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Heated Driveway????
- Thread starter SamIchi
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Geothermal heating/cooling is pretty slick. It's based on the fact that water deep (actually you only have to go down like 10 or 15 feet) underground stays a pretty consistent 55 degrees (F) so you can pump that water up and use it to cool your home in the summer, or in the winter you can use it to warm your home (at least to 55degrees). You have to use regular heating methods to get the temperature above 55, though. In the summer you can cool a house with just geothermal energy no trouble, though.
If they do, they didn't have it working on Tuesday, Feb. 6, '07. We sat on the tarmac (an airplane parking lot with about ten others) for three hours waiting for gate clearance. They have only three (3) de-icers to service all AA terminals.
®îçhå®?;3354216 said:
if you are old, or infirm this is impossible.
every winter scores die because they were too frail to shovel snow, did it anyway, and had heart attacks.
shoveling snow, is a HUGE workout for anyone, the labor is intense even for young strappin' lads.
If one had unlimited access to geothermal waters, then a heated driveway is easy to come by. Just ask the Icelanders.
yes, it's a HUGE workout. for the capable, a huge workout is a good thing.
i don't believe anyone here is advocating sending the old or infirm out with their shovels to die in the snow.
The idea seems good but could end up being dangerous.
Most driveways slope away from your garage/house (otherwise you'd flood when it rains). Thus melting the snow/ice will run into the street/alley and re-freeze creating an icy patch in the road/alley at the end of your driveway that could catch unsuspecting motorists off guard.
If you apply this to a whole neighborhood you then ice the whole alley/street. With freezing rain this isn't such a big issue since the street/alley are already icy but when doing it for snow you've made it worse than it would have been had you just shoveled.
Most driveways slope away from your garage/house (otherwise you'd flood when it rains). Thus melting the snow/ice will run into the street/alley and re-freeze creating an icy patch in the road/alley at the end of your driveway that could catch unsuspecting motorists off guard.
If you apply this to a whole neighborhood you then ice the whole alley/street. With freezing rain this isn't such a big issue since the street/alley are already icy but when doing it for snow you've made it worse than it would have been had you just shoveled.
A big reason some of the smarter young lads invest in a gas powered self-propelled snow thrower -- and then charge the yuppies some money for clearing the driveway.
And then come back and mow their lawn when the weather changes.
On the other hand, that would help to alleviate some Social Security concerns.
This is precisely why I plan on using a driveway equipped with hydraulics and a big hinge. I'll just flip the driveway and dump the snow onto the lawn.
I have contemplated a tarp that I stake out along the driveway and have it hooked up to a big crank, just put it out before the snow fall and then roll it up and it will pull all the snow with it.
2 hours last night, another hour this morning, probably another 2 or 3 when I get home from work tonight.
2 hours last night, another hour this morning, probably another 2 or 3 when I get home from work tonight.
I've also though of that idea... Maybe some mechanical machine that only needs man power would be ideal... We need some engineers, I don't want to think.
I thought of this when I read jsw's post about the cost of melting it all, as I had the idea that you could just apply a burst of heat, wait until the melted portion refreezes as ice and then turn it on a little to create as layer of water and "slide" your driveway iceberg into the street.
I am an engineer and the biggest problem that I have with it is that there is no where for the snow to go but "behind" and with more than an inch or two you'll soon run out of room there.
Combine the tarp with emw's idea. Pull the tarp across the driveway from one side to the other, not top to bottom. Have two poles with pulleys on top on the roll up side with another rope hooked to the corners of the tarp. When full you use the ropes with the poles to lift the tarp like a draw bridge and dump the snow on that side of the driveway. Roll it back up to get it out of the way and start over tomorrow.
Edit:
If you heat the lawn on that side you could turn the snow pile into a skating rink...