# Using hot water to melt snow rather than plow?



## classiclawncare (Jan 6, 2010)

I've always wondered is there a way to use a spray rig, either a truck or tractor to drive over a lot and spray hot water over the snow to melt it rather than having to plow it?

I know in most cases it'd re-freeze and need to me salted, but driving over the lot one time spraying hot water on the snow seems like it would be faster than plowing a lot.

Does anyone do this, or can it be done?

Id assume on a lot covered with a ft of snow it may not work but 2, 4 or 6 inches it should be able to go right through it. 

I think it sounds like a good idea. 

Any imput?


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## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

It would be cheaper and safer to plow it. Can you imagine the amount of energy it would take to heat up that much water? A snow meter is the same principal and they do have self loading ones that drive down the city streets picking up windrows. A semi tanker truck follows it.


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## classiclawncare (Jan 6, 2010)

I have a large lot that takes say 3 hours to plow with a skid steer with an 8ft pusher box, If I had the right spraying unit I would think itd be faster to drive over th lot once spraying hot water. Also itd be less wear n tear. 

There has to be a decent set-up out there that does this.


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## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

classiclawncare;1246792 said:


> I have a large lot that takes say 3 hours to plow with a skid steer with an 8ft pusher box, If I had the right spraying unit I would think itd be faster to drive over th lot once spraying hot water. Also itd be less wear n tear.
> 
> There has to be a decent set-up out there that does this.


Less wear and tear, a skid with a box is about the least you'll get. You try it and report back your findings.


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## paponte (Oct 28, 2003)

Could you just imagine the amount of fuel you would burn? Not to mention if the ground is cold enough for snow to stick, it's certainly cold enough to create a nice ice skating rink by the time you get to the other side of the lot. I've never seen a zamboni outside of a skating rink before.


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## leon (Nov 18, 2008)

*snow melter*



classiclawncare;1246782 said:


> I've always wondered is there a way to use a spray rig, either a truck or tractor to drive over a lot and spray hot water over the snow to melt it rather than having to plow it?
> 
> I know in most cases it'd re-freeze and need to me salted, but driving over the lot one time spraying hot water on the snow seems like it would be faster than plowing a lot.
> 
> ...


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I dont want to burst your bubble but you would be infringing on my patent.

:waving:


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## Pristine PM ltd (Oct 15, 2005)

And there is your answer as to why not to try it!!!!


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## Luther (Oct 31, 2007)

I say try it, and please let us know the results.


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## JohnnyRoyale (Jun 18, 2006)

I had the same thoughts a couple of years ago...

http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=59140


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## CGM Inc. (Dec 15, 2008)

apply plenty of salt every 2" snow fall and your done too


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## Rc2505 (Feb 5, 2007)

It would cost way more money to melt the snow with hot water then it would to plow the lot. First you have to consider the equipment it would take. I am guessing a 3 hour lot is close to 3 acres. To melt 2 inches off of 3 acres would take a tremendous amount of water, so you would have to have a tanker truck of some sort. Then you would need a way to fill the truck, heat the water, keep the water hot enough to do it's job, plus drive to and from and apply the water. I 50 gallon water heater take about an hour to an hour and a half to heat the full 50 gallons, so to heat 10,000 gallons of water would have to take close to 10 hours with a burner unit that has the btu output of 20 times a water heater. So if a water heater is 60,000 btu this new super burner is going to be 1.2 million btu's. Now I am thinking 3 hours of plowing isn't such a bad idea.


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## kashman (Jan 13, 2004)

take a glass of hot water outside and throw it in the air and see what happens


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## coldcoffee (Jul 17, 2008)

leon;1246828 said:


> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> I dont want to burst your bubble but you would be infringing on my patent.
> 
> :waving:


Cold water Fusion ????????????????????????:yow!


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## WIPensFan (Jan 31, 2009)

leon;1246828 said:


> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> I dont want to burst your bubble but you would be infringing on my patent.
> 
> :waving:


Ohhhhh Leon, don't leave us hangin buddy! What's brewin in that technical brain of yours??:redbounce


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## KEC Maintaince (Jan 1, 2011)

or you can get one of these air plane de-iceing machines
i beleive they hold anoyut 5000 gallons of liquid and has a self contained heater. 
i used these a few times when i worked at newark airport deiceing planes.


