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Snow Melt Mats Support

Snow Melt Mats Support

This support page provides publications, manuals, videos, support articles, and common support questions for the Snow Melt Mats product line.

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Support Questions

Showing 10 of 50 questions

That depends on a number of variables (like the temperature outside) but generally speaking these snow melting systems are designed to melt 1" - 3" of snow per hour. Anything above 3" per hour is typically considered blizzard conditions. 

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Never cut the heating cable. A heating cable will not work if it has been cut. If the heating cable is too long, call WarmlyYours to consult with a technician who will guide you in utilizing the additional length of cable.

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The material costs are similar. However, electric systems are easier to install, with fewer components and significantly lower maintenance costs. Electric systems will run for a shorter period of time to give the same level of performance but with much higher energy efficiency (typically 95%-98% efficient). Controls and sensors required for the two types of systems are very similar. Electric systems do not usually require slab insulation and do not create the concerns typically associated with hydronic systems. These concerns include, but are not limited to, return temperatures, flue gas venting, waterway shrinkage and property damage caused by leaking pipes or tubes.

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When installing outdoor WarmlyYours snow melting cables for your driveway, patio, walkway, terrace, stairs, ramp, etc. - NEVER cross, overlap, or allow the heating cables to touch each other. Doing so will quickly cause a circuit failure due to excessive heat build up. Always follow the installation instructions and/or design layout plan to ensure the cable is installed with the correct spacing required for proper operation.

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Our systems can handle low temperatures, but many controls come equipped with a Low-Temperature Lockout Feature. This feature prevents the system from running in very low temperatures. At very low temperatures it can become difficult for the system to effectively melt the snow. It is however possible to turn off this feature should you need the system to keep running during such low temperatures.

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Electric-resistance heating cables and systems have no polarity. This includes all current WarmlyYours heating elements.

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We suggest using cable to heat stairs as it is easier to route between the separate stairs. 

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Yes. The manufacturer's splice that connects the heating element to the cold lead should be entirely embedded in a noncombustible material (like asphalt, concrete, or mortar) within the outdoor surface that is being heated. 

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GFEP is the National Electric Code (NEC) required protection for fixed outdoor deicing and snow-melting equipment, which may be accomplished by using circuit breakers equipped with ground-fault equipment protection (GFEP) of 30 mA. It is important to understand that this required equipment protection is NOT the same as a 5 mA GFCI used for personal protection.

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To ensure optimal performance, snow melting heating elements should be installed so that they are consistently 2"-3" from the finished surface. For installations using pavers, the maximum thickness for pavers installed over heating elements is 2.5". 

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The electrician may shorten the cold lead wires during the installation. Any cold lead wire extensions/splices must be made in a junction box in accordance with the installation instructions, and must comply with all national and local electrical codes.

Never cut the heating cable.

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All of our automatic controllers have a Hold-on time feature after the initial warming up of the snow melt system. This feature ensures that all the snow is melted from the surface, and also that the system continues to operate and evaporate the surface water without it refreezing.

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This type of installation should not significantly affect the longevity of the driveway. Be sure to have a professional for your surface material type evaluate this during installation.

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Pavers can be removed and reinstalled for a retrofit application of our snow melt system. Tire tracks are not typically recommended for paver surfaces, so any retrofit application would most likely need to be full coverage. In this case, it should be treated like a brand new installation, just with existing pavers.

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When the design requirement's amp draw exceeds the selected controller's capacity.

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If a cable is damaged during installation, recheck the system for continuity and confirm the integrity of the insulation with a megohmmeter, or "megger" tester, referring to the installation and testing instructions. If the cable fails any of these tests, take the following actions: clear a 3 foot square working area around the damaged section of cable, and record the cable part number from the UL tag and the location where you purchased the product. Call WarmlyYours with the above information. WarmlyYours will provide further assistance and supply a splice kit suitable for repairing the particular cable.

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We recommend that the layer of landscaping rock be no deeper than 2.5". If the snow melting heating elements are embedded any deeper than that, then the system may not yield satisfactory results.

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Yes, but the cables will have a slightly reduced heat output. The wattage will be 13% lower, so that means instead of 50 Watts per Sq. Ft., the system will provide around 43.5 Watts per Sq. Ft. That is why WarmlyYours now stocks 208V cables."

