Being In the trade, I can pretty much guarantee your installation is far and above what almost any professional would do. Well done sir! Enjoyed the video
It’s a good install. I’ve done plenty of these in commercial and residential systems. I am used to the orange Wirsbo/Uponor non permeable membrane PEX A tubing.
@@JamminClemmons it can, however it requires MANY more BTUs per square foot to heat due to the sand bed and general construction of an asphalt driveway. It’s entirely possible, but is usually beyond cost prohibitive.
@@trailheadmedia5578 Could you not put some sort of radiant barrier between the sand bed and the business part of the driveway? Or would that throw a wrench in the whole process?
Brilliantly explained, if you don’t live in an area that has winter snow. You will never appreciate how much back breaking shovel and snow blowing work has been eliminated. Thank you ☺️
Thanks X VSJ! I agree with you completely, those that have never done it have no idea how back breaking even snow blowing can be. One of the main reasons I built it was to save my lower back and because I didn't have anywhere to put the snow. Thanks for your kind comments, and thanks for watching! 😊
I had a heart attack 2 years ago and the only thing that the doctor has told me I cannot do is shovel snow, I found your videos yesterday and made the mistake of showing my wife 🙂 She wants this system at our house now, but I am still enjoying yelling she missed a spot while watching her shovel. I subscribed now and will watch all of your videos. Thoroughly impressed so far. Thank you
This is the pinnacle of UA-cam. Its enjoyable and educational watching a passionate person pursue their vision. You got yourself a new subscriber.... I am a remodel contractor in Colorado that specialized in mid-high end remodels. I agree with the other comments... the organization of your workflow is better than 90% of the sub contractors that I deal with on a regular basis.
Anyone who says, "This is a mess, he doesn't know what he's doing!"...doesn't know what they're talking about. Those are some clean, tight runs, and those distribution manifolds are grade A. You are a DIY inspiration!
For 10 grand? That’s worth every penny. I tip my hat to you. I’m in nyc and don’t get anywhere near the amount of snow you get and I think it’s worth that here. Kudos to you
What a fantastic install. I was a home builder for many years and had some amazing tradesman sub contract for me. You are as good as my plumbing and HVAC contractor if not better when it comes to the finished product. To get something to look this nice is a true art form. The functionality of your system is terrific. I also own a very large commercial building with 1200 SF of sidewalk in a downtown with lots of foot traffic. I installed a similar system for the sidewalk but my glycol loop has an added benefit of solar thermal heating of the glycol with a natural gas boiler backup. My system turns on automatically thanks to temperature and moisture sensors located on the roof of the building. If it gets cold enough and the moisture percentage in the air is high enough the system turns on. It was one of the best investments I ever made at the building. I never have to shovel snow or throw salt down ever again. That alone, is worth every penny I spent. Also, I receive a substantial discount on liability insurance from my carrier because of the snow melt system. Zero chance of slip and fall lawsuits!! Again, congratulations on your install. You should be very proud.
Thanks for your kind comments mjg! I did install the Tekmar socket for the fully automated controls, and ran the conduit into the utility room before the pour. I just haven't been able to bring myself to spend $1,200 in the controls when the manual method has been working well. Maybe someday (and I'll do a video on it 😀). For now, thanks for leaving such a nice comment and thanks for watching. I appreciate it!
Chris ! You explain things perfectly ! I think It was a Great Investment 👍 You did a fantastic Job ! P.S. You would have Never found a contractor to do as good a job as you did. As a Carpenter for over 30 years. The trade industry is suffering from a lack of skilled and honest workers. Looking forward to your next projects !
Thanks Doug! You may like the rest of my channel where I show how I actually built it too. You can find it here: ua-cam.com/play/PLdWeMRuZcbQjekwiBk_uy39IS6JFWYORD.html Thanks for watching!
I am a steamfitter/welder and we do snowmelt and other hydronic systems on a much bigger scale but it's pretty cool to see a diy system in your house. Excellent craftsmanship brother looks great!
The other thing about hiring a service to plow your driveway is that they can't be everywhere at once. They will have a list of clients they have to get to after every snowfall -- and your house might be scheduled early in the day, or it might be late in the day. If you have to leave for work before then, you're either going to compress part of the snow down into two tracks of ice on your path out of the driveway, or you're going to have to get out the shovel and snowblower to do part of the driveway yourself before you leave. That was part of the reason I decided to move to a condo a number of years ago, because I just couldn't keep up with the snow removal as I got older, and I couldn't count on my snow removal service to be there on time most days because I leave for work early. It also means I no longer have to deal with mowing the lawn or hiring a lawn service, raking leaves, cleaning out gutters, etc. It was nice owning a single family home when my kid was growing up, but there is a lot of physical labor involved.
Many thanks to you for all the hard work you have shared. We are much the same. Builders, fixers and problem solvers. I can 100% appreciate your entire journey to get this system installed and purring. Your journey has been inspirational and I look to use your exoerience as I build my own system.. There will always be naysayers. Those who lack the faith in themselves and therefore try to badmouth or minimize your accomplishment. Small minds are everywhere. That is their problem. Not your problem! Thanks for sharing. Great Job!
It's good to see another geek doing stuff like this, and the fact that you're making content to share your experience is incredible. This is one of those projects that I know I'm going to end up doing eventually and you've definitely provided some great information. Subscribed.
Thanks Ian, I really appreciate your comment and thanks for the subscription. Hopefully you find my videos helpful for your project and if you ever have any questions just ask! Thanks again for watching!
Your setup looks overwhelming in my eyes because things I don t know about heating a driveway. Awesome idea for a snow belt area, thanks for sharing . Bruce in Angola NY
H Bruce! It looks worse than it is, primarily because it's so much crammed into a small area. If I had more space to spread it out, it would make more sense. I do have several layout videos on my Chanel if you want to learn more: ua-cam.com/play/PLdWeMRuZcbQjekwiBk_uy39IS6JFWYORD.html I think you'll find its not as bad as you think, just follow the flow of the heat and water / glycol! Thanks for watching!
Thanks! you answered my number 1 question, cost to in stall. Also it looks fantastic, I love how neatly routed everything is and well organized. great job man, it is far more complicated than I imagined, and being hydro rather than electrical blew my mind.
Hey Mikej1592! You're welcome, thank you for your compliments! It wasn't easy to fit everything in such a small space, but I enjoyed taking my time and figuring it out while keeping it looking neat. To me, it's amazing how many people in the comments think this system is electric. At least where I am, that would be much more expensive to operate than natural gas. Once I add the Solar Panels I could see going with an electric system, but even then I would have to crunch the numbers to see if it would be worth it. Thanks again for watching and your kind words!
I install my own radiant floor system in my 3400sf house renovation. Parts was about $10k-13k. I also used Takagi (9.99k btu) tankless under 10K btu, which means no special boiler permit in my area. I used 1 inch pex as the interconnects. The Ryobi crimp ring crimper from Homedepot saved alot of time. Started using manual copper ring crimper, but changed to the stainless rings using a powertool. The tool is under $100, best tool I've bought.
That system is brilliant and amazing! Well done. Excellent job. Amazing how clean it looks. You not being in a trade is just incredible. Good for you, I'm glad you enjoyed building it. What a great project 👏 👌 👍
I always figured a heated driveway was a bad idea because it would be hundreds of dollars in extra utilities, but then I realized that I’m paying $1000 a season to the plow guy…..
This just got SOOO much more interesting and impressive when I realized you planned, researched, engineered & DIY'd!! From a 60 yr old homeowner in Fla, LOL.
I just want to say thank you for the whole experience. The videos you have provided have inspired me to do a hydronic system of my own. I am planning to expand my system this summer. I poured a 8' x 20' porch with pex in the concrete this year, with tubes sticking out for a sidewalk in the spring. I will share pics when it is done. It is not as well done as yours, but I do thank you for the direction. Please keep up the videos! Amazing job by the way. I can't wait to see the solar project.
