Snow Melt & Mecadum?

Tim Doran

I usually recommend putting the tubing in the base which usually is crushed limestone, crush refine, or sand. 2" to 3" will do the trick. Attach the tubing to 6"x6" welded wire mesh @ 6" on center. The conductivity of this assembly is not as good as an embeded concrete application but it will still perform well. We can work up the calculations for you. Give tech services a call on Monday or give me a call. My new office number is 631-537-5767.

Tim D.

Jamie_6

Has anyone done a snowmelt application with mecadum on top and if so how well does it perform?

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Rodney Summers

In view of the fact...

that the sun's rays get ashphalt warm enough to cook an egg...

And, in view of the fact that snow melts at 33°...

Of course you can!

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Carl PE

.

It works fine. Just be careful that you have the right tube design and details for asphalt. It's very different than a concrete system.

Also, you can use it as a solar collector in summer to heat your pool and dhw.

Rodney Summers

The Mighty Passaic River

They put down asphalt at close to 350 degrees.

You may have to play some games with "cold" process asphalts or deal with some concrete tube embedded mix, to keep it from turning into some form of vulcanized schmootz.

A material well known to us that live by The Mighty Passaic River!

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Robert O'Connor_12

schmootz..

We have only installed two jobs in asphalt, one was screw pipe 25 years ago and another about four years ago. I'd be real careful about turning the hoses into schmootz as well. We ran domestic water though it for a day and a half after the pour in fear of the schmootz factor. Ah! the "Mighty Passaic", every time we think about moving we just take a wiff (which usually destroys about a billon brain cells and gives temporary amnesia which works as well as Ralph Kramden's "Pins and Needles" routine, to which we forgot why we wanted to move in the first place). I'm sure there are others that have (and do) asphalt jobs this way but I'm convinced there must be a better way to protect it.

Robert O'Connor/NJ

Mad Dog_2

Isn't is spelled MACADAM?

I like to be correct. An IA and its a nut. Mad Dog

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Jamie_6

Mad Dog.

No it's with an ec not an ac. I actually checked before I posted.

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Mad Dog_2

Hmmm I guess in can be spelled both ways

I saw it spelled the other way in an old book the other day. Some things evolve over time. MD

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Rodney Summers

Down by The Mighty Passaic River,

we spell it:

"B L A C K T O P"

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Carl PE

.

John Loudon McAdam, the father of modern paving.

Old MacDonald

Pay the piper

John Loudon McAdam invented it.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/rakeman/1823.htm

The other Scottish invention is the MacIntosh raincoat.

hr

Check with

the radiant manufactures, I know they have all been involved in that tupe of an application.

I'm not sure blacktop, or whatever you chose to call it , is as good as a conductor as concrete. It doesn't have the "fines" in it to bind together the aggerate, seems a little more pourus (sp). You may need to fudge a typical concrete snowmelt design a bit due to this?

hot rod

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Weezbo

long time ago and far away steel pipe was spun in for snow melt

to me , installing it in some cement on foam with a couple inches of rough screed and cold water running thru it(the tubing) when the mecadam was placed would be a set of best practices...