A hydronic snow melt system circulates a warmed water and glycol mixture through tubing set in a
driveway, walkway, patio or set of steps, so snow melts as it lands and ice does not get a chance
to form. It runs off a boiler, the same way in floor heating does, and it is controlled by sensors
rather than by you standing at a switch. In a city with as much freeze thaw as Calgary, the
strongest argument for it is not convenience. It is that nobody slips on a surface that never
develops ice. 180 Plumbing and Heating installs and services snow melt systems across southeast
Calgary. Call 403-404-9975.
What it does, and what it does not do
It does keep a surface clear. Snow melts as it lands, and meltwater drains rather than
refreezing into the ridge of ice that forms at the bottom of most Calgary driveways by February.
It does eliminate the ice layer. This is the part that matters most and gets talked about
least. A driveway that goes through a hundred freeze thaw cycles a winter builds ice under whatever
you shovel. A heated one does not.
It does not run all winter. A properly controlled system runs when it is needed, triggered by
temperature and moisture, and idles the slab just below the point where it would have to work hard
from cold.
It will not fix a drainage problem. Melted snow becomes water, and that water has to go
somewhere that is not your garage, your neighbour’s yard, or a low spot that refreezes. If the
grade is wrong, heating the slab moves the problem rather than solving it. We will say so before we
quote.
It is not a cheap addition to a project. The tubing has to go in before the surface does, which
means the right time to do it is when the driveway, walkway or patio is being built or replaced. In
almost every case, retrofitting under an existing surface means removing the surface.
Where it is worth it in Calgary
Steep driveways. The southeast has plenty of them. A steep driveway with an ice layer is the
single best case for this system, and often the difference between using the garage in winter and
not.
Stairs and entry walks. Exterior stairs are where people fall, and they are the hardest surface
to keep clear by hand. A short run of tubing under the steps and the landing is a small project
with a large benefit.
Anywhere ice keeps forming in the same place. Under a downspout, at the bottom of a slope, in
the shade of the house all winter. Those spots are predictable, and they can be treated on their
own rather than heating the whole driveway.
Households where shovelling is a problem. Age, mobility, health, or simply being away for weeks
at a time. This is the reason most of our snow melt customers give, and it is a good one.
How the system is built
The tubing. Loops laid in the base or the slab before the surface goes down, spaced and sized
for the area and the exposure. It goes under concrete, under asphalt, and under pavers.
Glycol, not plain water. An exterior slab freezes. The loops carry a water and glycol mix so
the fluid in them cannot, which also means the system is isolated from the house heating loop
through a heat exchanger rather than sharing fluid with it.
The heat source. A boiler. That can be a dedicated boiler, or a suitably sized existing one
with capacity to spare, including a Gradient syncFURNACE Boiler, which has the hydronics and the
pump relays built in. See the syncFURNACE Boiler.
The controls. A snow melt control with a slab sensor and a moisture or aerial sensor, so the
system starts when it is snowing and stops when the slab is clear. Manual only control is a way to
run up a gas bill and still find the driveway iced over when you get home.
Sizing is the whole job. The heat load of an exterior slab in a Calgary January is
substantially larger than the heat load of the house it sits beside. A system that cannot deliver
enough heat to the area you asked it to clear will disappoint you every storm, and no amount of
running it longer will fix that. Getting the area, the tubing spacing and the boiler capacity right
at design stage is the difference between a system that works and an expensive warm patch.
What we will tell you honestly
Do the whole thing at once, or do a section properly. Half a driveway heated to half the
capacity it needs is the worst of both worlds. If the budget will not cover the full area, heat the
part that matters most, the tyre tracks, the walk or the stairs, and heat it properly.
Plan the drainage with the heat. Where does the meltwater go, and what happens to it when it
gets there? This is the question that separates a system people love from one they regret.
Timing beats everything. If your driveway is being replaced in two years, wait and do it then.
The tubing is a small part of the cost of a project that includes a new surface, and a large part
of the cost of a project that includes removing a perfectly good one.
Ask what it will cost to run before you commit. We will give you an honest picture based on the
area, the insulation under the slab and the control strategy. Anyone who quotes a snow melt system
without discussing running cost is not being straight with you.
Servicing an existing system
We service and repair snow melt systems we did not install.
- Glycol testing and replacement. Glycol degrades and its inhibitors deplete. Old glycol turns
acidic and attacks the system from the inside. It should be tested annually and changed on
schedule. - Pressure and air. Same as any hydronic loop: air stops flow, and falling pressure means
something is losing fluid. - Sensors and controls. A slab sensor or moisture sensor that has failed leaves you with a
system that either never runs or never stops. - Heat exchanger and pump checks.
- Boiler service, because the heat source is a boiler and it has its own annual requirements.
Booking it
Call 403-404-9975. If you are planning a driveway, patio or walkway replacement, call before the
surface work is booked rather than after, because the tubing goes in first.
What is free
A written quote, 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 a project this size you will see three options rather than one: the area that matters most done
properly, the version we would recommend, and the full installation. We will tell you which one we
would choose in our own house.
Frequently asked questions
How does a heated driveway work?
Tubing laid under the surface carries a warmed water and glycol mixture from a boiler. A control with a slab sensor and a moisture sensor starts the system when it is snowing and stops it once the surface is clear, so snow melts as it lands and meltwater drains instead of refreezing into ice.
Can you retrofit snow melt under an existing driveway?
In almost every case the surface has to come off, because the tubing goes into the base or the slab before the surface does. That is why the right time to install it is when a driveway, walkway or patio is being built or replaced. If your surface is due for replacement soon, wait and do both together.
Does a snow melt system run all winter?
No. A properly controlled system runs when it is needed, triggered by temperature and moisture, and holds the slab just below the point where it would otherwise have to start from cold. Manual only control is how people run up a gas bill and still come home to ice.
Is a heated driveway expensive to run in Calgary?
It depends on the area, the insulation under the slab and the control strategy, and it is a real cost that should be discussed before you commit, not afterwards. Heating a smaller area properly is usually a better decision than heating a large area marginally.
Can my existing boiler run a snow melt system?
Sometimes, if it has genuine spare capacity, because an exterior slab in a Calgary January is a larger heat load than the house next to it. A Gradient syncFURNACE Boiler has the hydronics and pump relays built in, which simplifies the mechanical side. We will work out the load before telling you either way.
Can you heat just the stairs or the walkway?
Yes, and it is often the smartest version of this project. Exterior stairs are where people fall and are the hardest thing to keep clear by hand. A short run under the steps and the landing is a small project with a large benefit.
Written by Desmond Neufeld, Red Seal Journeyman Plumber and Certified Type B Gasfitter. Last updated 23 August 2026.
