radiant snow melting

[ramnam]

has anyone used a snow melting system such as Watts on stairs that are topped with 5 1/2" of granite?

this is a fancy monumental walkway ramp that has some steps. we are putting snow melting on the ramp and the steps.

any thoughts?
i know they work well with brick, but haven't encountered 5 1/2" granite before.

thanks

 

[way]

The R-Value of granite that thick will be somewhere around 4.5. That is fairly high, so you may want to increase your tubing size and also space your tubing fairly close together. And of course don't forget to put insulation underneath the tubing to prevent downward losses. You also may have to run your water temperature a bit higher in order to get adequate meltingd....I'd say around 130 or 140F.