How can I make a ice-melting system to install under my asphalt driveway?

They built one into a bridge in our city. They've never used it because it takes so much power it's too expensive to use.

It is extremely highly reccommended not to do it! It will waste too much energy, therefore it will add too much to the already excessive CO2 emissions and it will inflate your electricity bill. Now, if u hv an electricity producing windmill on your roof, it does not really matter what voltage you use, as long as you insulate your wires to avoid electric shocks.

This is good example of the problem I thought about in my post "Dealing with Customers in Electronics Design" I can sell you plans and make $$$ but I'm getting slammed with the ethics on here so... In the long run, I think it might be cheaper to construct a covered driveway.. Bummer...no money made here.. :( D from BC

A quick search turned up this:

They recommend 36-50 watts/square foot! Yikes!!!

I would suspect that the propane based system would be much more practical. Perhaps this could be duplicated cheaply with a small gas water heater circulating antifreeze through a tubing system. You don't need to fry eggs on the thing, just hold the temperature over freezing.

Sounds like you need a plumber instead of an electrician...

Chris

Yes but the extra CO2 will cause more global warming wich may eventually melt the ice on his driveway anyway, thus making the enregy waste self limiting. unless you live in one of those places where global warming will make it colder wich would be unlucky.

How about making a robotic driveway clearer ?

Colin =^.^=

I would run two pads for the tire tracks, and not the whole driveway.

greg

Waste of money really, in 5 years the weather in New Jersey will never go below

Heck, they predict that even New England will never see snow again in 10-20 years.

Northern Tool, or maybe it's Harbor Freight, sells a propane flame- thrower thing.

Just run 4 inch diameter clay pipe under there, and stuff it full of dollar bills - then place a lit match at one end and start the money burning.

I think it's best if you park your car under the driveway where there's no ice.

Where I used to live people would throw down salt and let that melt the ice. I'm not going to give my comment toward the environmental issues of the salt but it did seem to work for temps well below the normal freezing level.

- mkaras

Normal table salt (NaCl) only works down to 20F or so. It's messy, rots the hell out of concrete (and cars), and as you say isn't very eco-friendly. Highway departments use it by the megaton because it's cheap. Here they don't even mix it with sand, rather use it as sand.

I use Calcium Chloride on my sidewalk and driveway. CaCl2 works well down below 0F (they claim -25F). Though CaCl2 may not clear a lot of ice at 0F it will pit the ice giving quite good traction. CaCl2 costs 2-3x NaCl but works much better.

I've also tried Potassium Chloride, which is supposed to be even more eco-friendly. KCl was too expensive and didn't work well enough for my liking.

Ok group, correct me if I am wrong, but weren't most building codes in the US ammended to mandate minimum insulation requirements back in the 70s or so? I thought I recall this was done to force energy conservation in the construction of new homes and buildings.

Well if so, how can it be considered legal or prudent to allow people to heat their friggin' parking lots!!!!!!

The obvious solution is to move the driveway to where there is no ice.

Because driveways aren't dwellings?

That's what I ws thinking. Why run a wire through the thing when hot "water" would do just as well, AND the technology is already out there. Small hot water heater, radiant floor tubing, recirculator pump, a pressure bladder for reserve liquid/expansion control, temp sensor and/or manual switch. A 50/50 mix of automotive antifreeze and water. Done.

Jim

Salt is on the way out and a lot of states don't even allow it on the roads anymore because of the environmental impact during the thaw.

I keep hearing the wacko tree-huggers saying that but I'll believe it when I see it. They might just as well shut the state down from Dec1 to May1.