Thank you so much for the replies! I could've sworn I replied to this thread yesterday... Guess the forum gremlin ate my post.

That said, I really appreciate your help. I will probably end up going with heat tape... I'll buy the tub, then measure to see how much I will need.

Snowshredder- What would I need to use over the heat tape to protect it from the sliding? Some sort of clear lightweight plastic I'm guessing..

Thanks again for your time and help!