The Gradient syncFURNACE Boiler is a 3 in 1 appliance. It is a forced air furnace, a domestic hot
water source, and a boiler capable of running in floor loops, radiators and other hydronic heating,
all in one Calgary built cabinet. The hydronics are inside the unit, so there are no wall mounted
pumps, manifolds or mixing valves to find room for. 180 Plumbing and Heating services, repairs and
installs them across southeast Calgary. Call 403-404-9975.
What makes it different from the Tankless model
The syncFURNACE Tankless does two jobs: your ducted heating and your hot water. The syncFURNACE
Boiler does those two and adds a third, a proper boiler circuit for hydronic heating.
That third job is the reason this unit exists. If you want warm bathroom or basement floors, a
radiant garage, or a heated driveway or walkway, you need a boiler somewhere in the house. This
unit puts it inside the appliance you were going to install anyway.
The practical consequence is the wall. A conventional hydronic install means a boiler, a
circulating pump or three, an expansion tank, an air separator, a mixing valve and a manifold, all
mounted on a mechanical room wall. In this unit the pump, the mixing valve, the air vent and the
pressure relief are internal. That is less wall, fewer joints, fewer things to go wrong, and it is
why the unit fits homes that could not otherwise take hydronic heating.
The specifications
From Gradient’s own technical documentation.
- Heat exchanger and burner: stainless steel, ASME approved condensing dual pass
- Burner: direct vent, modulating, natural gas or propane
- Maximum burner input: 150,000 BTU/hr
- Turndown: 10:1
- Furnace sizes: five, at 500, 1,000, 1,400, 1,800 and 2,200 CFM
- Venting: 2 inch or 3 inch CPVC, PVC or polypropylene
- Integrated hydronics: Grundfos boiler pump and a step modulating 3 way mixing valve
- Internal Caleffi automatic air vent
- Internal 30 psig pressure relief valve
- Ignition: direct spark
- Internal condensation trap
- Boiler control: Multi zone Priority Logic, up to 4 temperature setpoints
- Built in relays for up to 3 external pumps
- Blower: ECM or variable speed, forward or backward curve
- Versions: low velocity or high velocity
- Compatible with conventional air conditioning, HRV, humidifier and filtration
Gradient also states the unit is roughly 50 percent smaller than the separate appliances it
replaces, uses one chimney rather than two, and is compatible with micro combined heat and power,
geothermal, solar thermal and natural gas heat pump systems.
Four temperature setpoints, and why that matters
Multi zone Priority Logic with four setpoints is the specification most worth understanding,
because it is what lets one appliance run several different kinds of heat at once.
In floor heating wants water at a low temperature, often around 100 to 120F, because the floor is a
large radiating surface and you do not want a hot floor. Radiators want it much hotter. A fan coil
wants something else again. Domestic hot water has its own setpoint and, in this unit, priority
over the rest.
Four setpoints and three pump relays means the unit can serve, for example, a basement in floor
loop, an upstairs duct system, a garage radiant loop and your taps, holding a different temperature
for each and giving hot water priority when someone runs a shower.
What we use it for in Calgary homes
In floor heating. Bathrooms and basements are the usual starting point, and once people live
with a warm basement floor in this climate they rarely go back. See
in floor heating.
Snow melt. A hydronic loop under a driveway, walkway or step run, sized and controlled
properly, in a city that gets freeze thaw cycles all winter. Almost nobody in Calgary markets this
work and it is one of the more satisfying things we install. See
snow melt systems.
Garage heating. A radiant slab in a garage is a better answer than a hanging heater for anyone
who actually uses the space.
Whole home hydronic with a duct system alongside it. Older Calgary homes with existing
radiators and a later duct system can end up with two heating plants. This unit can replace both.
Servicing it
A syncFURNACE Boiler needs the same annual attention as the Tankless model, plus attention to the
hydronic side.
- Burner and combustion chamber cleaning, annually
- Condensate line and trap clean, semi annually, with quarterly trap inspection
- Flue, air intake, igniter and flame sensor, annually
- Water system flush and descale, annually
- System pressure and expansion checked, and the internal air vent verified
- Loop temperatures and mixing valve operation checked against the design setpoints
- Filter change in the correct size
- Combustion analysis and gas safety check by a Certified Type B Gasfitter
- Gradient’s Appendix E maintenance record completed and left with you
Full detail on the annual service page. If your unit has been
locking out, start with the fault code reference.
Warranty
The syncFURNACE Boiler is covered by a different warranty document from the Tankless, and the terms
differ. Five years on components and ten years on the pressure vessel for a defect resulting in a
leak, both conditional on maintenance being carried out and documented. That document contains no
registration extension and no operating hours cap, so there is no sixty day window to miss here.
Read what the warranty actually requires.
Talking to us about one
Whether it is the right unit for your house depends on what heating you already have, what you want
to add, where the mechanical space is and how your gas and electrical supply are set up. That is a
conversation and a look at the house, not a web page.
Replacement quotes are free, in writing, and yours to keep whether you use us or not.
How we price this work
We charge by the job, not by the hour. You get one number for the finished work, agreed before
anything starts and always in writing. Parts, labour, disposal and permits are in the number you
agreed. If we find something else once we are in, we stop and re-quote, and you decide. On larger
work you will see three options: the straightforward fix, the one we would recommend, and the one
that deals with the underlying cause.
Call 403-404-9975.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Gradient run my in floor heating?
The syncFURNACE Boiler can. It is a 3 in 1 that provides forced air heating, domestic hot water and hydronic heating for in floor loops and radiators, with the hydronics built into the cabinet. It carries multi zone control for up to four temperature setpoints and built in relays for up to three external pumps. The GCx is a wall hung option for hydronic only applications.
What is the difference between the syncFURNACE Boiler and the syncFURNACE Tankless?
The Tankless does two jobs, ducted heating and domestic hot water. The Boiler adds a third, a hydronic boiler circuit for in floor heating, radiators or snow melt. If you have no hydronic heating and no plans for any, the Tankless is the simpler unit.
How many heating zones can it run?
Gradient specifies multi zone Priority Logic with up to four temperature setpoints and built in relays for up to three external pumps. In practice that covers most houses: a duct system, one or two hydronic loops at different temperatures, and domestic hot water with priority.
Do I need a separate boiler for a heated driveway?
Not necessarily. A syncFURNACE Boiler can run a snow melt loop as one of its zones, provided the loop is sized and controlled correctly for the area you want to keep clear. Whether it is the right approach for your driveway depends on the area, the slab and what else the unit is being asked to do at the same time.
How much space does it need?
Gradient states the unit is roughly 50 percent smaller than the separate appliances it replaces, and because the pumps, mixing valve and air vent are internal there is no wall of hydronic components alongside it. Clearances still matter for service access: Gradient recommends 24 inches at the front and 12 inches above.
Written by Desmond Neufeld, Red Seal Journeyman Plumber and Certified Type B Gasfitter. Last updated 23 August 2026.