You're welcome, David! I'm glad my videos and project inspired you with your setup and helped you with the install this past summer / fall. I can't wait to see the results! Please keep me informed! You have my e-mail address! 😉 -Chris
This has been amazing to watch. I live in Texas so it isn't necessary here. On the rare occasion it snows like that here we just pop open a beer and wait a few hours watching TV and we're good.
I have to say I did something very similar when I bought my first house, there was some old galvanized steel pipes in the house and I did the research and replaced the entire plumbing in the house with pex, added a water softener, purifier, and a tankless water heater for hot water. I did all the work but run the new gas lines. I was fine with water leaking and fixing that but gas scared me a little and i left that to a pro. I wish more people would be curious and take a leap of faith to try to do something new. I am a research chemist and was just confident me and my best friend who is a computer science guy as well could figure it out.
Thanks for the compliments, Stephen! I do tend to keep thing organized and neat! Wait until the Solar panels are installed this spring 😉. Thanks for watching!
I am from northern New Jersey and I believe that what you did is awesome. We get big snow at times, but not as much as you do for sure. I need to redo my driveway soon, so I may look into what you did. I am not getting any younger and I would love to flip a switch, then watch all the young whipper-snappers shovel chest deep snow as I drink hot coffee from inside the house. Best part is you did it all yourself....Good Job Sir!!
Thank you fordtrknut, really appreciate you taking the time to watch and leave this comment. The reason I started this channel was to show others what I had accomplished, and maybe inspire someone else like yourself! 😊 I’m starting an Amazon store with all of the parts I used here: www.amazon.com/shop/chrisdecker and I’m looking into maybe opening an Etsy store with more in depth material lists and possibly offering consulting sessions, we’ll see. If I can answer any questions for you, just ask. Thanks for watching!
You have some serious skills! I'm one of your new subscribers, not sure how it came up in my feed but I really enjoy your channel. I'm contemplating adding a radiant loop in my living room floor (ever since we took out the carpeting the room is cooler). I noticed that we have stubs in our main hot water trunk line for a radiator that was removed before we bought the house 30 years ago (We live in a 100 year old Tonawanda house). I think the circulating temp might be too high for radiant but I'd hate to lose the opportunity. Maybe I'll just add another radiator.
Thanks John! I'm glad the UA-cam algorithm lead you to my channel, and I'm honored to have you as a subscriber. Thank you for that! I did staple-up radiant under a good part of my 100 year old house and it works great. If you have radiator temperature water (180ºF) you could always use a mixing valve to temper it down to the 120º you would probably want for the radiant. Just be careful that the colder returns don't condense the boiler. Maybe you could wire it so that it only ran when another zone was calling? I don't have experience with this, just throwing out ideas, but I would think if you talked to a pro it could be done! Thanks for subscribing to my channel and watching my videos!
Just discovered your channel. Beautiful installation! I'm in Chicago and my "free" snow shovel labor grew up and moved out. I keep thinking of doing this. You've given me new inspiration.
It occurred to me that whether you use an electric pump to move antifreeze, a gas powered snow blower or other machinery, or your good old back and a shovel, it takes energy to remove snow. The beauty of this system is it takes none of your time outside of turning it on. Very cool!
I think you did a masterful job with the install and design, your explanation was so informative. I lived in upstate NY for several years off Lake Ontario, it was brilliant of you to do this install. I’m sure your neighbors are envious to no end I know I am. And yes I agree with a statement you made in a previous video, the people in your area of the country are amazing and help each other every chance they can.
I live in Maine, we get a lot of snow, had over 3ft built up at one point this year. If we had a 24hr snow, it’d cost me ~$24-$30 to clear my driveway versus the $35 for a plow service that I have to wait on someone else to get the time to do my driveway. If I’ve got work at 7am the next morning, I’m struggling to get out of my driveway until the plow service comes at 10 or 11 depending on the storm and number of other driveways before they can get to mine. I’m definitely installing one of these. Great videos, well done, thank you.
Any one that researches, crunches the numbers and is willing to do what it takes. Its called a sense of acompiishment. including fixed expenses... bravo well done. Ps. I was quoted 90 k about a decade ago. 10 cars capacity...
Also in the trade and have done many snowmelt systems from design to finish, you sir have done a beautiful job, and wish there were more people like yourself in the trade to be considered professionals! One thing I will suggest is to have the heat exchangers checked as under high load the pvc venting mixed with gas vapors can break down and cause damaging deposits trough the condensate run back, PVC is no longer legal by us. And second, check the pH and corrosion levels with the cryotek, we’ve switched away because we’ve had many systems turn sour. It’s expensive but try the Fernox Alphi II
Thanks for the compliments and suggestions!! I will look into everything you’ve mentioned. Really appreciate you watching my videos and taking the time to lend advice. I’m truly humbled. Thanks again for watching!
I am not sure how your video got into my feed, but it is very interesting. I work at a Mechanical HVAC Contractor in Michigan (in the office, not field, lol) and we do some commercial snowmelt. Stunning piping job! It is amazing that someone who is not in the Trades took on this project by yourself. Great job and I look forward to checking out some of your other videos.
From Dunkirk NY here, I was an HVAC designer/ installer and put my own system in my home with a firewood fired boiler that I got for free from someone in Buffalo. Thought about hot water ice melting the first 15 feet of driveway due to plows always filling it up and also running pipes under steps and stairwells for safety but never did. I found out the best way to save a bunch of money on snow and cold is by moving down South. We moved down to Charlotte NC 15 years ago and never looked back. We pay less with a heat pump to heat our whole home ( maybe 50 cents a hour ) than you do for your driveway per hour. Stay warm my NY friend. ( By the way I love your build, put in many hydronic systems in my working years and yours looks like a fun build )
Chris, im new to your channel ,and it comes at good time. We have not had a nice driveway since we built 18 years ago. We have class a 5 gravel driveway. Always wanted concrete with a heated driveway, but installation and operating cost back then was in outer space!! Im having knees replacement, and it's time to re-visit this option. Im going to take the time to go over your videos. Our basement is still unfinished. $10,000 IS NOT a LOT OF MONEY COMPARED IF YOU HIRED SOMEONE, AS YOU SAID. I GOT A $80,000 BID 18 YEARS AGO, PRICE INCLUDING THE DRIVEWAY. Thank you for sharing your journey!!
Really appreciate you taking the time to break it all down and adding chapters to the video. New subscriber and damn gad I found you. Recently relocated to Orlando Florida and I'm thinking about installing one of these. There was a dusting here back in 1977 so to say I'm "concerned" would be an understatement.
Man your videos are awesome I want to do the same thing. I don’t need a heated driveway I live in California. But for my floors in my house I’ll work great. Thank you so much. Looks fun too ..
I love how he starts with the truth. I hate long videos he started with it doesn’t cost all your electricity, I didn’t cared to pay whatever but now you have my attention I really have to wait until winter to try to be you 🥰
Simply brilliant design and explanation. The only thing I would recommend adding is "permits" if required in your area for the tankless water-heaters. IMPRESSIVE....also loved the time-lapse video.
Great suggestion, thanks! I'm sure you've found the rest of my channel by now, but I have several more time lapse videos there if interested. You can find it here: ua-cam.com/play/PLdWeMRuZcbQjekwiBk_uy39IS6JFWYORD.html Thanks for watching!
Awesome work, the quality and attention to detail is mind-blowing. Next level DIY stuff for sure. Thanks for taking the time to document it all. I agree with the other commenters in that I doubt any contractor would've come up with that layout.
