What does this snow melt system annual checklist cover?

15 items across 5 sections, covering shutdown and lockout, hydronic fluid and pump, electric circuits and protection, controls and sensors, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.

Who should run this inspection?

The hydronic service tech or the licensed electrician on the annual service, matched to whether the slab is fluid-heated or electric.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Once a year in the off-season, when the fluid can be tested and topped or the electric circuits can be de-energized for insulation and ground-fault testing.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

6 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 6 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails a snow melt system annual inspection?

Glycol never tested, so a diluted or degraded mix leaves the buried slab loops exposed the first hard freeze after a top-off with plain water. GFEP on an electric system never functionally tripped, so a nuisance-tripping or dead branch is only found when that stretch of slab won't clear.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Snow melt system annual maintenance checklist

The annual snow melt system service is the deep pass: the measurements, cleanings and tests a quarterly round doesn't reach. This checklist keeps the full service on record with the photos that make it defensible later. Work is commonly verified against manufacturer's published instructions. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Shutdown and lockout

Owner told the system is down for its annual service
Owner's facility staff told the slab will not melt during the service and when it returns to automatic, so no one relies on it in an early storm.
No photo
Every heating source and circuit locked out before the service
Controller, pumps, heat source and each branch locked, tagged, tried dead. Powered checks (pump, heat, mixing, GFEP, controls): covers on, people clear, locks off by whoever hung them, re-locked.

Hydronic fluid and pump

Glycol concentration and condition tested
Freeze protection of the mix measured against the design low temperature, fluid checked for pH or inhibitor breakdown and topped with the correct glycol, not water.
No photo
Circulator pump and manifold zone flow serviced
Pump running without cavitation or seal weep, system purged of air, each manifold loop set and confirmed for balanced flow.
No photo
Heat source and heat exchanger checked
Boiler or heat exchanger reaching supply temperature under load, no scaling or fouling starving the snow-melt loop, expansion and make-up in order.
No photo
Mixing or injection control proven on the slab supply
On hydronic, the mixing valve or injection pump holding slab supply at the design temperature and return warm enough to protect the heat source, checked with the loop running.
No photo

Electric circuits and protection

Slab heating circuits tested for continuity and insulation
Each mat or cable circuit read for continuity and insulation resistance against the manufacturer's expected values, no branch open or leaking to ground.
No photo
Ground-fault equipment protection functionally tripped and reset
GFEP device tripped with its test function and confirmed to reset, contactors and connections checked for heat with the slab energized.
No photo
Cold lead junction boxes opened and checked on electric
On electric, with the branch re-locked, each junction box at the slab edge dry inside, splices and ground connections intact, gaskets and conduit seals sound.
No photo

Controls and sensors

Sensor resistance read against the manufacturer's table
Slab sensor read at the controller and compared with the manufacturer's table at a measured slab temperature, moisture sensor and its heater tested per the instructions.
Cutoff, run-on and any idle settings recorded from the controller
Cold weather cutoff, after-run time and any idle slab temperature the controller has read off, compared with the design sequence and filed, any change explained.
Control panel relays, contactors and terminals checked
With the system re-locked, contacts free of pitting and burning, terminals checked tight with any found loose tightened, no heat marks on wiring or the panel back.

Freeze protection and integrity

Freeze protection and drainage verified before winter
Exposed piping, sensors and drains protected, hydronic loops holding pressure or electric slab megger clean, whole system left ready for an automatic call.
Locks removed and the system started through a full melt call
Covers refitted, locks removed by whoever hung them, a simulated melt call run with every zone warming, then the controller returned to automatic for the season.
Service readings filed as next year's baseline
Glycol freeze point, insulation resistance, GFEP results and controller settings filed against the system, compared with last year's, and gaps reported to the owner.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Glycol never tested, so a diluted or degraded mix leaves the buried slab loops exposed the first hard freeze after a top-off with plain water.
GFEP on an electric system never functionally tripped, so a nuisance-tripping or dead branch is only found when that stretch of slab won't clear.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this snow melt system annual checklist cover?: 15 items across 5 sections, covering shutdown and lockout, hydronic fluid and pump, electric circuits and protection, controls and sensors, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: The hydronic service tech or the licensed electrician on the annual service, matched to whether the slab is fluid-heated or electric.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Once a year in the off-season, when the fluid can be tested and topped or the electric circuits can be de-energized for insulation and ground-fault testing.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 6 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 6 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails a snow melt system annual inspection?: Glycol never tested, so a diluted or degraded mix leaves the buried slab loops exposed the first hard freeze after a top-off with plain water. GFEP on an electric system never functionally tripped, so a nuisance-tripping or dead branch is only found when that stretch of slab won't clear.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

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Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 6 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.