Heated Driveway for the winter - positive, negative experiences?

[Dante84]

So, my mom is turning 60 next week, and my dad is 63. They are doing a bunch of home improvement stuff to up the value of the house, and because they are done spending money on all the kids, so they are buying things they've wanted for a while.

They are getting a sprinkler system put in next week, so my old man doesn't have to haul the hoses around the yard in the summer heat anymore.

The driveway has been crumbling a bit over the last few years, and they are starting to get quotes for getting it replaced. I really want them to invest in a heated driveway, so they don't have to worry about slipping and falling on the ice come winter time. KC winters can be a bitch. It's just a standard sized JoCo driveway, but it has a pretty steep angle, and it would be easy to slip on. I've done it multiple times while shoveling growing up.

I'm curious as to your experiences if you have any, and an idea on price range.

[notorious]

Wow, they have heated driveways now?

[Bowser]

My driveway is hot as **** these days, and it sucks to walk on it barefoot.

Negative experience.

[mlyonsd]

About all I can tell you is the company I work for has heated sidewalks all the way around the building. They are usually tearing up one section or another once a year to fix one that goes bad.

I'd do a lot of research into the reliability.

[TLO]

I always thought this would be a sweet idea for big interstate highways and what not. My friend and I had a big long discussion about it one day. My thoughts were that it would attract unwanted animals trying to stay warm... but that was for the interstate idea.

I had no idea this product actually existed.

Edit: Dante and Laz are cool

[qabbaan]

Originally Posted by Dante84

KC winters can be a bitch.

I guess it's all relative

It obviously depends on what you want but around here $10,000 would be a decent guess for a normal two car size driveway. They are uncommon even in colder climates because it's not worth the cost. You could buy the Cadillac of snowblowers and pay a team of bikini models to clear the driveway every time it snows in KC and you'd still come out ahead.

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by mlyonsd

About all I can tell you is the company I work for has heated sidewalks all the way around the building. They are usually tearing up one section or another once a year to fix one that goes bad.

I'd do a lot of research into the reliability.

this would be my concern as well


would it be an endless money sink because something is always breaking

warranty?

[Jenson71]

Have you considered a giant hairdryer?

[Dante84]

Well it looks like there are a lot of options, but the main two I keep seeing are electric or tubing.

Basically the water/antifreeze mix is heated and run through the tubing. Assuming the tubing is high quality, I dont see a lot of room for breakage, unless the ground shifts over time. It would have to be a dramatic shift for it to break the tubing, I would think.

Electric wiring just sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

[Deberg_1990]

Yea, your parents would be better off moving south to a warmer climate rather than deal with the maintenance of a heated driveway.
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[Dante84]

Originally Posted by qabbaan

I guess it's all relative

It obviously depends on what you want but around here $10,000 would be a decent guess for a normal two car size driveway. They are uncommon even in colder climates because it's not worth the cost. You could buy the Cadillac of snowblowers and pay a team of bikini models to clear the driveway every time it snows in KC and you'd still come out ahead.

They've got a good snowblower, but I'd like to avoid the old man doing a lot of physical labor if he doesn't have to. Since the driveway is really steep, too, there's a high possibility of slipping.

The ice is more a concern than the snow. Obviously if the snow sits all day and becomes ice, then thats an issue as well.

[Frazod]

Considering the amount of expansion/contraction you get due to vast Midwest seasonal temperature differences, boy, I'd be really leery of something like this. Sounds neat in theory, though.

Also, you're talking Kansas, not Minnesota. Seriously, how many days per year would this even be needed?

[Dante84]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Yea, your parents would be better off moving south to a warmer climate rather than deal with the maintenance of a heated driveway.
Posted via Mobile Device

Meh, their grandkids, work, and life are in KC, so they arent going anywhere.

I assume you mean financial maintenance. Is it just that these things are shoddy as hell? I would think if you put in a decent one you would set it and forget it.

But thats why i started the thread, to become edjuhmacated.

[Dante84]

Originally Posted by frazod

Considering the amount of expansion/contraction you get due to vast Midwest seasonal temperature differences, boy, I'd be really leery of something like this. Sounds neat in theory, though.

Also, you're talking Kansas, not Minnesota. Seriously, how many days per year would this even be needed?

Hey, I'm just worried about the single time one of them slips in the next 10-15 years.

If you fall and break a hip at 63, you can age pretty ****ing quick if you aren't moving around as much.

[mikeyis4dcats.]

I know one person who has them. IIRC he told me his driveway ran around 15k, it is a little longer than what I would consider an average driveway.