Thanks Nick! You can see lots more of it here if you're interested: ua-cam.com/play/PLdWeMRuZcbQjekwiBk_uy39IS6JFWYORD.html including how I built it. Thanks for your kind comment and thanks for watching!
3:10 Have you thought about a thermal hydronic solar panel (I use the evacuated tube type) instead of PV to heat the water? They are upto 70% efficient whereas PV is 20% at best. One thermal panel could generate as much heat as 3 PV panels. Nice setup by the way.
I have lived in the Phoenix area my entire life. I've never shoveled one shovel of snow ever. Even coming from my geograpic background, I find this project and you genius and completely understand why you did it! I do have one question: What about code compliance and did any of your system have to pass local permit requirements?
Beautifully done sir. Very efficient and well thought out. One suggestion to squeeze out a bit more efficiency- Insulate all of your copper in the control room. Every little bit helps.
Thanks for the compliments and suggestion Randy! I actually have most of the insulation, I just never installed it! Maybe I need to move that up on the priority list! Thanks for watching!
Just watched this video, I've previously seen another of your videos of your heated driveway working. Amazing, I doubt I'll ever need one, but interesting all the same. Can't quite believe some of the speculative questions you've had to field. Awesome work a great feat of engineering. 👍
Awesome Video! Love the fact that you did it yourself! Hats off.. I'm in the process of building my house and my plumber suggested not to use a separate boiler for the snow melt and use a heat exchanger instead and feed off of Lochinvar 285K boiler... I was a bit skeptical since most plumbers immediately tell you that you need a separate boiler for snow melt otherwise it's no good, I'm glad I found your video, I do trust the plumber I went with and looking forward to seeing the system in play. Thanks!
Awesome job especially for never doing plumbing before , 10k is a lot less than what a contractor woulda charged you ! You did an excellent job I’m a fan
Thanks!! If you like this, I have several more projects coming so hopefully you’ll stick around! Thanks for your kind comments and thanks for watching!!
I'm glad you like it and I'm glad you found it too! I get alot of haters so it's nice to get folks who appreciate and enjoy my content. Thanks for being here!
Well, as a meteorologist, it is technically never too cold to snow. What it is, is less likely to snow the colder it gets. The reason is that colder air has less capability to hold moisture than warmer air. Air cools, then condenses. So, the colder it has gotten, the more condensation has already taken place.
Exactly! Great Explination! In my most recent video during the Blizzard, it was 4ºF at 3 AM and still snowing, so it's definitely possible, just doesn't happen the often. 😊 I'm kind of honored that a meteorologist likes my channel and videos! Thanks for your comment!
Hi Vincent!! I love seeing comments from Buffalo folks! I actually added the score from the Dolphins game to my most recent video from Saturday night here: ua-cam.com/video/LGFSJZJ1sJ8/v-deo.html 😂. Hopefully you enjoy my content and will subscribe for more 😊 Thanks again for watching, Go Bills, and Merry Christmas!
Thank you so much for going through all those details and faqs. As a fellow northeast resident a heated driveway sounds awesome. Between shoveling and the cost of plowing ($75 a pop these days) this system would pay for itself very quickly. Thanks again for sharing all the steps along the way for others to learn.
I'm off-grid in AZ. Looking to get a place back home in WNY and would love to see what you do with the solar. Folks got to figure how much it costs them clear their driveway over the amount of time this project costs. Nice job.
Thanks David! I will definitely be documenting the solar project here on the channel, so stay tuned. I'm being told it will be in March / April. Thanks for watching!
10K for materials? That's amazing Chris! Plus that, your labor, and the concrete are ALL TAX DEDUCTIBLE capital improvements for the cost basis of your house when you sell. Very much looking forward to going through your library and the upcoming solar project
You're welcome, Ryan! I'm glad you found my channel and enjoy the videos. I'm glad I have inspired you to maybe build your own someday 😊. Thanks for being here and watching! -Chris
As someone in the hvac trade you did better work then I see professionals do. Was curious if if the summer months, you could use your driveway loop as a domestic water preheater. If all your doing is running a circ to an aqua stat I’m sure it’s cheaper to run the pump then gas or electric. I’m sure you’re not even worried once you go solar though.
Hi Superdutyjeep! Thanks for your compliments! It’s funny you mention trying to pull the heat from the driveway in the summer, I actually attempted that here: ua-cam.com/video/q44LovimJsI/v-deo.html Unfortunately, I couldn’t get it hot enough to no longer need the tankless. I have more testing to do! Thanks for watching!!
I just saw our NY projected winter snow forcast. You're going to be glat you did it. Also if I can recommend doing your bathroom floor. You'll thank me later.
I have been in construction since 1984, with about 3 years of that being a plumber (residential, new construction). Your materials cost is right in the ballpark of what I was estimating. And when you told me about the quotes you got for an installed system, they were even higher than I was guessing. And yes, your organization in the basement is above and beyond. You have done very well. Not only is it functional, but it is aesthetically pleasing to look at, too. Overall, 10/10 I would totally hire you if I were planning to have a similar system installed.
Thanks for the compliments CacheRAM! I too was surprised when I received the quotes for this, which is what led me to DIY it. Int he end I'm really happy that I did. I know every intricate detail of this system because I designed it. If something leaks, breaks or fails, I know exactly how to fix it because I built it! So far I've been very happy with its performance. Thanks again for taking the time to leave such a nice compliment, and thanks for watching!
Very Impressive, always fun to design and build your own projects... When we retire and build our house it will have a snow melt system (Northern MI) I want to do a outdoor wood boiler with propane as backup (so we can go on vacation) heat the house, pole barn, and driveway. As others have said your workmanship is amazing.
Thanks! I had alot of fun designing and building this. I think an outdoor boiler would work great if you tempered the supply to the slab down. Thanks for your compliments, I appreciate it. Thank you for watching!
Thanks M Barker, I appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment and provide feedback! I enjoy sharing my progress with others, and I am by no means a professional or perfect, so I make plenty of mistakes. I believe the important thing is that I (we) all learn from them moving forward! Thanks again for being here, I'm glad to have someone like yourself watching my videos!
I loved- i do have at home 🏡 for the all entire concrete areas including side wall and driveway- for the past 11 years- i only do a cafe con leche every snow seeing people going crazy clean up - I prefer spend $20 for example and not $20 in copayment at the doctor for my back - Good video -
That’s a huge driveway! Lake effect snow, in Buffalo temps makes every bit of the work worth every penny…and even if the electricity cost $$ you’d be offsetting your time or if you hired a professional to plow.
I completely agree! 😊 For me it was a fun project to build in my free time, and I enjoyed doing it. Now we'll have it available to use for years to come. If we don't want to use it, we don't have to, but it is nice to have the option. One of my biggest problems was having no place to put all of the snow, and this eliminates that issue completely. Thanks for taking the time to comment and for watching, I appreciate it!
Really interesting, I have a slight hill driveway....the town has me moving snowbank more than two feet out into street because the road is wide where I live... still 10k is not too bad if you're able to save money for a few years
This is awesome! Thanks for the videos! I just got a new driveway 2 years ago and wish I had done some driveway heater of some sort. Ive had solar for going on 2 yrs and its great. It doesn’t produce as much as I had hoped but still worth it to me.
Just found your site and watched the Timelapse install, and this excellent explanation to your FAQs. Well done, great channel and some fantastic well explained videos! This is now on my bucket list of things I’d like to do 😉
Thanks for your kind comments, Robert! I'm glad you found my channel and enjoy the install and Time Lapse videos. I'm glad I have inspired you to maybe build your own someday 😊. Thanks for being here and watching! -Chris
Adding solar opens up a lot of fun options. You’ll be getting a larger solar battery (hot water tank) to store it up for “free” for sure, but your system is perfectly setup and ready for it!
I agree azpcox! I can't wait to get them installed and start switching some things over! It should be an easy transition! Stay tuned! Thanks for watching!
