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boogenman

Turbo Monkey
Nov 3, 2004
4,330
1,009
BUFFALO
One of the spendy homes I shot a couple years ago for the realtors had a full driveway with coils, probably about 200 yards long and 12 foot wide, Ran off a 3 phase service from the garage, he said it would burn about 22kw and cost around 600 bucks for 8 hours. Cray cray
I need a heated driveway, if I don’t keep that fucker clear to the concrete I can’t drive up it.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,620
20,439
Sleazattle
I need a heated driveway, if I don’t keep that fucker clear to the concrete I can’t drive up it.

I wonder how deep you would have to dig to just have recirculating water use latent ground heat maintain surface temps above freezing. I don't exactly live in a cold climate but the 4' deep slab of my basement floor stays above 45 degrees no matter how cold it gets outside.
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,254
4,551
I wonder how deep you would have to dig to just have recirculating water use latent ground heat maintain surface temps above freezing. I don't exactly live in a cold climate but the 4' deep slab of my basement floor stays above 45 degrees no matter how cold it gets outside.
Depends, but stable year-round ground temps are about 3m down. Youtube is full of people doing this for greenhouses in the winter with air. Obviously a different problem with water and melting snow, but I imagine it could be done. Seems like a fairly straightforward engineering calculation.

For example:
 

boostindoubles

Nacho Libre
Mar 16, 2004
7,924
6,228
Yakistan
Use hot water, :brows:
I know a guy who rigged up a giant outdoor furnace and had buried water lines into his house. It was basically an open boiler that had circulation pumps heading to different zones. In the zones he had big radiators with fans behind them.

Could see the same setup for driveways. Just slog out and fire up the wood stove, wait for the water to melt, turn on the circ pumps and watch the snow melt away..
 

gonefirefightin

free wieners
I know a guy who rigged up a giant outdoor furnace and had buried water lines into his house. It was basically an open boiler that had circulation pumps heading to different zones. In the zones he had big radiators with fans behind them.

Could see the same setup for driveways. Just slog out and fire up the wood stove, wait for the water to melt, turn on the circ pumps and watch the snow melt away..
Geo thermal with a buried cistern and circulation pump is the real option, helped a buddy instal his and it works flawlessly, but you need to have your pex about 2 inches under the surface of your concrete, most peeps dont use concrete.
 

boostindoubles

Nacho Libre
Mar 16, 2004
7,924
6,228
Yakistan
Geo thermal with a buried cistern and circulation pump is the real option, helped a buddy instal his and it works flawlessly, but you need to have your pex about 2 inches under the surface of your concrete, most peeps dont use concrete.
That's what's up. I want to build something similar. I wonder if I buried them under a gravel driveway if that would be effective? I know buried cisterns have some restrictions due to the potential for people and animals falling in and drowning.
 

gonefirefightin

free wieners
That's what's up. I want to build something similar. I wonder if I buried them under a gravel driveway if that would be effective? I know buried cisterns have some restrictions due to the potential for people and animals falling in and drowning.
Gravel/asphalt wont hold the heat and will dissipate as compared to concrete or pavers, the cisterns are an enclosed poly tank but buried well below the frost line
 

boogenman

Turbo Monkey
Nov 3, 2004
4,330
1,009
BUFFALO
I wonder how deep you would have to dig to just have recirculating water use latent ground heat maintain surface temps above freezing. I don't exactly live in a cold climate but the 4' deep slab of my basement floor stays above 45 degrees no matter how cold it gets outside.
I think I’ll stick with using my snowblower followed with a shovel to get down to the concrete. I picked one of these up 2 years ago, it speeds up the process.
12FBA19D-6170-4DBC-822C-E3AF2505B50F.png
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
86,233
24,735
media blackout
View attachment 172512
That’s mine. If I let that snow turn to ice I am not making it up.
 

4xBoy

Turbo Monkey
Jun 20, 2006
7,074
2,961
Minneapolis

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,254
4,551
There’s a guy here that does augmented reality stuff with a sandbox and the projector projects rainfall and water shed stuff onto whatever landscape you have made in the sandbox, so he requires a special high grade of sand to make it all work.
Sand is a euphemism, right?
 

jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
19,880
8,485
Nowhere Man!

Andrew's decent Kyev

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Kotraktova square in Podol

Podol

Lady picking her nose in the Funicular station.

Opera House

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Kiev's only synagogue to stay open during the first Soviet rule.

Babi yar

Oligarchs house

Pozhjad Popedi

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StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
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In hell. Welcome!

Andrew's decent Kyev

Kрещатик

Kotraktova square in Podol

Podol

Lady picking her nose in the Funicular station.

Opera House

Печерские лавры



Kiev's only synagogue to stay open during the first Soviet rule.

Babi yar

Oligarchs house

Pozhjad Popedi

Kрещатик
Are the image descriptions in russian? ;)