[Michlib-l] snow melt systems

[Bruce MacDonald]

Marquette checking in.

The heated cement that lies between our main entry and parking lot is
something I wouldn't want to live without. It's a high traffic area of
course, but also the one spot where people can be guaranteed to have some
traction to land wheelchairs, or pick up / drop off folks who can walk but
have mobility issues. Also, if we put salt down immediately outside our
main entry, it would create more of a mess when it is inevitably brought
inside on the soles of boots.

Our system was installed in 2000. The brand we have is tekmar, which is
still in business as a subsidiary of Watts
<https://www.watts.com/our-story/brands/tekmar>. We recently had some
issues with the outdoor sensor causing errors on the controller, but our
maintenance person was able to fix it. Not sure exactly what your situation
is, but if our system became non-operational, we would try to get
replacement parts. Radiant pex tubing supposedly has a lifespan of 40-50
years. If we had to replace the system right now, we would work with a
local vendor, consider reusing the existing piping, and plan for a complete
replacement 20 years down the road. If your tubing is bad after 15 years,
that's more difficult, and I can see why you'd consider a different
solution, since it should really last longer than that.

Bruce MacDonald
Peter White Public Library
Marquette, Michigan

On Thu, Sep 9, 2021 at 4:56 PM Valerie Meyerson via Michlib-l <
michlib-l at mcls.org> wrote:

> Hello all –
>
>
>
> Our snow melt system out front is in need of replacement. We are currently
> considering three options: 1. Do nothing and hire someone to manually
> remove snow and put salt down, 2. Replace the current system (hydronic
> tubes through concrete), 3. ThermaHexx – a pedestal mounted paver/stone
> system. We have been looking at the pros and cons of each system. And my
> board thought it would be nice to hear from other libraries that have
> heated sidewalks (especially libraries “up north” or in the UP with lots of
> snow!). Our first system failed after about 15 years. We are trying to
> decide if it’s worth the investment for a new system.
>
>
>
> Thank you for any guidance you may have.
>
>
>
>
>
> Valerie Meyerson (she/her)
>
> Library Director
>
> Petoskey District Library
>
>
>
> [image: jpg Blue Small]
>
>
>
> *Please think about the environment prior to printing this email. *
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Michlib-l mailing list
> Michlib-l at mcls.org
> https://mail3.mcls.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l
>
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