Years ago we installed a Veismann solar evac tube solar system on a roof for a commercial customer and all I can say is wow that thing produces some hot water, we produced way more than ever needed to the point where we had to dump it after the 2 200 gallon holding tanks were full, we wished that we ran it to pipes under the neighboring driveway to use for snow melt so we could put the excess to use.
The system install is just beautiful. Orderly. Efficient. A plow will cost us (in Henrietta by Rochester) $45 a visit! A plow truck, or subcompact tractor would cost $20k to $30k new or $10k used, and another $800/year to operate and maintain. $10k not counting your labor is a steal and saves a heart attack from that buffalo snow. Hell, this year alone! Lol, how many huge lake effect or lake enhanced snowfalls this year alone? Four? The storm this week was big but hardly a surprise. This investment pays for itself for sure. Better labor saving than most!
As a fellow Buffalonian (technically Hamburg), this was a great explanation. Especially since WNY is very behind on modern technology like this system. Also, as the ownercof a concrete and excavation company, I would imagine this helps the concrete last longer being that it keeps it from freezing with all the moisture of melted snow, therefore eliminating the possibility of surface damage from freezing and expanding. Definitely worth the cost to look out the window watch it melt, also to avoid the risk of ice and slipping. Great tutorial video 👍
Thanks Jessie!! I agree about the concrete! Once huge thing I've noticed is that there has been NO frost heaving, the old slab heaved like crazy in the winter, to the point where it became sloped towards the house. This one hasn't moved an inch. I attribute the to the 2" foam board underneath and the occasional heating. With both of those things, the ground under the driveway just doesn't have a chance to freeze deep enough to heave. Thanks again for your kind words, and I agree with you on every point! Thanks for watching!
Christopher J Decker absolutely. My parents live in the Town of Tonawanda and my dad is actually binge watching your videos as we speak because I am replacing their driveway spring 2023 and he is very interested in this system as he is disabled and snow blowing isn't the best for his condition. Also a small world. I know every one of the guys that poured your driveway. Mark and Brian work great together and the entire crew is a well oil machine.
10k is actually much less than I had thought seeing the system. It's quite the impressive system to design and build mostly DIY. I honestly don't even know how I got here, I live in the south, barely seen snow in my life, but it's very cool to see
Thanks for your compliments! If you want to see more, you will find more melting videos here: ua-cam.com/play/PLdWeMRuZcbQjekwiBk_uy39IS6JFWYORD.html Thanks for watching!
Everything here just blows my mind. On a good day, I can tell the difference between a hammer and a screwdriver but my brain was not built for DIY stuff. My background is in English literature, especially Shakespeare. There is no crossover between analyzing "Hamlet" and heating a driveway.
Over ten thousand subscribers to a guy whose videos represent, imho, over $50K in an effort to keep snow and ice off his driveway. Not including the cost of operating the system. America, what a country! And yes, I do appreciate the engineering, expertise and professionalism which went into building it. Subscribed!
Hiya Chris! Now, seeing the previous videos where the system was showed, that fails in comparison to THIS video! It is a BEAST!!! So, you have a manual so you can get out safely and not getting lost ? Goodness it is absofreakinglutely massiiiiiiiiiive!!!!!! And thank you so much for going deeper down into the Hows, the What’s and the “this is how I get it to do it’s job!
Hi Dennis! It's actually not as big or complicated as it looks. As for a manual, I guess this channel is my manual?? 😂 I designed and built it all from scratch so I have a pretty good idea what's going on. I'm glad you enjoy the videos and channel. Lots more to come in the future! 😊 Thanks for watching!
We have solar on our house and it's been a blessing what it does is make your electric meter run in reverse. Not only that but for the last year our electric bill was something like $1xx we have had months were the bill was as low as $13
Hi William! That is exactly what I am looking forward to. We have 1:1 Net Metering here so the meter should run in reverse during the long sunny days of summer, and I can then use that stored power (Kwh) during the short cloudy (snowy) days of winter. I am not expecting my electric bill to be much ore than yours at $13. I'll post the actual results once its in operation so stay tuned for more 😊. Thanks for watching!
@@DeckerChristopherJ like I said some months others are varied (snow rain etc etc though beware it won't power your house in a total power outage)We found that out after Sandy -.-
Brilliant design of a real functional system with a moderate operating cost. $1/hour is actually a bargain compared to plowing contracts, 'salting', the damage over time of 'salting', slips, trips and falls and injuries from shoveling. I'm in upstate NY and can tell you that clearing a driveway is essential, and very annoying to try to do by hand. Great home improvement. You should write an operating manual to pass along to a new owner if/when you ever decide to sell your home.
Really love your system and attitude. Research and shopping around is the way to go to take on a project like this. Now, I would like to mimic this with my 650 foot driveway. That antifreeze is expensive and I have it in my home heating system tied to a boiler. End note is pex is awesome.
i do drainage, and with your question about water run off. id like to add the water is going their whether your melting it or the sun is, its going where it was going to on its own. nothing really changes
Electric radiant heat is pricey to run. I live in Downstate NY and have electric heated floors in my mud room and half bath (about 70-80sqft). It’s a 220v system and does work well but cost about $150-$200/ month to run if set to 72f when it’s 20f outside. The space is a porch converted to living space, walls and floor are well insulated but does have a lot of windows for full transparency.
![Mechanical Room Part 1: DIY Heated Driveway Snow Melt & Radiant Heat System - Episode 53 [2-12-2021]](/img/n.gif)
Being In the trade, I can pretty much guarantee your installation is far and above what almost any professional would do. Well done sir! Enjoyed the video
Thanks for being a supporter form the beginning! 😊
It’s a good install. I’ve done plenty of these in commercial and residential systems. I am used to the orange Wirsbo/Uponor non permeable membrane PEX A tubing.
@@RadDadisRad - Can it be installed inside new poured blacktop?
**THAT** is the big question. I see nothing but concrete driveways.
@@JamminClemmons it can, however it requires MANY more BTUs per square foot to heat due to the sand bed and general construction of an asphalt driveway. It’s entirely possible, but is usually beyond cost prohibitive.
@@trailheadmedia5578 Could you not put some sort of radiant barrier between the sand bed and the business part of the driveway? Or would that throw a wrench in the whole process?
Brilliantly explained, if you don’t live in an area that has winter snow. You will never appreciate how much back breaking shovel and snow blowing work has been eliminated. Thank you ☺️
Thanks X VSJ! I agree with you completely, those that have never done it have no idea how back breaking even snow blowing can be. One of the main reasons I built it was to save my lower back and because I didn't have anywhere to put the snow. Thanks for your kind comments, and thanks for watching! 😊
I had a heart attack 2 years ago and the only thing that the doctor has told me I cannot do is shovel snow, I found your videos yesterday and made the mistake of showing my wife 🙂 She wants this system at our house now, but I am still enjoying yelling she missed a spot while watching her shovel. I subscribed now and will watch all of your videos. Thoroughly impressed so far. Thank you
Just spend 10K on a mini tractor and blower, More fun and then have the fun of repairing it every year. or not
You could by a tractor cheaper than you could have this installed.
This is the pinnacle of UA-cam. Its enjoyable and educational watching a passionate person pursue their vision. You got yourself a new subscriber.... I am a remodel contractor in Colorado that specialized in mid-high end remodels. I agree with the other comments... the organization of your workflow is better than 90% of the sub contractors that I deal with on a regular basis.
Thanks Robert!! I appreciate your kind comments! 😊
Agree 100%… beats the heck of all the reality tv and link-bait on on many channels.
send me your info, debating doing some basement finishing, and possibly adding a supplemental hydronic in the basement/garage.
Anyone who says, "This is a mess, he doesn't know what he's doing!"...doesn't know what they're talking about. Those are some clean, tight runs, and those distribution manifolds are grade A. You are a DIY inspiration!
