Most heating questions we get across Metro Vancouver come down to a few straight answers. A boiler heats water that circulates to radiators or floor loops, while a water heater heats the water you use at the taps; a combi boiler does both. Have a licensed gas technician inspect a gas furnace or boiler once a year, before the heating season. Check a standard furnace filter monthly and replace it every one to three months. A heat pump works best here paired with your gas furnace as a dual-fuel system.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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The questions below are the ones Metro Vancouver homeowners actually phone and email us about — what a visit costs, how long a system should last, whether a heat pump will work in a house that already has a gas furnace, what a strata council will want to see, and who is legally allowed to open a gas appliance. Short answer first, detail underneath.
The essentials: a furnace diagnostic visit is $189 plus GST; repair and replacement work is quoted in writing before anything starts, and quotes cost nothing. BC Wide is a Technical Safety BC Licensed Gas Contractor (LGA0090068, Class B Gas Licence CGA0028029) with Red Seal technicians, serving the Lower Mainland from Burnaby since 1999. One number: (604) 473-9690.
Costs, fees and quotes
How much does it cost to have someone come out and look at my furnace?
A furnace diagnostic visit is $189 plus GST. That is a flat fee covering the technician's attendance and the diagnostic work itself — the heat-cycle test, the fault-code readout, the component inspection, the explanation of what has failed, and a written estimate for the repair. There is no separate dispatch or travel charge layered on top, and the fee is the same anywhere in our service area. It does not include parts or repair labour; those are quoted separately, in writing, and you decide whether to proceed.
Do you charge to quote a new furnace, boiler, heat pump or water heater?
No. Replacement quotes are free. A diagnostic fee applies when you need us to find out what is wrong with equipment you already have; it does not apply when you are asking us to price new equipment. If a technician is at your home on a paid diagnostic and the honest answer turns out to be replacement, you get both paths — repair and replacement — in writing.
Why won't you give me a price over the phone?
For a straightforward like-for-like swap we can often give you a sensible range on the phone once we know the equipment and the layout. What we will not do is commit to a firm number for work we have not seen, because on real Lower Mainland installations the price is driven by things you cannot describe down a phone line: venting runs and whether they can be reused, gas-line sizing for a larger appliance, electrical capacity, access to the mechanical room or crawlspace, condensate drainage, permits, and code upgrades an older installation needs to meet today's requirements. A number given blind is either padded to be safe or revised upward later. Neither is how we want to start.
What actually drives the cost of a replacement?
- Equipment and capacity — the appliance itself, correctly sized for your home rather than matched to whatever was there before.
- Venting — a high-efficiency appliance vents differently than the one it replaces; sometimes existing venting is reusable, sometimes it is not.
- Gas line — a bigger or additional appliance may need a larger supply line or a re-sized manifold.
- Electrical — heat pumps and some water heaters need dedicated circuits and adequate panel capacity.
- Access and removal — tight crawlspaces, stairwells, and rooftop or balcony locations take longer. Removal and disposal of the old equipment is included in our installation work.
- Permits and code upgrades — permit requirements vary by municipality, and an older installation sometimes needs bringing up to current code as part of the work.
Everything above goes into one written quote with the scope spelled out, so you can compare it fairly against anyone else's. The price you approve is the price you pay for that scope.
Is financing available?
Yes, financing is available and can spread the cost of a larger repair or a full replacement. We will walk you through what is on offer at the time you are buying, since terms and available plans change. Ask when you book and we will bring the current details to the appointment.
On pricing generally: any range we publish is a ballpark for planning, not a quote. Your price comes from a written estimate after a technician has seen the installation. We do not publish rebate amounts, financing terms or tune-up pricing, because those change and we would rather tell you what is true on the day than leave a stale number on a web page.
Booking a visit
How do I book, and what should I have ready?
Phone (604) 473-9690 or email info@bcwide.ca. The visit goes faster — and the quote comes back more accurate — if you have four things ready:
- A photo of the rating plate. That is the metal or foil label on the appliance showing make, model and serial number. It is the single most useful thing you can send us. It tells us the appliance family, its age, its input, and which parts actually fit.
- The symptom in your own words — no heat, lukewarm water, short-cycling, a blinking light, a new noise, water on the floor, a smell.
- Any fault code or light pattern exactly as it appears on the unit. Please do not look the code up and tell us what it means — tell us what it shows. The same code can sit on top of several different failures, and we cross-reference it against the manufacturer's manual rather than a generic internet list.
- Approximate age, if you know it, and whether you are the original owner.
Clear a little space around the appliance and have the thermostat accessible. If you are in a condo or a strata building, see the strata section below — there is usually paperwork to sort out first.
Can I send photos instead of describing it?
Please do. Photos of the rating plate, the appliance as installed, the venting, the thermostat and anything visibly wrong let us arrive with the likely parts on the van. Email them to info@bcwide.ca with your address and a phone number.
How quickly can you come out, and do you work outside business hours?
