Snow-melt systems · Barrie & Simcoe County
Snow-melt driveways that clear themselves.
Heated driveways, walkways and front steps: glycol loops under concrete or pavers that clear snow and ice automatically. No shovelling, no salt damage, no 6 a.m. surprises. Designed with the rest of your heating system and installed by the same crew.
Where it goes
Clear surfaces, all winter
Snow-melt loops go wherever you want bare pavement: the whole driveway, the path to the door, or just the steps you use most.
The whole driveway
Loops under the driveway, laid out in the design to cover the area you need clear, so it stays bare from the garage to the road.
The path to the door
Walkways and paths between the driveway, the house and the garage stay bare, so nobody is walking on packed snow or ice to get inside.
Where slips happen
Front steps and landings are the hardest surfaces to keep clear by hand. Loops under the treads and landing keep them free of snow and ice.
How it works
One boiler, two separate circuits
A snow-melt system isn’t a second heating system bolted on. It’s a zone of the one you already have.
Glycol outside, water inside
The snow-melt circuit runs glycol, so the loops under your driveway can sit in the cold without freezing. It’s isolated from the house loops through a heat exchanger.
One plant, independent zones
Both circuits are served by the same boiler plant, designed as one system with independent zones, not two systems fighting each other.
Sized together
The boiler is sized in the design for the house and the snow-melt together, from a room-by-room heat-loss calculation, never from a label.
Plan it with the surface
Snow-melt goes in when the driveway does
The loops sit under the surface, so the time to add snow-melt is when that surface is being built or replaced.
Designed with the system
Loop layout for the area you want clear, the glycol circuit and heat exchanger, and the boiler sized for the house and the snow-melt together. Part of the same radiant design as your floors.
Under concrete
Loops tied over the base before the pour, then pressure-tested before and during the pour, so concrete never touches an untested loop.
Under pavers
Loops laid in the base under the pavers when a driveway, walkway or set of steps is built or relaid.
In the mechanical room
The heat exchanger, pumps and controls go in with the rest of the mechanical room, installed to the design with clean, serviceable piping.
Commissioned & documented
Every zone commissioned and balanced, the paperwork in your file, and a walkthrough of how it all works before we leave.
Looked after every year
An annual check of the boiler, system pressure and controls, and snow-melt systems get their glycol tested on the same visit.
How a project runs
From first visit to a clear driveway
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Step one
Site visit
We walk the driveway, walkway or steps you want clear, and look at how a snow-melt zone ties into your mechanical room.
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Step two
Design
Loop layout for the area, the glycol circuit and heat exchanger, and the boiler sized for the house and the snow-melt together.
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Step three
Rough-in & testing
Loops laid to the design and pressure-tested before and during the pour, so nothing gets buried untested.
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Step four
Commissioned & documented
Every zone commissioned and balanced, the paperwork in your file, and a walkthrough of how it all works before we leave.
Goes well with
Related work
- Boilers
Boiler installation & replacement
The plant that runs your floors and your snow-melt, sized from a heat-loss calculation.
- Georgian Bay shore
Collingwood & The Blue Mountains
Snow-belt homes and chalets, with the driveway on the same system.
- Cottage country
Muskoka
Year-round homes and cottages, from Gravenhurst and Bracebridge to Huntsville.
Snow-melt, answered
Snow-melt questions
Can one system heat the house and melt the driveway?
Yes. The snow-melt circuit runs glycol and is isolated from the house loops through a heat exchanger, but both are served by the same boiler plant. It’s designed as one system with independent zones, not two systems fighting each other.
Why glycol instead of water?
The snow-melt loops sit outside, under the driveway, so the circuit runs glycol that won’t freeze in the cold. The heat exchanger keeps it separate from the water in your house loops.
Does it work under pavers as well as concrete?
Yes. Glycol loops go under concrete or pavers. Under concrete they’re tied over the base before the pour; under pavers they go in the base when the pavers are laid or relaid.
Can snow-melt go under my existing driveway?
The loops go in under the surface, so snow-melt is added when a driveway, walkway or set of steps is being built or replaced. If you’re planning that work, a site visit tells us how the snow-melt zone would tie into your system.
What maintenance does a snow-melt system need?
Very little. An annual check of the boiler, system pressure and controls keeps everything honest, and the glycol gets tested on the same visit. The loops themselves are sealed and have no moving parts.
Your project next
Plan snow-melt with your pour
Book a free consultation and we’ll walk the driveway, walkway or steps you want clear, look at your mechanical room, and tell you exactly what a snow-melt zone would take. No pressure, no guesswork.
