Insulation for snow melt

Ray Huber

I'm getting ready to do my first snow melt system and the owner had some questions that I can't answer. What is the best insulation to use for a snow melt system and are there concerns that the concrete will slide on the insulation on a steep grade?

Dof3

We don't put insulation down we just use 1' of sand under the concrete. The sand acts as a heat sink and holds the temp.

Boilergeek

no insulation. It does not make much differance, most of the losses are through the edge. The slab will respond faster with insulation, it will also cool down faster.
When it snows it is generally arround 30 degrees, at that temp the earth has energy to give up. High water collum may be the only situation to insulate. Cracks in the drive are also more common with slabs with insulation