Weed dragon Propane

chuck machinist · Jan 8, 2018

Anyone use one of these to melt ice and snow off the driveway? Pros .cons . CM

Spook · Jan 8, 2018

I’ve got one, used it for killing weeds. I don’t think it would be much use clearing a drive, simply not enough heat.

CWL · Jan 8, 2018

It will work but not very quickly.

Larry EC-OH · Jan 8, 2018

This will work better.
Snow Melter

BarnyardEngineering · Jan 8, 2018

You're better off leaving the snow. When you melt snow it turns to water. As soon as the heat is removed, the water freezes again, turning to glare ice.

You will waste a ton of time and propane trying to melt the snow and dry the driveway out.

Either leave the snow or get yourself a good heavy steel snow pusher and scrape the driveway frequently to reduce buildup.

kcm.MN · Jan 8, 2018

You would actually do better chucking a stiff wire brush into a corded drill rather than messing with a weed dragon. ...And I don't use wire brushes on ice!

As Larry recommended, chemical snow melter would be your best route. If you don't want the chemicals, you could spread a bit of coarse sand to help with traction.

Adirondack case guy · Jan 8, 2018

Mother nature put the snow there, She will take it away too.
Loren

Russ from MN · Jan 8, 2018

My BIL used to own a house that had an electrically heated driveway, just flip a switch and it would melt off, but then you
had to leave it on so it wouldn't re-freeze. It really made the meter spin!

Bob in SD · Jan 8, 2018

I know a guy who knows a guy in Montrose, CO who has an outdoor woodburner. He included coils in the sidewalk between the house and woodburner so he could go out to stock the firebox in his slippers.

Tom in NE · Jan 8, 2018

Bingo!

Been There. Done That. Slick Ice!!!

My Weed Dragon wasn't really effective for killing off the weeds in my driveway either. They would start re-growing after about 10 days.

jeffcat · Jan 8, 2018

I have concrete and brick walkways and I would shy away from flame. Way too much heat, too fast, in too small of an area. KABOOM. Broken bricks and concrete. You really do not want to see a brick explode. First thing I do is use the snow bower and then a shovel to get most everything off. If there is some ice this is what I do. I have that mop sink faucet on the front of my house. Turn on just the hot water and hose the steps and walkway down to remove the ice. Works very quicly. Now the problem. It will freeze with glare ice very quickly too. When it is just starting to make a sheen of ice take a little sand and sprinkle a fine dusting on it. The sand will freeze in with the fine sheet of water. Like walking on a sheet of rough sand paper. Works pretty good.

SodBuster87 · Jan 8, 2018

I actually had that same question today so I tried it. As others have said. Not enough heat to do much. Solar salt works better. That fast melt salt works good if you have less than an inch of pack ice. It works good but dissolves too quick for the thicker ice. Sod Buster

jlewis457 · Jan 8, 2018

I was told to use fertilizer by an old guy and boy it does a great job and the grass grows like mad where ever the run off goes.

Weed dragon Propane

chuck machinist

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Spook

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CWL

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Larry EC-OH

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BarnyardEngineering

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kcm.MN

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Adirondack case guy

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Russ from MN

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Bob in SD

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Tom in NE

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jeffcat

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SodBuster87

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jlewis457

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