Snowmelt
Snowmelt that starts before the shoveling would.
Warm fluid runs through tubing set beneath pavers, concrete or asphalt. A sensor starts the system when snow begins, so the surface stays clear instead of being cleared.
A good fit when
A steep or shaded drive
Entry steps and landings
A long walk to the garage or the hot tub
A drive you don't want plowed against the garage door
What we plan
Where the heat goes, and where the water goes.
A snowmelt system is a site plan as much as a mechanical one.
Area and pavement
Which surfaces, how much, and whether they are pavers, concrete or asphalt.
Loop layout on the site plan
Tubing spacing and loop lengths drawn on the grading plan and shared with the landscape architect.
Its own loop and heat exchanger
The fluid contains antifreeze, so it runs in a separate loop from the house heating.
Heat source sized for it
Snowmelt asks a lot of a boiler or heat pump. We size for it and say plainly what it adds to the load.
Sensors and idle setting
A pavement sensor starts the system. An outdoor sensor can hold the slab just above freezing between storms.
Edges and drains
Melt water has to leave where it can't refreeze across a walk.
Questions about this work
How does snowmelt know when to run?
A sensor on the pavement detects moisture near freezing and starts the system, and an outdoor sensor holds the slab just above freezing between storms if you want it ready. You can also switch it on from a panel or an app. We show you how it behaves before we leave.
Does it keep up in a very heavy storm?
Snowmelt is sized to a snowfall rate. In an unusual storm it can fall behind and catch up afterward. We put the design rate on the plan, so you know what the system was built for.
Can snowmelt go under an existing drive?
Only when the surface is coming up anyway. We don't cut tubing into finished concrete.
Who pulls the permits?
We pull the mechanical permit and schedule the inspections for our work. On a new home the builder may hold the main permit, and we then work under it. Your architect and builder will tell us which applies.
Tell us about the house.
A few lines about the site and the schedule are enough to start.