Has anyone used Crete-Heat or Heat-Sheet EPS insulation under paving stone in a snow melt application? Any other products out there that are proven to work? Thanks...

Interesting... I wonder how much water it would hold, and what would happen to it if that water was ever to freeze? Would it heave/displace the block? Maybe just plain sheet EPS with PEX stapled down and bedding sand down over the top. Add an occasional hole down thru the foam to promote good drainage off the top of the sheeting...

If the melt system is operational, there really shouldn't be any frost below the pavers. I believe that any moisture finding its way into the bedding sand should just evaporate from the radiant heat. My main concern is the ability of the EPS to withstand the downward force of the plate compactor that is used to set the pavers into the sand.

Well foam designed for use under concrete should be high density(>25PSI?). I can walk on 25PSI and it barely leaves any indication of my boot treads. I think it would survive after the sand and pavers are in place to absorb/distribute the force. You could always make up a test walk/pad to experiment with some high density foam to see what effect the compactor would have on it...

Posted By ronmar on 17 Dec 2015 12:10 PM
Well foam designed for use under concrete should be high density(>25PSI?). I can walk on 25PSI and it barely leaves any indication of my boot treads. I think it would survive after the sand and pavers are in place to absorb/distribute the force. You could always make up a test walk/pad to experiment with some high density foam to see what effect the compactor would have on it...

Yes, CreteHeat is available in 40 and 60 psi, but have no concept of what that really means in terms of plate compactor force. Also, I don't want to overbuild, if not necessary, and I don't want to repeat experiments others have already done :)

I used a plate compactor on pavers over foam and the foam absorbed the vibrations. Didn't work very well.

Posted By jonr on 17 Dec 2015 12:28 PM
I used a plate compactor on pavers over foam and the foam absorbed the vibrations. Didn't work very well.

Thanks, didn't even consider that aspect...

We have had customers use our panels with pavers. Feel free to contact me for more information (pictures, contact, etc.) as we would be happy to help. The lowest PSI rating of our standard panels is 36 PSI. Company is called Creatherm. Sorry about that, not sure why the username hasn't been updated to reflect that.

Insulating a snow/ice melting system (SIM) is optional, depending on climate, size, use etc. We use XPS exclusively for our SIM systems.

The only difference form concrete to pavers is the use of flat wire to tie the tubing off as near the paver as the installer will allow. I normally staple PEX directly to the XPS in most residential SIM systems but pavers require more heat and more attention to PEX placement since sand is a poor conductor of heat.