How to Retro Fit Snow Melting Cables into Finished Surfaces
Step-by-step Guide to Retrofitting a Heated Driveway without Replacement
Struggling with clearing snow off your driveway during the cold winter months? Our video guide provides an efficient solution to this issue by demonstrating how to retrofit an existing asphalt driveway with an electric snow melting system. This not only saves you the hassle of shoveling snow, but also the cost and inconvenience of a complete driveway replacement.
- A detailed walk-through of the installation process, from providing the area dimensions to cleaning the grooves post-cutting.
- Guidelines for effective layout of the heating cable including creation of additional grooves for smooth transitions.
- Techniques for ensuring a secure exit for the cold leads and correct installation of the sensor.
- Explanation of the materials used such as the trowelable crack sealer and its application process.
- Instructions on sealing the driveway post-installation to prevent water infiltration.
This video serves as a comprehensive guide for homeowners and contractors alike, providing an efficient, reliable, and long-lasting solution to keep your driveway clear during winter. With the retrofit heated driveway system, say goodbye to the tedious task of snow removal.
Hello and welcome to our new video where we're installing snow melt heating cable in an existing asphalt driveway. The first step in this type of project is to provide the dimensions of the area you want to heat. This information allows our engineers to create an installation plan that details how the cables will be laid into the grooves that will be cut. Once you receive this plan, you can pass it along to your concrete or asphalt contractor, who will make the necessary cuts accordingly.
Behind me, you can see where the grooves have been cut into the asphalt. It is essential that these grooves are cut to a depth of two to three inches to accommodate the heating cable. In addition to the grooves for the cable, we also need to ensure that the cold leads can exit the area and connect to a junction box. Furthermore, the sensor must be installed and wired correctly, which also requires cutting grooves. Therefore, you will be cutting grooves not only for the heating cable but also for the cold leads and the sensor.
Moreover, it is important to create additional grooves that allow the cable to come to the end and loop around. You cannot simply fold the cable back on itself. As we look down here, you can see where a jackhammer was used to create the necessary space for the cable to transition from a straight run to a curve and then to another straight run. A saw cut blade can also be used for this purpose. Regardless of the method, it is crucial to ensure that the cable can smoothly transition between straight runs and curves, which we have accomplished at the end of each run.
Once the cuts and curves have been made, it is important to clean the grooves before installing the cable. The cutter used in the video employs water to prevent overheating the blade, which creates a slurry of material left in the grooves. Therefore, before placing the cable, we must pressure wash all the grooves to ensure they are clean. After this step, we can proceed to lay down the asphalt and seal it, which you will see in the next shot.
Now that we have completed one side, let's take a closer look at the materials being used. We are utilizing a trowelable crack sealer, which has a higher build than a standard seal coat. We will apply this sealer by hand over the cable and then use a squeegee to ensure it fills the grooves effectively.
As we reach the end of our project, we have successfully installed the electric heating cables into the asphalt driveway. If you find yourself in a situation where you have just installed an asphalt or concrete driveway and need to eliminate snow, we can perform saw cuts into the existing surface. This allows us to press the cable into those cuts and then seal the entire area to prevent water infiltration. This results in a heated area that can remain clear for traffic, as demonstrated by the tire tracks we created.
If you have any further questions about heating your driveway or any other heating solutions for your home, feel free to reach out to us anytime at www.warmlyyours.com. Thank you for watching!