Look at those clean copper sweats
For 10 grand? That’s worth every penny. I tip my hat to you. I’m in nyc and don’t get anywhere near the amount of snow you get and I think it’s worth that here. Kudos to you
Thanks! Not everyone will agree, but I've been very happy with the investment so far. I had fun building it too so its a win-win. Thanks for watching!
What a hero to every DIY homeowner! Amazing project.
Thanks Matthew! 😊
What a fantastic install. I was a home builder for many years and had some amazing tradesman sub contract for me. You are as good as my plumbing and HVAC contractor if not better when it comes to the finished product. To get something to look this nice is a true art form. The functionality of your system is terrific. I also own a very large commercial building with 1200 SF of sidewalk in a downtown with lots of foot traffic. I installed a similar system for the sidewalk but my glycol loop has an added benefit of solar thermal heating of the glycol with a natural gas boiler backup. My system turns on automatically thanks to temperature and moisture sensors located on the roof of the building. If it gets cold enough and the moisture percentage in the air is high enough the system turns on. It was one of the best investments I ever made at the building. I never have to shovel snow or throw salt down ever again. That alone, is worth every penny I spent. Also, I receive a substantial discount on liability insurance from my carrier because of the snow melt system. Zero chance of slip and fall lawsuits!! Again, congratulations on your install. You should be very proud.
Thanks for your kind comments mjg! I did install the Tekmar socket for the fully automated controls, and ran the conduit into the utility room before the pour. I just haven't been able to bring myself to spend $1,200 in the controls when the manual method has been working well. Maybe someday (and I'll do a video on it 😀). For now, thanks for leaving such a nice comment and thanks for watching. I appreciate it!
The entire system is so impressive! I would probably set up a chair so I could have my morning coffee with my creation.
Chris ! You explain things perfectly ! I think It was a Great Investment 👍
You did a fantastic Job !
P.S. You would have Never found a contractor to do as good a job as you did.
As a Carpenter for over 30 years. The trade industry is suffering from a lack of skilled and honest workers.
Looking forward to your next projects !
Thanks Doug!! 😊
I am seriously impressed by your workmanship! I never would have guessed that that wasn't done by a very competent professional! Very well done!
Thanks Doug! You may like the rest of my channel where I show how I actually built it too. You can find it here: ua-cam.com/play/PLdWeMRuZcbQjekwiBk_uy39IS6JFWYORD.html Thanks for watching!
I am a steamfitter/welder and we do snowmelt and other hydronic systems on a much bigger scale but it's pretty cool to see a diy system in your house. Excellent craftsmanship brother looks great!
Thanks Caleb! I appreciate that coming form a professional like yourself! Thanks for watching!
The other thing about hiring a service to plow your driveway is that they can't be everywhere at once. They will have a list of clients they have to get to after every snowfall -- and your house might be scheduled early in the day, or it might be late in the day. If you have to leave for work before then, you're either going to compress part of the snow down into two tracks of ice on your path out of the driveway, or you're going to have to get out the shovel and snowblower to do part of the driveway yourself before you leave.
That was part of the reason I decided to move to a condo a number of years ago, because I just couldn't keep up with the snow removal as I got older, and I couldn't count on my snow removal service to be there on time most days because I leave for work early. It also means I no longer have to deal with mowing the lawn or hiring a lawn service, raking leaves, cleaning out gutters, etc. It was nice owning a single family home when my kid was growing up, but there is a lot of physical labor involved.
Many thanks to you for all the hard work you have shared. We are much the same. Builders, fixers and problem solvers. I can 100% appreciate your entire journey to get this system installed and purring. Your journey has been inspirational and I look to use your exoerience as I build my own system.. There will always be naysayers. Those who lack the faith in themselves and therefore try to badmouth or minimize your accomplishment. Small minds are everywhere. That is their problem. Not your problem! Thanks for sharing. Great Job!
Very clear, articulate and passionate......well done!
Thank you, SeanEvans! 😊
It's good to see another geek doing stuff like this, and the fact that you're making content to share your experience is incredible. This is one of those projects that I know I'm going to end up doing eventually and you've definitely provided some great information. Subscribed.
Thanks Ian, I really appreciate your comment and thanks for the subscription. Hopefully you find my videos helpful for your project and if you ever have any questions just ask! Thanks again for watching!
Your setup looks overwhelming in my eyes because things I don t know about heating a driveway. Awesome idea for a snow belt area, thanks for sharing . Bruce in Angola NY
H Bruce! It looks worse than it is, primarily because it's so much crammed into a small area. If I had more space to spread it out, it would make more sense. I do have several layout videos on my Chanel if you want to learn more: ua-cam.com/play/PLdWeMRuZcbQjekwiBk_uy39IS6JFWYORD.html I think you'll find its not as bad as you think, just follow the flow of the heat and water / glycol! Thanks for watching!
Thanks! you answered my number 1 question, cost to in stall. Also it looks fantastic, I love how neatly routed everything is and well organized. great job man, it is far more complicated than I imagined, and being hydro rather than electrical blew my mind.
Hey Mikej1592! You're welcome, thank you for your compliments! It wasn't easy to fit everything in such a small space, but I enjoyed taking my time and figuring it out while keeping it looking neat. To me, it's amazing how many people in the comments think this system is electric. At least where I am, that would be much more expensive to operate than natural gas. Once I add the Solar Panels I could see going with an electric system, but even then I would have to crunch the numbers to see if it would be worth it. Thanks again for watching and your kind words!
You sir are amazing. I love the analogy of playing golf or driving expensive cars. This is a piece of art not just a mechanical masterpiece.
Thanks for your kind comments John! I appreciate having you as a subscriber!
I install my own radiant floor system in my 3400sf house renovation. Parts was about $10k-13k. I also used Takagi (9.99k btu) tankless under 10K btu, which means no special boiler permit in my area. I used 1 inch pex as the interconnects. The Ryobi crimp ring crimper from Homedepot saved alot of time. Started using manual copper ring crimper, but changed to the stainless rings using a powertool. The tool is under $100, best tool I've bought.
That system is brilliant and amazing! Well done. Excellent job. Amazing how clean it looks. You not being in a trade is just incredible. Good for you, I'm glad you enjoyed building it. What a great project 👏 👌 👍
Thanks Michael!
I always figured a heated driveway was a bad idea because it would be hundreds of dollars in extra utilities, but then I realized that I’m paying $1000 a season to the plow guy…..
Great video. Thank you for taking the time to explain everything.
You're welcome, Will. Thank YOU for taking the time to watch it and provide me feedback! 😊
This just got SOOO much more interesting and impressive when I realized you planned, researched, engineered & DIY'd!! From a 60 yr old homeowner in Fla, LOL.
😊
I just want to say thank you for the whole experience. The videos you have provided have inspired me to do a hydronic system of my own. I am planning to expand my system this summer. I poured a 8' x 20' porch with pex in the concrete this year, with tubes sticking out for a sidewalk in the spring. I will share pics when it is done. It is not as well done as yours, but I do thank you for the direction. Please keep up the videos! Amazing job by the way. I can't wait to see the solar project.
You're welcome, David! I'm glad my videos and project inspired you with your setup and helped you with the install this past summer / fall. I can't wait to see the results! Please keep me informed! You have my e-mail address! 😉 -Chris
Chris, I am super impressed with your system! Especially when you said you had no previous experience. Rich Trethewy would be proud!
This has been amazing to watch. I live in Texas so it isn't necessary here. On the rare occasion it snows like that here we just pop open a beer and wait a few hours watching TV and we're good.
