Snow and Ice Melting (SIM) systems may cost more than a shovel and a bag of road salt, but the value they offer goes above and beyond the cost of installation and heating. For example, did you know that a SIM system can save your life? Or that it’s a much better deicing solution than road salt for your car, pet dog, or rose bush?
If you’re considering a SIM system for your driveway, the post below will show you the 5 main advantages it can offer over traditional snow and ice removal methods.
#1. SIM Systems Are Easier On Your Health
Shoveling snow manually can pose a severe hazard to human health. The strenuous activity causes blood pressure to skyrocket right when cold outdoor temperatures constrict coronary arteries — a tragic recipe for heart attacks and cardiac arrest.
In the US, more than 100 people lose their lives every year due to coronary events that occur while they’re shoveling snow, while thousands more end up in the hospital.
Because of the threat snow shoveling poses to human life and wellbeing, it’s recommended that anyone with the following cardiovascular risk factors avoid shoveling snow manually:
- High blood pressure
- High levels of LDL cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Previous bypass surgery or angioplasty
For a person with any of the risk factors listed above, a SIM system can be a life-saving investment since it removes the need for shoveling snow during the winter.
#2. SIM Systems Offer Assurance That Your Driveway Is Ice-Free
The vast majority of slip-and-fall accidents happen because the victim is unable to see the ice patch on which they slip. Such is the nature of ice: often, it’s transparent enough that all we see is the driveway underneath.
If you’re unfortunate enough to suffer a slip-and-fall accident in your own home, you face the risk of broken limbs, dangerous concussions, lengthy hospital stays, and reduced mobility. All of these consequences may lead to financial hardship, as you’re forced to contend with mounting medical expenses and time away from work.
However, if a passerby happens to slip on your property, the financial burden you face may be even more severe, because now there’s the civil liability. Legal fees, damages, and even out-of-court settlements can take a substantial bite out of your retirement savings.
A SIM system offers you a greater degree of assurance that your driveway is ice-free.
You may not be able to salt your driveway manually before ice forms and causes an accident. On the other hand, a single flip of a switch can send hot water rushing through the pipework beneath your driveway, staving off the possibility that dangerous, invisible ice will form.
#3. SIM Systems Help Keep Your Vehicle Rust-Free
Deicing salt may be a friend to humans, but it’s certainly not friendly to our cars. After prolonged exposure, this chemical can do serious damage to your family vehicle.
And we’re not just talking about cosmetic defects, either. Not only can deicing salt cause the exterior of your car to rust, but it can also corrode the car’s exhaust and muffler. What’s worse, it can seriously damage the hydraulic brake system. Over time, road salt can do enough harm to warrant costly, urgent repairs, or even replacing the affected parts.
Since a SIM system can remove the need to salt your driveway — or at least reduce the amount of road salt you use — it’s an investment that can help you keep your family vehicles rust-free.
#4. SIM Systems Are Kind to Your Pets or Plants
It’s not just cars, though — road salt has many more enemies, including your family pets and all those lovely plants you spend so much time looking after.
For example, let’s take a look at sodium chloride, aka salt. This common deicing chemical is particularly harmful to dogs. Small quantities that get ingested (and let’s face it, dogs are always picky eaters) can cause serious gastrointestinal upset, whereas larger quantities can be outright deadly. That’s not to mention that salt is also an irritant that can hurt your furry pal’s little paws.
Magnesium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, calcium chloride, and calcium magnesium acetate are no better; all of these popular deicing compounds are harmful when ingested and act as irritants to pets’ paws.
What’s more, all of these chemicals can also harm — or even kill — any plants they come in contact with.
SIM systems, on the other hand, quietly hum away without hurting your green and/or furry friends.
#5 SIM Systems Save You Time
Even if you’re in the best shape of your life, and have no pets, cars, plants, or passerby strangers to worry about, SIM systems give you something your salt and shovel can’t — time. Shoveling and throwing ice on your driveway can be a time-consuming affair, particularly in regions prone to prolonged snowfall. A SIM system lets you spend your time on more important things than shoveling your driveway
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Wrapping It Up
SIM systems may not be the cheapest to install and operate, but they do offer excellent value to their owners. By opting for a SIM system, you reduce your risk of having a cardiovascular event while shoveling snow; help avert slip-and-fall accidents; keep your cars, pets, and plants away from corrosive chemicals, and save plenty of time.
Wondering how much a SIM system costs to operate in your region? Read our guide here.
