Inventor Finds Way to Avoid Shoveling
Hillel Glazer, then 15, always had to shovel snow from his block. During one particularly long shoveling session, he knew there had to be an easier way to remove snow.
"That evening, I took a heating pad from my parents' medicine closet and dissected it," said Glazer. "Within five minutes, I blew the fuses in the house."
Two weeks later, after his family purchased another heating pad, Glazer made a heated doormat with heating cables and duct tape. It lasted two days.
Thus thwarted, Glazer continued to shovel snow until age 25. A business valuation consultant, he felt frustrated with his long work weeks and was ready to be his own boss. His thoughts returned to the failed heating mats of his childhood, but this time, Glazer was determined to make them work.
"Within a few months and with the help of the Internet, I had educated myself on various types of heating elements, general electrical concepts and rubber and plastic manufacturing techniques," said Glazer. "I identified a company to supply me with heating elements and used their engineers' brain power to help develop our first prototype." Glazer's company, HeatTrak, has been selling his snow- and ice-melting mats since 2004.
The HeatTrak mats use electricity to melt snow at a rate of two inches per hour. Perfectly safe, the mats contain a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter that instantly shuts off all power to the mat if it detects a current leakage. Universities and businesses use the mats to keep walkways clear, thus making their facilities safer for employees, students and clients.
Now, Glazer's expanding his business by making HeatTrak mats for homes. Homeowners can purchase walkway and stair mats, ensuring safer sidewalks and entrances. And all because a teenager didn't want to shovel any more snow.
For more information, visit www.heattrak.com.
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