One of the best upgrades we’ve made to our house is a snowmelt system.
We are located in the northeastern area of the country, right near one of the Great Lakes.
Because the water of the lake takes a long time to freeze, the clouds passing overhead absorb a lot of moisture. They become heavy and right as they pass overhead of our little town, they drop a ton of snow. It’s not unusual for us to accumulate fifteen feet of snow in a single winter. We typically need to turn up the thermostat, tighten up the house and start up the heater in early September. We expect to have snow by Halloween. The sub zero temperatures and constant snowfall are a lot of work and expense. At our house, we have a boiler heating system that links to radiant flooring. It’s an amazing innovation that keeps every room perfectly comfortable. We don’t deal with drafts, cold spots or air contamination. The heating system makes no noise and requires very little upkeep. A few years ago, my husband and I decided to add a snowmelt system outside. It is very similar to the radiant flooring inside. A network of pipes are hidden beneath the pavement of the driveway, walkways and front steps. The boiler in the basement connects to these pipes, sending a supply of heated water through them. The snowmelt system reacts to temperature drop and moisture, starting up automatically to keep the pavement clear. We no longer need to spend long hours shoveling. There’s no need to plow or figure out where to pile the huge amounts of snow. We don’t get wet feet walking through the snow or worry about slipping on the ice.