I have to say I did something very similar when I bought my first house, there was some old galvanized steel pipes in the house and I did the research and replaced the entire plumbing in the house with pex, added a water softener, purifier, and a tankless water heater for hot water. I did all the work but run the new gas lines. I was fine with water leaking and fixing that but gas scared me a little and i left that to a pro.
I wish more people would be curious and take a leap of faith to try to do something new. I am a research chemist and was just confident me and my best friend who is a computer science guy as well could figure it out.
Considering how nice and neat the Pex tubing is arranged, I imagine your datacenter computer racks have similarly neat cables.
Thanks for the compliments, Stephen! I do tend to keep thing organized and neat! Wait until the Solar panels are installed this spring 😉. Thanks for watching!
I am from northern New Jersey and I believe that what you did is awesome. We get big snow at times, but not as much as you do for sure. I need to redo my driveway soon, so I may look into what you did. I am not getting any younger and I would love to flip a switch, then watch all the young whipper-snappers shovel chest deep snow as I drink hot coffee from inside the house. Best part is you did it all yourself....Good Job Sir!!
Thank you fordtrknut, really appreciate you taking the time to watch and leave this comment. The reason I started this channel was to show others what I had accomplished, and maybe inspire someone else like yourself! 😊 I’m starting an Amazon store with all of the parts I used here: www.amazon.com/shop/chrisdecker and I’m looking into maybe opening an Etsy store with more in depth material lists and possibly offering consulting sessions, we’ll see. If I can answer any questions for you, just ask. Thanks for watching!
You have some serious skills! I'm one of your new subscribers, not sure how it came up in my feed but I really enjoy your channel.
I'm contemplating adding a radiant loop in my living room floor (ever since we took out the carpeting the room is cooler). I noticed that we have stubs in our main hot water trunk line for a radiator that was removed before we bought the house 30 years ago (We live in a 100 year old Tonawanda house). I think the circulating temp might be too high for radiant but I'd hate to lose the opportunity. Maybe I'll just add another radiator.
Thanks John! I'm glad the UA-cam algorithm lead you to my channel, and I'm honored to have you as a subscriber. Thank you for that! I did staple-up radiant under a good part of my 100 year old house and it works great. If you have radiator temperature water (180ºF) you could always use a mixing valve to temper it down to the 120º you would probably want for the radiant. Just be careful that the colder returns don't condense the boiler. Maybe you could wire it so that it only ran when another zone was calling? I don't have experience with this, just throwing out ideas, but I would think if you talked to a pro it could be done! Thanks for subscribing to my channel and watching my videos!
Just discovered your channel. Beautiful installation! I'm in Chicago and my "free" snow shovel labor grew up and moved out. I keep thinking of doing this. You've given me new inspiration.
It occurred to me that whether you use an electric pump to move antifreeze, a gas powered snow blower or other machinery, or your good old back and a shovel, it takes energy to remove snow. The beauty of this system is it takes none of your time outside of turning it on. Very cool!
The thought you don’t get your finger stuck in the snowblower is priceless
That is definitely an added benefit of this system, Ed! Thanks for watching!
I think you did a masterful job with the install and design, your explanation was so informative. I lived in upstate NY for several years off Lake Ontario, it was brilliant of you to do this install. I’m sure your neighbors are envious to no end I know I am. And yes I agree with a statement you made in a previous video, the people in your area of the country are amazing and help each other every chance they can.
I have a very similar complex project coming up this weekend when I change our furnace air filter. I'm hoping for results like yours!
😂😂
Me too! But my project will be twice as complex as I have two furnaces. Hope I can manage it.
I live in Maine, we get a lot of snow, had over 3ft built up at one point this year. If we had a 24hr snow, it’d cost me ~$24-$30 to clear my driveway versus the $35 for a plow service that I have to wait on someone else to get the time to do my driveway. If I’ve got work at 7am the next morning, I’m struggling to get out of my driveway until the plow service comes at 10 or 11 depending on the storm and number of other driveways before they can get to mine.
I’m definitely installing one of these. Great videos, well done, thank you.
Any one that researches, crunches the numbers and is willing to do what it takes. Its called a sense of acompiishment. including fixed expenses... bravo well done. Ps. I was quoted 90 k about a decade ago. 10 cars capacity...
Also in the trade and have done many snowmelt systems from design to finish, you sir have done a beautiful job, and wish there were more people like yourself in the trade to be considered professionals! One thing I will suggest is to have the heat exchangers checked as under high load the pvc venting mixed with gas vapors can break down and cause damaging deposits trough the condensate run back, PVC is no longer legal by us. And second, check the pH and corrosion levels with the cryotek, we’ve switched away because we’ve had many systems turn sour. It’s expensive but try the Fernox Alphi II
Thanks for the compliments and suggestions!! I will look into everything you’ve mentioned. Really appreciate you watching my videos and taking the time to lend advice. I’m truly humbled. Thanks again for watching!
Very nice presentation, thanks for taking the time to share all the particulars in a very interesting and comprehensive way.
I am not sure how your video got into my feed, but it is very interesting. I work at a Mechanical HVAC Contractor in Michigan (in the office, not field, lol) and we do some commercial snowmelt. Stunning piping job! It is amazing that someone who is not in the Trades took on this project by yourself. Great job and I look forward to checking out some of your other videos.
Thank you for doing this thorough explanation very well spoken. Cheers!
Thanks for your feedback, Eric! Glad you're here!
From Dunkirk NY here, I was an HVAC designer/ installer and put my own system in my home with a firewood fired boiler that I got for free from someone in Buffalo. Thought about hot water ice melting the first 15 feet of driveway due to plows always filling it up and also running pipes under steps and stairwells for safety but never did. I found out the best way to save a bunch of money on snow and cold is by moving down South. We moved down to Charlotte NC 15 years ago and never looked back. We pay less with a heat pump to heat our whole home ( maybe 50 cents a hour ) than you do for your driveway per hour. Stay warm my NY friend. ( By the way I love your build, put in many hydronic systems in my working years and yours looks like a fun build )
As a fellow IT Engineer I can relate to your love of building things around the house.
Chris, im new to your channel ,and it comes at good time. We have not had a nice driveway since we built 18 years ago. We have class a 5 gravel driveway.
Always wanted concrete with a heated driveway, but installation and operating cost back then was in outer space!!
Im having knees replacement, and it's time to re-visit this option.
Im going to take the time to go over your videos.
Our basement is still unfinished.
$10,000 IS NOT a LOT OF MONEY COMPARED IF YOU HIRED SOMEONE, AS YOU SAID.
I GOT A $80,000 BID 18 YEARS AGO, PRICE INCLUDING THE DRIVEWAY.
Thank you for sharing your journey!!
Really appreciate you taking the time to break it all down and adding chapters to the video. New subscriber and damn gad I found you. Recently relocated to Orlando Florida and I'm thinking about installing one of these. There was a dusting here back in 1977 so to say I'm "concerned" would be an understatement.
😂😂 Thanks for watching!
That installation is a work of art. You’re an artist! I totally get it. And I love the videos!
Thanks Rick! 😊
Man your videos are awesome I want to do the same thing. I don’t need a heated driveway I live in California. But for my floors in my house I’ll work great.
Thank you so much. Looks fun too ..
I love how he starts with the truth. I hate long videos he started with it doesn’t cost all your electricity, I didn’t cared to pay whatever but now you have my attention I really have to wait until winter to try to be you 🥰
Simply brilliant design and explanation. The only thing I would recommend adding is "permits" if required in your area for the tankless water-heaters. IMPRESSIVE....also loved the time-lapse video.
Great suggestion, thanks! I'm sure you've found the rest of my channel by now, but I have several more time lapse videos there if interested. You can find it here: ua-cam.com/play/PLdWeMRuZcbQjekwiBk_uy39IS6JFWYORD.html Thanks for watching!
