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Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Overreacting?
Cut a thin trench (10mm wide) in the pavement every ten feet. Put a heating element in it. Run extension cord to power each one.
You don't need to melt the entire driveway, a pair of 1.5 - 2 ft wide strips from bottom to top should do it. How thermally conductive is concrete, and/or is there a special mix for concrete to make it more thermally conductive?
Rich has it right: each heater will draw 8.3 amps. On a continuous draw, you shouldn't exceed 80% of the breaker's rating, so you can (just) run 3 heaters on a 30 amp breaker, and need at least #10 wire.
You don't need to melt the entire driveway, a pair of 1.5 - 2 ft wide strips from bottom to top should do it. How thermally conductive is concrete, and/or is there a special mix for concrete to make it more thermally conductive?
ReplyDeleteI'm seriously thinking about running a length of heat tape down all my gutters. With all this snow buildup, I'm terrified of ice dams.
ReplyDeleteNot extension cord. Outdoor-grade conduit with 6-gauge or 4-gauge copper wire conductors. Because running that would take a lot of current.
ReplyDeleteRich has it right: each heater will draw 8.3 amps. On a continuous draw, you shouldn't exceed 80% of the breaker's rating, so you can (just) run 3 heaters on a 30 amp breaker, and need at least #10 wire.
ReplyDeleteThat referenced item is heating coil WIRE, not a complete, weather-proof heater. Wrong stuff for this application, sorry.
ReplyDelete