What Are the Best Ways to Get Rid Of Snow on the Driveway
Having a driveway enhances your homeowner experience, but when heavy snowfall happens and covers your pavement with a big layer of snow or ice, life becomes inconvenient. Top of that, an icy driveway can be risky to walk over as it becomes slippery while driving down that ice rink is not easy.
That’s why we have come up with some best ways to get rid of snow on the driveway.
Perhaps the most common way to get rid of snow on the driveway is shoveling. However, it might not be ideal for someone with back pain. This snow removal method calls for time as well as physical ability. During a huge snowstorm, it might be necessary to shovel several times to clear your driveway.
The use of salt is also one of the cheap snow removal methods anyone can try. Although salt can melt ice or snow accumulation, it might not work for larger storms. Top of that, the frequent use of salt also comes with some drawbacks. Be careful with this method if you are a pet owner. This is because salt can harm your four-legged friend if ingested. These products can contain urea or magnesium chloride which can be harmful to your pets.
If you are looking to achieve efficiency and save on time while removing snow, you can consider a machine called a snow-blower. It can make a difference when using a shovel is not a practical method for heavy snow removal. A snow blower will clear your driveway within minutes, saving you a lot of time and hassles on snow removal. In fact, a small snowblower can remove up to 650 pounds of snow within a minute or two. Great, huh?
But snowblowers can cost you $2,000 plus maintenance costs. Moreover, they are driven by fuel or electricity which also adds to your cost.
That’s why money is the only concern that comes with this snow removal method.
Outdoor surface heating mats are not that popular. However, they can be used on any surface. They are placed before snowfall, plugged in, and left to do the job.
Snowfall can happen anytime, especially when we are not at home. Therefore, having a solution that needs application each time and manual activation is not functional. Moreover, the manual activation and lack of a temperature sensor can eat up a large part of your energy.
A heated driveway system is installing resilient tubing or rods under the driveway’s surface. In other words, it is a flooring heating system. They can melt upwards of 2 inches of snow per hour, keeping your driveway free of ice and snow all winter long.
But they can cost you $5,000-$10,000. Sure, the convenience of a heated driveway causes a significant cost. But it is worth the investment if nothing works to remove those huge layers of snow.
Professional Snow Removal Services:
Snow removal professionals are familiar with the problems and the ways to deal with them. Simply put, they know better how to remove snow than any DO IT YOURSELF person. The snow removal services generally include shoveling and snow blowing depending on your space. It can cost you $50-100 an hour.
So these are some best ways to get rid of snow on the driveway.
While sometimes challenging and unpleasant, it is for sure that snow removal has become a lot easier due to the availability of many methods. Whether you are at home or work, removing the snow is important for the safety and maintenance of your property. Make sure to plan for snow removal if you live in a city with extreme snowfall.