Awesome work, the quality and attention to detail is mind-blowing. Next level DIY stuff for sure. Thanks for taking the time to document it all. I agree with the other commenters in that I doubt any contractor would've come up with that layout.
How this man does not have at least 100K subscribers is beyond me. You are awesome.
This mechanical room is a work of art
Thanks Nick! You can see lots more of it here if you're interested: ua-cam.com/play/PLdWeMRuZcbQjekwiBk_uy39IS6JFWYORD.html including how I built it. Thanks for your kind comment and thanks for watching!
This thing is so cool I am tempted to build one myself... and I live in Florida! :)
3:10 Have you thought about a thermal hydronic solar panel (I use the evacuated tube type) instead of PV to heat the water? They are upto 70% efficient whereas PV is 20% at best.
One thermal panel could generate as much heat as 3 PV panels.
Nice setup by the way.
I have lived in the Phoenix area my entire life. I've never shoveled one shovel of snow ever. Even coming from my geograpic background, I find this project and you genius and completely understand why you did it! I do have one question: What about code compliance and did any of your system have to pass local permit requirements?
Beautifully done sir. Very efficient and well thought out. One suggestion to squeeze out a bit more efficiency- Insulate all of your copper in the control room. Every little bit helps.
Thanks for the compliments and suggestion Randy! I actually have most of the insulation, I just never installed it! Maybe I need to move that up on the priority list! Thanks for watching!
Just watched this video, I've previously seen another of your videos of your heated driveway working.
Amazing, I doubt I'll ever need one, but interesting all the same.
Can't quite believe some of the speculative questions you've had to field. Awesome work a great feat of engineering. 👍
Thanks for watching and commenting, David!!
Awesome Video! Love the fact that you did it yourself! Hats off.. I'm in the process of building my house and my plumber suggested not to use a separate boiler for the snow melt and use a heat exchanger instead and feed off of Lochinvar 285K boiler... I was a bit skeptical since most plumbers immediately tell you that you need a separate boiler for snow melt otherwise it's no good, I'm glad I found your video, I do trust the plumber I went with and looking forward to seeing the system in play. Thanks!
You are a cool dude. So honest and real, and a reasonable truth! Thank you for this video
Thanks Blake!! I really appreciate your kind comment! Thank you for taking the time to watch!! 😊
Awesome job especially for never doing plumbing before , 10k is a lot less than what a contractor woulda charged you ! You did an excellent job I’m a fan
Thanks!! If you like this, I have several more projects coming so hopefully you’ll stick around! Thanks for your kind comments and thanks for watching!!
I love this channel and am so glad I found it. I am a big fan of science and especially atmospheric science. Regards from Ruthless Reviews.
I'm glad you like it and I'm glad you found it too! I get alot of haters so it's nice to get folks who appreciate and enjoy my content. Thanks for being here!
Well, as a meteorologist, it is technically never too cold to snow. What it is, is less likely to snow the colder it gets. The reason is that colder air has less capability to hold moisture than warmer air. Air cools, then condenses. So, the colder it has gotten, the more condensation has already taken place.
Exactly! Great Explination! In my most recent video during the Blizzard, it was 4ºF at 3 AM and still snowing, so it's definitely possible, just doesn't happen the often. 😊 I'm kind of honored that a meteorologist likes my channel and videos! Thanks for your comment!
Hi Chris glad to find another Buffalo native on the Tube.
Merry Christmas & Go Bills!!!
Hi Vincent!! I love seeing comments from Buffalo folks! I actually added the score from the Dolphins game to my most recent video from Saturday night here: ua-cam.com/video/LGFSJZJ1sJ8/v-deo.html 😂. Hopefully you enjoy my content and will subscribe for more 😊 Thanks again for watching, Go Bills, and Merry Christmas!
Thank you so much for going through all those details and faqs. As a fellow northeast resident a heated driveway sounds awesome. Between shoveling and the cost of plowing ($75 a pop these days) this system would pay for itself very quickly. Thanks again for sharing all the steps along the way for others to learn.
You're welcome, Diana. Thank you for taking the time to leave such a nice comment, and thank for watching my videos! 😊
I'm off-grid in AZ. Looking to get a place back home in WNY and would love to see what you do with the solar. Folks got to figure how much it costs them clear their driveway over the amount of time this project costs. Nice job.
Thanks David! I will definitely be documenting the solar project here on the channel, so stay tuned. I'm being told it will be in March / April. Thanks for watching!
10K for materials? That's amazing Chris! Plus that, your labor, and the concrete are ALL TAX DEDUCTIBLE capital improvements for the cost basis of your house when you sell. Very much looking forward to going through your library and the upcoming solar project
U have a new fan from W Seneca. Genius enginuity.
Hey David! Always happy to see comments from fellow WNY folks! Thanks for your compliments, and thanks for watching! 😊
I have to put a new driveway in and this is on my radar now. Thanks for the videos I plan on watching them.
You're welcome, Ryan! I'm glad you found my channel and enjoy the videos. I'm glad I have inspired you to maybe build your own someday 😊. Thanks for being here and watching! -Chris
The beauty of it is, you need it in the winter, when you don't need the power for your a/c.
As someone in the hvac trade you did better work then I see professionals do. Was curious if if the summer months, you could use your driveway loop as a domestic water preheater. If all your doing is running a circ to an aqua stat I’m sure it’s cheaper to run the pump then gas or electric. I’m sure you’re not even worried once you go solar though.
Hi Superdutyjeep! Thanks for your compliments! It’s funny you mention trying to pull the heat from the driveway in the summer, I actually attempted that here: ua-cam.com/video/q44LovimJsI/v-deo.html Unfortunately, I couldn’t get it hot enough to no longer need the tankless. I have more testing to do! Thanks for watching!!
I just saw our NY projected winter snow forcast. You're going to be glat you did it. Also if I can recommend doing your bathroom floor. You'll thank me later.
Now I wish I would have found you before putting my driveway in this summer. ugghh Back to shoveling.
I have been in construction since 1984, with about 3 years of that being a plumber (residential, new construction). Your materials cost is right in the ballpark of what I was estimating. And when you told me about the quotes you got for an installed system, they were even higher than I was guessing.
And yes, your organization in the basement is above and beyond. You have done very well. Not only is it functional, but it is aesthetically pleasing to look at, too.
Overall, 10/10 I would totally hire you if I were planning to have a similar system installed.
Thanks for the compliments CacheRAM! I too was surprised when I received the quotes for this, which is what led me to DIY it. Int he end I'm really happy that I did. I know every intricate detail of this system because I designed it. If something leaks, breaks or fails, I know exactly how to fix it because I built it! So far I've been very happy with its performance. Thanks again for taking the time to leave such a nice compliment, and thanks for watching!
Did the quotes of the 40k-70k include the concrete driveway? Or were those prices just for the heated driveway portion?@@DeckerChristopherJ
Very Impressive, always fun to design and build your own projects... When we retire and build our house it will have a snow melt system (Northern MI) I want to do a outdoor wood boiler with propane as backup (so we can go on vacation) heat the house, pole barn, and driveway. As others have said your workmanship is amazing.
Thanks! I had alot of fun designing and building this. I think an outdoor boiler would work great if you tempered the supply to the slab down. Thanks for your compliments, I appreciate it. Thank you for watching!
Great video, I really appreciate your openness and willingness to break it all down, most would not.
Thanks M Barker, I appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment and provide feedback! I enjoy sharing my progress with others, and I am by no means a professional or perfect, so I make plenty of mistakes. I believe the important thing is that I (we) all learn from them moving forward! Thanks again for being here, I'm glad to have someone like yourself watching my videos!
@Christopher J Decker it makes me want to go out and build something like this, although in Tennessee it's not really needed. 🤣
I loved- i do have at home 🏡 for the all entire concrete areas including side wall and driveway- for the past 11 years- i only do a cafe con leche every snow seeing people going crazy clean up -
I prefer spend $20 for example and not $20 in copayment at the doctor for my back - Good video -
You and me both my friend! I've had lower back issues on/off my entire life. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!!