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The layer of noncombustible material needed below snow melting heating elements must be at least 2" deep. 

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Each heating cable comes with a factory installed cold lead wire that must be routed through the rigid metal 3/4" conduit to a outdoor rated junction box where a simple wire nut connection can be made for the electrical hook-up.

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The most common spacing for snow melting systems is 3“ from wire to wire. However, we can design snow melting systems based on your local climate and weather expectations that might have different cable spacings to ensure the most efficient system possible. We also offer snow melting mats with 3" and 4" spacing.

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In an area free of obstruction and able to detect rain or snow, yet low enough so that it is easily accessible if service is needed. Atop a fence post or on an 'L' bracket on the side of a building are common.

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Yes, as long as the paver isn't resting on exposed cable. The cable has to be embedded according to the installation cross section drawing.

Cover to an uncompacted depth of 1.5” (38mm), leveled to grade. A compactor that's applicable to the thickness and application can be used to compact the sand. The paver installer(s) must take care not to walk on the hot-cold factory splice and to avoid damaging the Heating Cables with shovels or rakes. At no time shall the compactor directly contact the wire.

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Yes, WarmlyYours Snow Melting Heating System can be installed with quartzite stones. Start with 4” to 8” (102mm to 203mm) of crushed rock aggregate base. Rebar or wire mesh should be staked on top of this base and then heating cables or mats will be tied to this mesh with plastic zip ties. Heating system needs to be covered with 1” to 1.5” (51mm to 76mm) of finished mortar or sand. Stone Pavers will be installed on top but must NOT be any thicker than 2.5” (63.5mm). See cross-section in the documents section and in the manual.

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Yes, the leads are not direct burial rated. The leads must be protected in compliance with local electrical codes.

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Most outdoor systems will require an additional or sub panel to handle the amperage of the snowmelt system.

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The snowmelt cables/mats can withstand direct contact with asphalt temperatures of up to 464°F (240°C).

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No, cold leads need to run protected in approved conduit into a junction box. In the junction box they may be attached to wires carrying voltage from the main circuit.

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Always confirm the power requirements with the electrician. Large snow melting systems usually require a new electrical panel or electrical service. Contact WarmlyYours for a quotation, indicating the actual power capacity available, and to obtain recommendations for reducing the power consumption. For example, opting for tire track coverage rather than installing the snow melting system over the entire driveway can dramatically reduce power requirements.

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No, additional wiring is supplied by the electrician.

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The electrician must route the cold lead(s) through rigid metal conduit(s) or other approved means, to get back to an accessible weatherproof junction box(s). Care must be taken by the electrician so that none of the heated section of Cable enters the conduit(s).

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Once you've decided what type of heating system (manual vs. automatic), you'll need to choose a control, which may or may not utilize a sensor. You may need a relay panel(s) depending on the size of the system, and a snow melt plaque which is required by the National Electric Code. Junction box(es) may be optional depending on the distance of heating cable from the indoor power location.

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It depends on how the system is intended to operate. If the expectation is manual operation (ex. WiFi or Timer Control), then no sensors are required. If the expectation is automatic operation, then the system will require at least one snow sensor.

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Minimum is 1.5“ and Maximum is 2.5“

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No. Each snow melt mat comes with a 20‘ cold lead.

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The US National Electrical Code prohibits electric heating cables in pool decks. Please check with your local Authority Having Jurisdiction to see if your local code allows this, as local code overrides the national code.

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Any outdoor rated plastic, watertight junction box will be acceptable.

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Ground fault equipment protection (GFEP) is intended to provide protection for equipment against damaging line-to-ground currents by disconnecting all ungrounded conductors of the faulted circuit.

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120, 208, 240, 277 voltages.

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No, chicken wire is too flimsy. A rigid framework without sharp edges, such as rebar or wire mesh, needs to be used to ensure that the embedded heating system is the proper distance from the finished surface. We recommend that the heating system is secured to the rigid framework with plastic zip-ties. 

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No, a sensor is not required with the snow melt system. However, certain automatic controllers require a temperature/moisture sensor to sense atmospheric conditions and may also require an in-slab, high temperature limit sensor to be installed (notably, asphalt installations).

