April Snow

[Steve M]

Well Brad, thats really cool stuff. Something that was practically unheard of just 20-30 years ago. In Florida we have to use cooling pipes under the lawn to get the snow to stick and stay for awhile. ......just dreaming!

[Charlie]

thanks brad very nice setup

the controller that runs the system was it home made or is this something that is on the market ?

did you do this system or did you hire some one to do it and design it.

i never heard of this and it is very interesting ,thanks for the info .

[Bill O]

Well Brad, thats really cool stuff. Something that was practically unheard of just 20-30 years ago. In Florida we have to use cooling pipes under the lawn to get the snow to stick and stay for awhile. ......just dreaming!

In Aspen or Vail, Colorado heated driveways are fairly common. I'm guessing they have been around for much longer than 30 years. That's only 1977, we did have heat back then, and people have been running hot water through pipes for hundreds of years.

In Japan they have heated streets. The Swiss are fairly fond of technology, I can imagine them doing great things with heat and piping.

[Steve M]

Well, I learned something new then. Brad, what does it cost for a unit like the one you have in your driveway?

[Brad]

thanks brad very nice setup

the controller that runs the system was it home made or is this something that is on the market ?

did you do this system or did you hire some one to do it and design it.

I never heard of this and it is very interesting ,thanks for the info .

The controller is from Tekmar - specifically for snow melt applications.
http://www.tekmarcontrols.com/prod/664.shtml

About 7 years ago we decided we needed to pave our driveway (very steep and it was washing out each year). But, because of the slope any moisture would make it unusable in the winter. So, I worked with the local plumbing supply company - we did research - learned about the Tekmar controls - and had a Portland, Maine plumbing engineer design and size the system. The local company installed it. Because of the slope we have to bleed air out of the system (it goes uphill of course) in the fall. We have a mixture of water and antifreeze in the system.

[Patrad Fischroy]

Yes , here in Colorado these sorts of systems have been around for a bit, although mostly as has been noted in the upscale parts. They have been a sort of proving ground for the emerging technology. For the most part the major inovations have been in the sensors and the controllers. And at that it has mostly been improvements in the ruggedness of both. Some of the earlier systems that I knew about were lucky to last out teh year or were seen to be on at full blast on sunny clear days. Now they tend to be more reliable and certainly more economical to operate.

[donnellyvj]

I am hoping that this storm blows in a little early. It would be nice to have some weather over night, as I will be camping higher up in Stowe. Wish me luck!
As for this April snow. Its to bad that most Ski mountains have started the closing process, if they are not already closed. I skied Killington on Easter and the condition were EXCELLENT. Killington claims over 3ft in the last 6 days. Its more 2 1/2ft.

[Charlie]

thanks brad i have put in the tekmar control for boiler controls before .

I'm glad it works well for you .

[Bill O]

April snow continues....

Winter storm warnings are up for much of New England (especially the mountainous areas). And yet another storm is forecast for the second half of the weekend. Originally progged to be rain it is now trending colder and looks like significant snow for higher elevations.

[Brad]

April snow continues....

Winter storm warnings are up for much of New England (especially the mountainous areas). And yet another storm is forecast for the second half of the weekend. Originally progged to be rain it is now trending colder and looks like significant snow for higher elevations.

And I am stuck in NC for the weekend. The latest radar updates show snow moving across most of NH and starting into the southern Maine counties.