Hydronic Heater Rental for Ground Thawing
Industrial Hydronic Heaters, Ideal for Thawing Frozen Ground During Construction
We partner with construction companies firms to keep projects on schedule through every season, using radiant heat to quickly thaw frozen ground
Your construction project can’t slow to a crawl just because temperatures dip – but hard ground is challenging to work with, and frost is unacceptable when it comes to the safety of your equipment, processes, and people. Effective heating can solve your ground thaw challenges, but only if it’s easy to deploy and flexible to move around your work site.
We keep construction projects on track with hydronic ground thaw heaters, providing consistent, radiant heat across a wide surface. Our temporary hydronic heating solutions let you:
- Thaw frost to enable your construction processes
- Improve site safety by effectively removing frost and ice
- Undertake concrete curing using the same hydronic heater unit
- Meet your environmental goals with flexible fuel options
- Reduce fuel consumption and lower operating costs with radiant surface heat that requires fewer BTUs
Multiple heater applications across construction stages
- Safely thaw frozen ground in a shorter and more predictable amount of time. Our ground thaw heating solutions are mounted on wheels for easy mobility across a surface. Compared to heating entire structures or low hoards, our frozen ground thawing equipment lets you focus warmth where you need it – and minimize disruption to your project schedule.
- Prevent concrete carbonization by curing with clean, dry, forced air or radiant heat – available from the same ground thaw hydronic heater rental. We’ll help you place concrete all year round and enable immediate use with a single unit capable of curing up to 36,000 sq. ft.
Discover Aggreko’s ground thaw heating equipment
900,000 BTU Groundthaw Heater
Aggreko’s Greener Approach: Fume- and flame-free heaters with expanded fuel choices
In commercial and industrial applications – especially outdoors – heating can be an energy-intensive task. That’s why we’ve invested in our fleet to deliver the highest levels of sustainability and efficiency without compromising on performance.
Beyond removing direct-fired open-flame heaters from our fleet, we provide fume, flame, and moisture-free heating solutions.
Our ground thaw hydronic heaters offer high levels of efficiency, reducing fuel consumption compared to indirect air heaters.
Key parts of our greener approach include:
- Investment in 83% efficient hydronic heaters
- Wider fuel options, including propane, natural gas and diesel
- Expert rightsizing to match our heating solutions to your needs for optimal performance & efficiencies
Why do businesses choose ground thaw heaters from Aggreko?
When people need to deliver warmth across a surface area with the highest levels of performance and reliability, they turn to us.
- Rightsized solutions - We’ll help you with the right solution for your needs, no matter how large.
- 24/7 Remote Monitoring - With Aggreko’s Remote Monitoring service, we optimize the performance of all your heating equipment.
- Application-focused - We understand thawing - curing and can recommend the right equipment for the job.
Frequently asked questions
A ground thaw heater is a specialized heating solution used to warm frozen ground, making it suitable for construction activities including excavation, concrete pouring, and foundation work. These heaters use hydronic heat technology, circulating heated fluid through hoses or panels placed over or inserted into the ground. This evenly distributes warmth to thaw frozen soil quickly.
Using a ground thaw heater involves several steps:
- Preparing the site – Remove any debris or snow from the frozen ground.
- Place the hose or panels – Lay down the hydronic heating hoses or heat transfer panels directly on the area to be thawed.
- Circulate heat – The heater will pump heated glycol-based fluid through the hoses or panels, transferring warmth to the frozen ground.
- Monitor and adjust – Depending on soil conditions and frost depth, it may take some adjustment to thaw the ground optimally.
- Begin construction – Once the ground reaches the required temperature, construction work can start.
Hydronic ground thaw heaters are significantly more efficient than traditional heating methods, such as direct-fired heaters or steam-based thawing. For example, hydronic heaters:
- Operate at up to 83% efficiency compared to indirect air heaters, which run at about 70% efficiency.
- Increase fuel savings by 15-20% due to their increased efficiency.
- Provide even, controlled heating, preventing overheating in some areas while leaving others frozen.
- Emit clean, dry heat, avoiding moisture-related issues common with direct-fired, open-flame heaters.
The time required to fully thaw an area depends on environmental conditions, as well as the scalability of the heating solution. Customized heating plans can be tailored to specific project needs, considering factors such as:
- Size of the area – More units can be added as needed.
- Frost depth – Units can be configured for deeper penetration if required.
- Project timeline – Heating intensity and distribution can be adjusted to accelerate thawing where necessary.
- Energy efficiency goals – Rightsized solutions prevent overuse of fuel while maintaining optimal performance.
Our hydronic ground thaw heaters can cover a wide area. The actual coverage depends on the number of units deployed and the ground conditions.
Multiple units can be deployed together to cover larger areas or speed up thawing times when using modular and scalable units. This means that instead of waiting for one unit to complete a job, multiple heaters can be arranged to operate in parallel, significantly reducing the overall time needed for large-scale ground thawing.
The fastest and most efficient way to thaw frozen ground is to use a hydronic ground thaw heater. This heater circulates heated glycol through hoses or panels placed on the surface or into drilled holes, allowing the heat to penetrate deep into the frozen soil.
This not only delivers consistent heating, working faster than alternatives like direct-fired heaters or salt-based thawing, but it can also be scaled up for large surface areas.
The exact duration depends on the depth of frost and weather conditions. However, on average, light frost (under six inches) can thaw in just a few hours, while heavy frost (over four feet) can take several days to a week.
Using a hydronic ground thaw heater speeds up this process compared to natural thawing, which can take several weeks.
Aggreko provides hydronic ground thaw heaters that use a closed-loop system to deliver consistent, efficient heat across surfaces. Our solutions:
- Operate at up to 83% efficiency, reducing fuel consumption.
- Offer scalable heating solutions for both small-scale and larger projects.
- Support various fuel options to align with your sustainability goals.
- Can be used for ground thawing, concrete curing, and temporary heating in cold environments.
We offer hydronic and ground thaw heaters in multiple sizes to suit your project – choose from the 400,000 or 900,000 BTU ground thaw heaters or the 900,000 or 1,200,000 BTU hydronic heaters.
Industrial and commercial rental solutions – anytime, anywhere
We deliver dependable industrial heating rentals tailored to your specific needs — whether for construction, maintenance, or emergency response. In addition to heating, we offer complete temporary solutions for power generation, cooling, electrical distribution and more to keep your operations running — wherever and whenever you need us.