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When heating stairs, we recommend minimizing or eliminating overhangs/lips on stair surfaces. It is very difficult for the heat to reach these protrusions, as heat only transfers, at most, 2" to 3” laterally from the cable. This is why we recommend placing a run of the heating cable right at the front edge of the stair, which will help keep this area clear of snow or frost as much as possible. The riser of the stair is not heated--only one run of cable goes down the riser to reach from an upper stair to a lower stair.

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Yes. The NEC requires 2“ minimum of non-combustible material below, and 1.5“ minimum of non-combustible material above the heating cable.

The drawback is whether or not the pervious concrete will fail under load, thereby damaging the heating cable and voiding warranty. The cable should be attached to rebar in this case to insure the strongest support.

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Reflective insulation is not effective with conductive heating, which is how embedded floor heating and snow-melting systems transfer heat. To be effective, the reflective insulation surface needs to face an air space (air gap), which allows the reflected heat to be redirected.

An effective solution considers the insulating material's R-Value. This is the rating of a material's insulating properties. The "R" stands for "resistance" and refers to the material's resistance to heat flow, or temperature conduction.

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A 2 pole single-phase 240V circuit works by continuously monitoring the current flowing through both hot wires of the circuit. If it detects even a slight imbalance between the current on each hot wire (indicating a ground fault), it will quickly trip, cutting off power to the circuit. Essentially, it compares each leg of the 240V circuit and trips if they are not precisely equal.

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The best time to install an asphalt driveway is generally from spring to fall. The contractor has more time to work with asphalt at warmer temperatures of 50°F / 10°C and above. The warmer the better. The contractor has less time to work with asphalt at colder temperatures and lesser depths. For example, at 40°F / 4°C, a contractor has only 25 minutes to work with a 2" thick asphalt installation.

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This feature prevents the snow melting system from running, by default, in temperatures below 17°F (–8.33°C), or as set by the user. At temperatures this low, it becomes difficult for the system to effectively melt the snow. It is, however, possible to turn off this feature should the system be required to keep running during these low temperatures.

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Yes, the sensor wires may be trimmed.  Most local code requirements call for 6“-7“ of extra wire from the gang box.

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To calculate the system's approximate operating costs, multiply the total kilowatts of the system by your local electricity rate. Let's use the example of a 350 sq. ft. concrete patio (residential application), with 240 VAC, at the U.S. national average rate of $0.17 per kWh.

Total Watts: multiply area in sq. ft. × 50 Watts
350 × 50 = 17,500 Total Watts

Kilowatts: (the unit by which we purchase electricity) divide Total Watts by 1,000
17,500 Watts ÷ 1,000 = 17.5 kW

Cost per Hour: multiply kW by your local kWh rate
17.5 kW × $0.17/kWh = $2.98 per hour of operation

Hours of Operation: using a typical 6-hour snowfall as an example
$2.98 × 6 hours = $17.85 for that storm

All of this will vary based on your local electricity rate and "after-run time." After-run time is the period the system remains on after snow stops falling to fully dry the slab and prevent refreezing — typically 1–3 additional hours. Rates vary widely by state; check your utility bill for your actual kWh rate. Use our Operating Cost Calculator to get a personalized estimate based on your zip code.

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For driveways with a grade (slope) of 5% or more, WarmlyYours recommends full-coverage snow melting rather than tire-track heating. Here's why grade matters:

  • 0–4% grade (nearly flat): Tire-track heating is a cost-effective option. The unheated areas between tracks are a minor inconvenience.
  • 5–8% grade (moderate slope): Full coverage is strongly recommended. Unheated areas between tire tracks become primary slip hazards for pedestrians stepping out of vehicles.
  • 8%+ grade (steep): Full coverage is essential. Gravity significantly increases the risk of vehicle sliding and pedestrian falls on any unheated surface.

On a slope, a vehicle that makes it up a heated tire track can still slide sideways if the surrounding surface is icy. Full coverage eliminates the entire hazard — not just the vehicle path. The additional material cost is approximately 35% more than tire-track heating, but it is the only option that truly eliminates the risk on a steep grade.

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