause the snow melting system to overheat and malfunction.

Placing the heating cables too close together may lead to overheating and cable damage. On the other hand, placing the heating cable too far apart may decrease heating efficiency, making them unable to provide maximum snow melting. Proper spacing of heating cables helps to provide maximum efficiency.

HOW TO INSTALL DEICING FOR STAIRS IN 6 SIMPLE STEPS

The best thing about electric radiant heating systems is they are thin. The mats are 5/16 inches thick, whereas the cables are ¼ inch thick. As a result, the system has minimal impact on the depth of your stairs. It is also good to note that you can use the snow melting system with pavers, concrete and asphalt. However, each type of surface will require a different cross-section. So, if you plan on installing a snow melting system for your outdoor stairs, here are the steps you will have to take.

PLACE SNOW MELTING CABLES RIGHT AND FLAT

When installing deicing for stairs, the best option you can use to ensure there is consistency is to use wire twists or zip-ties to attach the cables to wire mesh, rebar or any other framework. You also need to ensure that the framework is flat. For this, attach it to a base layer that is about 2 to 3 inches from the final surface. Take care not to damage the cables when attaching the framework to your base layer.

When choosing a framework, avoid metal meshes that have sharp edges or burrs, as they can easily damage the cables.

TIME FOR HEATING ELEMENTS TO BE ADJUSTED

To achieve the best results from a snow melting system, you have to make sure you maintain proper spacing between the heating element. That is why ensuring consistency is so important. To maintain good spacing and depth, you should always attach the heating elements to the framework using zip-ties or wire twists. You then need to inspect everything to ensure they all line up perfectly.

No guesswork is needed during the installation of deicing systems. Your radiant system will come with an installation plan. Follow the installation plan to the letter to ensure everything goes smoothly.

PAY ATTENTION TO PAVERS

When it comes to the installation of pavers, the installer has to make sure there are no pavers that are in direct contact with the heating element. In deicing for stairs, it is recommended to have 1 to 1.5 inches of mortar poured over the cables. If you will be using limestone or sand, cover to a depth of 1.5 inches, un-compacted. You then need to place the pavers slowly into place. Dropping them may cause damage to the laid heating element. For stone and brick pavers, make sure they are not thicker than 2.5 inches.

TAKE CARE OF HANDRAILS

When installing a deicing system in ramps and stairs that will have handrails, it is recommended to put in pre-sleeves for the posts in order to avoid drilling. You then need to route the heating cables around the pre-sleeves for the posts. It is always good for the installer and the electrician to work together to avoid drilling or cut the cables, which will no longer be visible beneath the final surface.

For added safety, ensure the heating cables and metal framework never make direct contact with the posts and other metal fixtures.

USE DIFFERENT WAYS TO INCORPORATE SNOW MELTING CABLES

Installing deicing for stairs will most likely involve multiple heated stairs. As a result, you will have to incorporate the heating element in the risers between every tread. There are several methods you can use here.

Some installers cut off a corner of the supporting block in order to create a channel for heating cables to run through. Other installers will saw-cut grooves in concrete using a diamond-bladed angle grinder or concrete saw.

The idea is to ensure the cable is embedded properly in mortar or concrete. If it is not, it may start overheating and eventually fail.

DO NOT LEAVE THE SPLICE OUT

The final step is ensuring the splice is embedded in mortar, sand or concrete. Power is carried to the heating elements by a ‘cold lead’ that is connected to the cables through a manufacturer’s splice. Leaving the manufacturer’s splice exposed is a common mistake made when installing deicing for stairs. Some people even leave some cables exposed. Bearing in mind the splice is a half-heating element, doing so causes it to overheat and get damaged. Embedding the splice ensures it has the right medium to keep it from overheating. The right medium can be sand, stone dust or concrete.

 What is The Cost of Deicing For Stairs?

The cost of a snow melting system for your stairs and porch will vary depending on whether you use snow melting mats or snow melting cables. Compared to the snow melting mats, snow-melting cables are more cost-effective but also more time consuming to install. Snow melting mats are costlier than the cable but are much easier and less time consuming to install. The cost of snow melting systems also varies depending on the type of voltage. The size and the width of snow melting mats and the number of mats your project requires will determine their cost.