For those of you who have elderly family members, you know the worry you experience when the snows hit. The mere thought of your elderly parent going out to shovel can make you nervous and apprehensive. According to a professor at McGill University, Montreal, the frigid, snowy cold winters “drastically increase their risk” of falling. Knowing this, it’s crucial that we tend to our elderly friends and relatives during this time. One of the best ways to ensure their well-being and decrease the risk of falls, heart attacks, strokes and fractures, is the installation of outdoor radiant heating. At East Coast Landscape and Design, our professionals are here to guide you, when it comes to answering any questions you may have regarding heated walkways and driveways for your Silver Spring, MD home or business.
Outdoor Radiant Heating Reduces Winter Risks
Since the study found that approximately 50 percent of all falls for elderly people occur outdoors, it only stands to reason that installing outdoor radiant heating system will reduce this risk. What is outdoor radiant heating? It’s snow melt technology which works to create a warm surface on your pavement, which in turn, melts all sleet, snow and ice the second it comes into contact with your walkway or driveway. This translates to no more accumulation in the area where you’ve installed the heating system.
This snow melt technology not only makes certain that you and yours experienced a reduced risk of trips and falls over the ice, but it also helps to keep the integrity of your pavement intact. Rock salt and other deicers can corrode your concrete surfaces, and while new asphalt is not as affected, any old, worn and cracked asphalt is. For those of you who have invested heavily in decorative concrete surfaces, deicers along with scrapers, shovels and snow blowers, can absolutely ruin any patterns, resulting in unsightly nicks and chips. However, with snow melt technology this risk is non-existent.
Not Just for Driveways
Outdoor radiant heating is not just for residential driveways anymore. Today, many commercial properties employ outdoor radiant heating to keep their delivery areas and walkways from from freezing rain, ice and snow. Not only that, but you’ll also see snow melt technology being used under patios and decks in order to facilitate those wintry night barbecues. Outdoor radiant heating is also handy for outdoor summer houses, around hot rubs and underneath concrete surfaces surrounding bird feeders to keep your feathered buddies warm as they nibble on cold days. Finally, for those of you with outdoor hot tubs who want to take a dip while enjoying the winter scene, then install outdoor radiant heating in the concrete surrounding your hot tub.
Once you’ve made up your mind to have outdoor radiant heating installed, you can then decide where to install it. For instance, you may have a large, long, expansive driveway, but in reality only use a small portion of it. With our outdoor heating solution, there’s no need to warm your entire driveway or walkway, just the square footage that you require for your use. This not only gives you the convenience and security of a clean and clear pavement area, but also cuts down on your installation costs. Our team of professional installers will help you decide the best way to install your heated driveway or walkway, for either your Silver Spring, MD home or commercial property. Indeed, we can assist homeowners, business owners, as well as clinics and assisted living centers on how to best implement this snow melt technology to their best advantage.
Why Not Stick With Old-Fashioned Methods?
Deicers such as rock salt and other chemical products are not only expensive and take up valuable garage space, but are hazardous to the health of your pets, the condition of your concrete and aged, cracked asphalt, as well as the environment. When the sodium chloride of rock salt comes in contact with your concrete, it begins to eat away at it. As previously mentioned, those of you who have invested in intricately stamped pattered concrete will not appreciate the damage and discoloration these deicers do. As for the environment, the runoff which occurs when the snow and ice melts, hits the local foliage as well as any nearby aquatic life.
Conclusion
As you can see, by having a heated driveway, walkway or patio installed on your Silver Spring, MD property, you’ll enjoy a trouble free winter, and save much money on temporary solutions, such as rock salt, shovels, and snow removal equipment rentals. The benefits of this technology are great, and it’s why we’re often called upon to assist in creating the best environment possible. As for customer satisfaction, know that we’ve been a proud member of both Best Pick Reports and Angie’s List for many years. Our licensed crew members are courteous, friendly and dedicated to giving you their best. If you have any further questions or concerns, please call us at 301-421-4141 and speak with one of our customer service staff members, and they’ll be more than happy to help.
