Pros And Cons Of Heated Driveways

During winter the driveways are covered with snow and ice. The owner has to take necessary precaution to get rid of the snow since it is a safety hazard. Snow and ice makes the surface slippery thus increasing the chances of slipping and falling. For business premises, the owner can be sued if a visitor slips and falls while walking on the slippery pavements.

Shoveling is the traditional method of dealing with ice when it refreezes on the driveway. However the method is time consuming, taxing and costly and so nowadays many property owners prefer to install snow melting systems to ease this task.

Heated driveways should be installed at least 30 days before winter. Once the system is turned on, it heats the pavement, melting the snow. With a snow melting system, you keep snow off the walking surfaces with minimal effort.

When making a decision on whether a heated driveway is a good option for you, then you have to weigh the pros and cons.

PROS

Get rid of snow with minimal effort

Heated driveways give you more convenience compared to the traditional shoveling. The snow is melted with minimal effort and within a short period of time. You will save time to focus on building your business or doing other things. The modern snow melting systems can be programmed so that they operate automatically with temperature changes. You can also achieve that manually by turning the switch on and off depending on the snow build up.

Reduced environmental damage

Salt, calcium chloride and deicer used to get rid of ice and snow on driveways can be harmful to the environment in a number of ways. They can destroy the vegetation, flow into the water sources and cause pollution and can also cause harm to animals such as cats and dogs walking by the driveway. When salt is trapped in concrete it can deteriorate the pavements and the undercarriage of vehicles.

Reduced maintenance costs

Heated driveways are designed to last for years with minimal maintenance costs.

CONS

Installation cost

Installing heating pavements will cost you thousands of dollars. However, though the initial cost is high, it will save you a lot of expenses in the long run. The systems’ price ranges from five thousand to ten thousand dollars. Hydronic systems usually have a higher installation cost but the cost of running them is low.

Operating costs

You will incur costs in the running of the snow removal system because of winter utility bills but you save money on professional snow removal services. The cost will vary depending on the type of heated pavement installed, square footage, temperature and extent of snow accumulation.

Repairs

In case the system has a problem then, the whole driveway may have to be ripped for repairs to be done. If the heating coils malfunction, the whole driveway will have to be redone. However, the likelihood of this happening is very low provided the system has been installed properly.