For many homeowners, the dream of never having to shovel snow or salt their driveways and walkways again has become a reality by building their own electric snow and Ice melting system with ThermoSoft. We’ve created this simple guide to help your dream of a stress-free winter come true as well.
When first planning a complete snow and ice melting system for your property, it helps to understand how the full system works and what each part does. The heating mats or cables are only one part of the project, but a complete system also needs power, a control method, sensors, correctly sized circuit breakers, and ground-fault equipment protection.
Here is a quick summary of each part of a typical complete system:
|
System part |
What it does |
|
Heating mats or cable |
Provide the electric heat that melts snow and ice |
|
Controller |
Turns the system on and off |
|
Sensor |
Enables automated operation based on temperature and moisture |
|
GFPE |
Provides required ground-fault equipment protection |
|
Power box/contactors |
Help manage larger or more complex electrical loads |
|
Circuit breakers |
Protect the electrical circuits and wiring from overload |
|
Dedicated electrical circuits |
Provide the power required to run the system |
-> PRO TIP: Setting up the electrical components of your system must be completed by a licensed electrician. As you begin planning your system, determine who will be doing the work, ensuring they are available during your scheduled timing for installation. ThermoSoft's team of US Based experts will be happy to assist both you and your electrician at any point during planning and installation.
This guide is designed to help you plan a typical single-zone residential system. A zone is one heated area that operates as a single system, such as a driveway or walkway. One zone may include multiple mats or cables and may require more than one electrical circuit. Projects with multiple independently controlled zones may require additional planning with ThermoSoft and a licensed electrician.
Step 1: Decide What Area You Want to Keep Clear and Measure
ThermoSoft’s snow and ice melting cables and mats allow you to customize a solution for virtually any size space. Common snow melting areas include:
- Full driveway - Helps keep the main vehicle area clear and garages free from snow and dirt
- Tire tracks - An economical option that uses less material and power than heating the full driveway
- Walkway - Helps keep the path to your home entrance safer and easier to access
- Ramp - Helps maintain access where slipping is a major concern
- Steps or landings - Helps address high-risk transition areas
- Mixed areas - Combines driveway, walkway, ramp, or landing sections
The main question is simple: What area do you want to keep clear when snow and ice arrive?
Once you finalize that, measure the area or areas, capturing the length, width, and estimated total square footage.
Step 2: Choose Mats, Cable, or Both
Once you know the area, choose the heating product that best fits the layout. Mats are often easier to plan for simple shapes. Cable can provide more flexibility for custom spaces. Some projects may use both.
|
Product type |
Best fit |
|
Snow melt mats |
Rectangular areas, tire tracks, walkways, and simpler layouts |
|
Snow melt cable |
Irregular and curved areas, custom shapes, and spaces that need more flexibility |
|
Both |
Projects where one product type does not fit the entire space |
Our NeverFreeze Mat and NeverFreeze Cable collection pages make it easy to find the right sizes for your project.
Step 3: Capture the Watts, Amps, and Voltage
This is one of the most important planning steps. It helps determine what electrical components will be needed to power and control your system.
Keep track of this information because your electrician will need it when planning the electrical installation.
|
Electrical Detail |
Why it matters |
|
Voltage |
Confirms the product and system power type. For the typical single-zone system planned through this guide, all heating mats and cables must use the same voltage, using 240V. ThermoSoft also offers other voltages. Contact our Expert Team if you require one of these options. |
|
Total Watts |
Shows the total heating load. Combine the watts from each mat and cable to determine the total wattage. |
|
Total Amps |
Helps determine circuit and control requirements. For a single-voltage system, combine the amps from each mat and cable to determine the total amperage. Your electrician will determine how that load must be divided among the required electrical circuits. |
->PRO TIP: For most single-zone homeowner applications, use 11,000 watts as the upper limit for online system planning. If your planned system exceeds 11,000 watts, includes multiple independently controlled zones, or requires different voltages, contact one of our Snow and Ice Melting Experts. Our team can help you identify the appropriate controls and power-distribution equipment.
Step 4: Choose How the System Knows When to Run
Next, decide how you want your system to detect winter conditions. ThermoSoft offers two primary automatic controller and sensor options, each with its own advantages:
Option 1: Outdoor Sensing
Outdoor sensing is the simpler, lower-cost automatic control path.
The system turns on when the controller detects both moisture and temperatures below its selected trigger point. This is a good option when the sensor can be installed where it will experience weather conditions similar to those affecting the heated area.
The controller must be installed outdoors for proper temperature detection. The key question is: Can the controller’s moisture sensor be positioned where snow and moisture will reach it?
ThermoSoft offers two solutions:
|
Situation |
Product recommendation |
|
The outdoor controller can be mounted where its built-in moisture sensor has clear exposure to snow and moisture |
|
|
The controller will remain outdoors, but the moisture sensor needs to be positioned at a different exposed location |
Simply put, if the outdoor controller can sense snow where it is mounted, choose the DS-5C. If the controller must be mounted outdoors in a location where its moisture sensor would not receive proper exposure, choose the DS-9C and position the remote moisture sensor where it has a clear view of the sky.
ThermoSoft also offers a remote status monitor and controller, the ASE-CDP-2, which provides the convenience of monitoring and operating your system without having to go outside.
Option 2: Surface Monitoring
Surface monitoring is a slightly higher-cost, more surface-aware automatic control path. The sensor is embedded directly into the concrete or asphalt.
Instead of detecting snow or moisture at an outdoor controller or aerial sensor location, this approach monitors moisture and temperature directly at the driveway or walkway surface. This allows the system to respond based on conditions where melting is actually needed.
Many homeowners select this solution because monitoring conditions at the surface may provide more precise automatic operation and help reduce unnecessary energy use over time.
ThermoSoft offers a complete surface-monitoring system. For a new installation, each of the following components is recommended:
|
Surface-monitoring component |
Product |
|
Main controller |
|
|
Mounting box |
|
|
Embedded ground sensor |
|
|
Sensor mounting tube |
Please Note: The ETO2 controller and mounting box must be mounted indoors.
->PRO TIP: At this stage, homeowners can proceed with purchasing the heating elements and controller/sensor system or contact one of our experts to confirm the layout and system components. Our team is ready to help you complete your planning free of charge and with no obligation to buy.
Important: Ground-Fault Protection
Every snow-melting heating circuit requires ground-fault equipment protection. ThermoSoft offers GFPE options for single- and multiple-circuit systems.
GFPE works together with a correctly sized circuit breaker. The circuit breaker protects the electrical circuit and wiring from overload, while the GFPE detects electrical leakage to ground. A GFPE unit does not replace the need for a properly sized circuit breaker.
The final protection method, circuit sizing, breaker sizing, wiring, and electrical-panel requirements must be confirmed and installed by a licensed electrician.
With ThermoSoft you never go it alone. If you need help planning you ground-fault protection needs or with any part of your planning and installation, please contact us to speak with one of our experts who will be happy to help.