I am in the process of building a 4 seasons room on my house. I also live on a steep hill, and the neighborhood limits me to how many out buildings I can have. I am building a large brick/stone fireplace in the 4 seasons room, and Id like to incorporate a snow melt system in half my driveway. From the research Ive done I need around 300k BTU's, w/ 3/4" pex on 12" grid. I can fabricate and build most anything myself. Would I be able to build a stainless housing (upside down U) as the inside of my fireplace (3' tall, 2' deep, 3' wide, that can hold approx 200 gallons of water and have the wood fireplace heat it when needed to melt snow? Appears the only way I can hide the system, and kill two birds with one stone. Thoughts?
Thoughts on 2 in 1 Snow melt/ fireplace?
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maple1
Minister of Fire
maple1
Minister of Fire
Also, the fireplace will likely do little to heat your house. If you are building the fireplace for heating purposes.
Eureka
Feeling the Heat
I can't see a way to make it functional. A wood boiler that puts out 300k BTU is an impressive device that consumes piles of wood at that rate, and I see no way an open fireplace will do anything but burn lots of wood and make lots of smoke while sucking lots of warm indoor air outside.
Sidewalk melt systems can return massively cool water and put a huge load on a small mass heat source. Way to think outside the box, but I'd focus your efforts on making a nice looking fireplace if that's what you want. If you want some heat from it, size the brick or stone opening to accept a zero clearance fireplace insert with sealed doors and you'll be cooking. Open fireplaces don't do much besides remove air from a home so not worth anything for heating value.
Sidewalk melt systems can return massively cool water and put a huge load on a small mass heat source. Way to think outside the box, but I'd focus your efforts on making a nice looking fireplace if that's what you want. If you want some heat from it, size the brick or stone opening to accept a zero clearance fireplace insert with sealed doors and you'll be cooking. Open fireplaces don't do much besides remove air from a home so not worth anything for heating value.
Bad LP
Minister of Fire
If you are limited on outbuildings why not an indoor wood boiler?It's going to need massive amounts of wood.
You do know that you must install rigid insulation on the ground before finishing the driveway. Also, I've never seen it done with anything other than concrete. They lay the insulation over graded and compacted gravel, attached PEX onto the wire mesh with proper sleeves at the control joint locations then concrete.
You do know that you must install rigid insulation on the ground before finishing the driveway. Also, I've never seen it done with anything other than concrete. They lay the insulation over graded and compacted gravel, attached PEX onto the wire mesh with proper sleeves at the control joint locations then concrete.
I dont need it for heat, it has nothing to do with the homes hvac. And I can use radiant heat out there. Also, it will be obviously below freezing for snow, but I could see the draw issue. What about an insert and a valve system with a separate storage tank
maple1
Minister of Fire
Whenever it snows, snowblow and/or shovel your driveway. I have a steep hill plus turn on my driveway. I asphalted it, and now I just keep it clear. I have a wife and 3 children under 5, and even I can escape to keep it clear.
Forget about it...
Buy some Blizzack tires and a shovel,maybe a 4X4 if there are questionable driving skills on snow
Buy some Blizzack tires and a shovel,maybe a 4X4 if there are questionable driving skills on snow
A contractor I used to do some work for. Actually He would call me to bail him out when he was facing a lawsuit. Anyway, he built a fireplace with a cast iron radiator up in the smoke path. It worked but it didn't draw well. It's in a pub up in the ski country and I haven't seen it in several years. Probably the face is coated in soot by now.
A fireplace is pretty much a permanent fixture . Let's say you go against the advice all of us rednecks just provided and go ahead with the project and it fails to work. How ya gonna fix it. It's not like replacing a couple sheets of drywall. A stone and/or brick fireplace isn't cheap. Too bad to pay for it twice. Besides that, there are only a couple/few firebox shapes that actually work well when it comes to the draught.
A fireplace is pretty much a permanent fixture . Let's say you go against the advice all of us rednecks just provided and go ahead with the project and it fails to work. How ya gonna fix it. It's not like replacing a couple sheets of drywall. A stone and/or brick fireplace isn't cheap. Too bad to pay for it twice. Besides that, there are only a couple/few firebox shapes that actually work well when it comes to the draught.
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