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## cotter (Oct 9, 2010)

Get one of the blowers NASCAR uses on the tracks. Even if it does not melt the snow it will blow it away.

Or head over to google http://www.google.com/patents?hl=en and look at some of the items there, see what is actually in production and guage from there.

Chad


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## matts27 (Dec 21, 2007)

Ever been to a hockey rink? The Zamboni cuts the ice and lays down a layer of water, that water is Hot, somewhere around 90 deg. F. Reason behind that is it FREEZES quicker and also adheres well to the COLD surface, thus creating a solid sheet of ICE. Just my 2 cents, Matt


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## Dalmatian90 (Feb 20, 2011)

> Can you imagine the amount of energy it would take to heat up that much water?


Takes 144 BTUs to melt a pound of ice.

There's around 135,000 to 140,000 BTUs per gallon of diesel.

Some we're talking in the ballpark of 1 gallon of diesel per 1,000# of snow to melt it, if you had darn near perfect efficiency which you won't.

Let's assume it's a wet and not fluffy 4", so figure 4# of snow per square foot.

Some one else above speculated you had 3 acres to plow, so let's go with that -- 131,000 s.f. in round numbers.

That's 524,000 pounds of snow / 1 gallon diesel per thousand pounds = 524 gallons of diesel

The second part of this is how much water will it take since you're not loading the snow into a hopper to melt.

1 BTU is one pound of liquid water raised or lowered one degree (the transition points to ice and steam take a lot more). 180º water chilled to 33º is 147 BTUs, so we're talking about a 1:1 ratio of pounds of hot water to pounds of snow needing melting.

Water weighs about 8# per gallon, so you're talking in addition to the 524 gallons of diesel, needing about 65,500 gallons of water.


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## WingPlow (Jun 18, 2007)

talk about making work for yourself...

drive around spraying hot water and by the time your done you'd have to salt the mess
you just made


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## Plow man Foster (Dec 10, 2010)

I use Brine/ CC Why would you use water?!!?!?!??!?! 
We use it for everything we cant plow!


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## Luther (Oct 31, 2007)

Nice guess Dalmatian. 

Welcome to the site!


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## Longae29 (Feb 15, 2008)

instead of a tanker, you could use a helicopter, like they do forest fires, and then assuming your shop is close enough, have a retractable roof, with a huge pool of hot water inside, then the copter could come back for refills.as they say "Just bill it to the job.....''

or you could plow it........


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## blogsdon (Nov 28, 2010)

I want to know about Leon's patent


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## leon (Nov 18, 2008)

*parking lot*



blogsdon;1247367 said:


> I want to know about Leon's patent


If I talk about it again I will probably be banned.:laughing::waving:


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## LawnGuy110 (Feb 15, 2010)

In theory, it would be a good idea. In reality, it would take too much energy and would most likely re-freeze. In my personal opinion, I would stick with sand/salt mix.


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

Ok, what about geothermal? Before you lay your asphalt you would put your lines down, (like in floor heating) then all you need to do is run a pump, circulate the glyceral (i believe thats what they use) and warm up the black top. Initial cost is expensive, but afterwards it would be pretty cheap to run


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## jklawn&Plow (Jan 8, 2011)

Too bad the 1/2 life of the Nu-cular isotopes are so toxic. The'd make some good icemelters.


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## Rc2505 (Feb 5, 2007)

Geothermal would work great. However, you will be hard pressed to convince any business let alone homeowners to spend that kind of money up front. Unless they are already putting in a geothermal system to heat their house, or business, I think your success rate would be less than 1%.


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## pohouse (Jan 26, 2009)

In Japan they use radiant heat and also water to clear snow. Check out the vids.


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## clydebusa (Jul 10, 2010)

Dalmatian90;1247286 said:


> Takes 144 BTUs to melt a pound of ice.
> 
> There's around 135,000 to 140,000 BTUs per gallon of diesel.
> 
> ...


WOW!:salute:


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## JDiepstra (Sep 15, 2008)

I didnt watch much of that Jap crap but it did remind me of a friends house in Colorado that has hot water pipes under the driveway. That place is sweet.


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