That’s a huge driveway! Lake effect snow, in Buffalo temps makes every bit of the work worth every penny…and even if the electricity cost $$ you’d be offsetting your time or if you hired a professional to plow.
I completely agree! 😊 For me it was a fun project to build in my free time, and I enjoyed doing it. Now we'll have it available to use for years to come. If we don't want to use it, we don't have to, but it is nice to have the option. One of my biggest problems was having no place to put all of the snow, and this eliminates that issue completely. Thanks for taking the time to comment and for watching, I appreciate it!
Really interesting, I have a slight hill driveway....the town has me moving snowbank more than two feet out into street because the road is wide where I live... still 10k is not too bad if you're able to save money for a few years
This is awesome! Thanks for the videos! I just got a new driveway 2 years ago and wish I had done some driveway heater of some sort. Ive had solar for going on 2 yrs and its great. It doesn’t produce as much as I had hoped but still worth it to me.
Just found your site and watched the Timelapse install, and this excellent explanation to your FAQs. Well done, great channel and some fantastic well explained videos! This is now on my bucket list of things I’d like to do 😉
Thanks for your kind comments, Robert! I'm glad you found my channel and enjoy the install and Time Lapse videos. I'm glad I have inspired you to maybe build your own someday 😊. Thanks for being here and watching! -Chris
Adding solar opens up a lot of fun options. You’ll be getting a larger solar battery (hot water tank) to store it up for “free” for sure, but your system is perfectly setup and ready for it!
I agree azpcox! I can't wait to get them installed and start switching some things over! It should be an easy transition! Stay tuned! Thanks for watching!
Years ago we installed a Veismann solar evac tube solar system on a roof for a commercial customer and all I can say is wow that thing produces some hot water, we produced way more than ever needed to the point where we had to dump it after the 2 200 gallon holding tanks were full, we wished that we ran it to pipes under the neighboring driveway to use for snow melt so we could put the excess to use.
My geo thermal uses water alchohol mix pretty nontoxic it evaps pretty quick if it leaks and pretty cheap...
The system install is just beautiful. Orderly. Efficient. A plow will cost us (in Henrietta by Rochester) $45 a visit! A plow truck, or subcompact tractor would cost $20k to $30k new or $10k used, and another $800/year to operate and maintain. $10k not counting your labor is a steal and saves a heart attack from that buffalo snow. Hell, this year alone! Lol, how many huge lake effect or lake enhanced snowfalls this year alone? Four? The storm this week was big but hardly a surprise. This investment pays for itself for sure. Better labor saving than most!
As a fellow Buffalonian (technically Hamburg), this was a great explanation. Especially since WNY is very behind on modern technology like this system. Also, as the ownercof a concrete and excavation company, I would imagine this helps the concrete last longer being that it keeps it from freezing with all the moisture of melted snow, therefore eliminating the possibility of surface damage from freezing and expanding. Definitely worth the cost to look out the window watch it melt, also to avoid the risk of ice and slipping. Great tutorial video 👍
Thanks Jessie!! I agree about the concrete! Once huge thing I've noticed is that there has been NO frost heaving, the old slab heaved like crazy in the winter, to the point where it became sloped towards the house. This one hasn't moved an inch. I attribute the to the 2" foam board underneath and the occasional heating. With both of those things, the ground under the driveway just doesn't have a chance to freeze deep enough to heave. Thanks again for your kind words, and I agree with you on every point! Thanks for watching!
Christopher J Decker absolutely. My parents live in the Town of Tonawanda and my dad is actually binge watching your videos as we speak because I am replacing their driveway spring 2023 and he is very interested in this system as he is disabled and snow blowing isn't the best for his condition. Also a small world. I know every one of the guys that poured your driveway. Mark and Brian work great together and the entire crew is a well oil machine.
10K is cheap. there is 60k plus of work in the mechanical room. the fact that you have never soldered before is incredible. i love your channel.
10k is actually much less than I had thought seeing the system. It's quite the impressive system to design and build mostly DIY. I honestly don't even know how I got here, I live in the south, barely seen snow in my life, but it's very cool to see
Thanks for your compliments! If you want to see more, you will find more melting videos here: ua-cam.com/play/PLdWeMRuZcbQjekwiBk_uy39IS6JFWYORD.html Thanks for watching!
Everything here just blows my mind. On a good day, I can tell the difference between a hammer and a screwdriver but my brain was not built for DIY stuff. My background is in English literature, especially Shakespeare. There is no crossover between analyzing "Hamlet" and heating a driveway.
This would make a lot of sense for new builds in the area.
Your work is stellar! Your dress, fit, and finish is top shelf.
Thanks Paul, I really appreciate that! 😊
Over ten thousand subscribers to a guy whose videos represent, imho, over $50K in an effort to keep snow and ice off his driveway. Not including the cost of operating the system. America, what a country! And yes, I do appreciate the engineering, expertise and professionalism which went into building it. Subscribed!
Hiya Chris!
Now, seeing the previous videos where the system was showed, that fails in comparison to THIS video! It is a BEAST!!!
So, you have a manual so you can get out safely and not getting lost ?
Goodness it is absofreakinglutely massiiiiiiiiiive!!!!!!
And thank you so much for going deeper down into the Hows, the What’s and the “this is how I get it to do it’s job!
Hi Dennis! It's actually not as big or complicated as it looks. As for a manual, I guess this channel is my manual?? 😂 I designed and built it all from scratch so I have a pretty good idea what's going on. I'm glad you enjoy the videos and channel. Lots more to come in the future! 😊 Thanks for watching!
@@DeckerChristopherJ well you’re used to look at it, but for me seeing it as it is, is looks very big 🤣🤣
YT manual - hahahaha
😊
Wow that's crazy that you did so much of this yourself! Very inspiring!
Great job!
Thanks Andy! 😊
We have solar on our house and it's been a blessing what it does is make your electric meter run in reverse. Not only that but for the last year our electric bill was something like $1xx we have had months were the bill was as low as $13
Hi William! That is exactly what I am looking forward to. We have 1:1 Net Metering here so the meter should run in reverse during the long sunny days of summer, and I can then use that stored power (Kwh) during the short cloudy (snowy) days of winter. I am not expecting my electric bill to be much ore than yours at $13. I'll post the actual results once its in operation so stay tuned for more 😊. Thanks for watching!
@@DeckerChristopherJ like I said some months others are varied (snow rain etc etc though beware it won't power your house in a total power outage)We found that out after Sandy -.-
amazing video. thank you so much for sharing.
Brilliant design of a real functional system with a moderate operating cost. $1/hour is actually a bargain compared to plowing contracts, 'salting', the damage over time of 'salting', slips, trips and falls and injuries from shoveling. I'm in upstate NY and can tell you that clearing a driveway is essential, and very annoying to try to do by hand. Great home improvement. You should write an operating manual to pass along to a new owner if/when you ever decide to sell your home.
Really love your system and attitude. Research and shopping around is the way to go to take on a project like this. Now, I would like to mimic this with my 650 foot driveway. That antifreeze is expensive and I have it in my home heating system tied to a boiler. End note is pex is awesome.
Thanks! 😊
i do drainage, and with your question about water run off. id like to add the water is going their whether your melting it or the sun is, its going where it was going to on its own. nothing really changes
Electric radiant heat is pricey to run. I live in Downstate NY and have electric heated floors in my mud room and half bath (about 70-80sqft). It’s a 220v system and does work well but cost about $150-$200/ month to run if set to 72f when it’s 20f outside. The space is a porch converted to living space, walls and floor are well insulated but does have a lot of windows for full transparency.