We offer weekend and after-hours service availability, and genuine no-heat and no-hot-water situations get priority scheduling. When you call we will tell you honestly what the next available window looks like rather than promise something we cannot hold. In a cold snap, heating calls across the region spike and everybody's schedule tightens — booking annual service in late summer or early autumn is how you avoid being in that queue.
What if it is an actual emergency?
If you smell gas, hear hissing near gas piping, or a carbon-monoxide alarm is sounding, this is not a service call — leave the building and phone your gas utility's 24-hour emergency line or 911 from outside. See the safety section at the end of this page. We attend after the utility has made the scene safe.
Where we work
Which areas do you serve?
We work throughout Greater Vancouver and the Lower Mainland from our shop at 7325 6th Street in Burnaby: Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Surrey, Delta, Langley, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and the surrounding communities. The Burnaby base keeps travel times short across the region, and the diagnostic fee does not change with distance inside the service area.
Do you work on detached houses, townhouses and apartments?
All three. Detached homes and townhouses are straightforward. Apartments, condos and high-rises come with building rules and approval steps on top of the mechanical work, which is the next section.
Heat pumps
Will a heat pump actually work in Metro Vancouver?
Yes — this is one of the better climates in Canada for one. Our winters are mild and wet rather than deeply cold, which is the condition a heat pump handles well, and it cools in summer as the same appliance. That said, the honest answer for most homes here is not "heat pump instead of everything". It is about matching the system to the house, the electrical service and the budget, and we will tell you when a heat pump is not the sensible choice for your place.
I have a gas furnace. Do I have to give it up to get a heat pump?
No, and often you should not. Keeping the gas furnace and adding a heat pump gives you a dual-fuel system: the heat pump carries the heating load through the mild majority of our heating season, and the furnace takes over in the coldest stretches. You get cooling in summer, lower running costs through most of the year, and the furnace as a proven backup on the worst nights. It is the most common upgrade path we install on houses that already have ducted gas heat, and it avoids the electrical work a full changeover would demand.
My home has electric baseboards. What are my options?
A ductless system — an outdoor unit with one or more indoor heads — is the usual answer, because there are no ducts to build. It heats and cools, it is zoned room by room, and it typically runs far cheaper than resistance baseboards. How many heads and where they go depends on your layout, and that is a site visit rather than a phone estimate.
Can my electrical panel handle a heat pump?
This is a real constraint and worth checking early, particularly on older homes with a 100-amp service. Whether a given system fits your existing service depends on the equipment selected, what else is on the panel, and how the load calculation works out — a smaller or more efficient unit, or a dual-fuel arrangement that leaves the gas furnace doing the heavy lifting, will often fit where a full electric changeover would not. We look at the panel as part of quoting, and if a service upgrade is genuinely needed we say so up front rather than discovering it on installation day.
Does a heat pump need servicing like a furnace?
Yes, annually. It runs in both seasons, so it accumulates roughly twice the hours of a heating-only appliance. Coils, filters, condensate drainage, refrigerant circuit and the outdoor unit's clearances all need attention, and the wet coastal environment is hard on outdoor equipment.
Condos and strata buildings
Can you work in my condo or strata building?
Yes, and we do it regularly. About a third of the enquiries we get are from apartments, condos and townhouses, and the mechanical work is usually the easy part — the approval process is what catches people out.
What will my strata council or property manager ask for?
Typically three things before they will approve mechanical work: proof of contractor licensing, proof of liability insurance, and a written scope of work describing exactly what will be done. We supply all three as a matter of course — our Technical Safety BC contractor licence details, our insurance documentation, and a written estimate with the scope spelled out. Buildings sometimes also want a schedule for elevator or common-area access, and some require the work to go before council rather than just the manager, which affects timing more than anything else.
Am I allowed to change the equipment in my unit?
That depends on the building, not on us. Bylaws differ on what may be installed, where outdoor equipment or penetrations are permitted, what noise limits apply, and whether the appliance is even yours — in many buildings the heating equipment serving a unit is common property. We can tell you what is technically possible in your space and give you the documentation to take to the council, but the permission itself comes from the building.
My unit has a fan coil, not a furnace. Do you service those?
Yes. Fan coils fed by a building's central loop are common in Lower Mainland apartments, and they need filters, coil cleaning, condensate attention and controls work like anything else. Where the fault sits in the building's central plant rather than your unit, we will tell you plainly — that is a strata matter, and knowing which side of the line a problem falls on saves you paying for the wrong repair.
What about tight spaces?
Closet and balcony installations, low crawlspaces and awkward stairwells are normal in this market. Access affects labour time and sometimes limits which equipment will physically fit, which is exactly why we quote after seeing the space.
Water heaters: tank and tankless
Should I replace my tank with another tank, or go tankless?
Both are reasonable; the right answer depends on your household and your building. A tank is simpler, cheaper to install, and keeps a reservoir of hot water ready. A tankless unit heats on demand, takes up less space, and does not run out during back-to-back showers, but it asks more of the installation: venting, an adequately sized gas supply, condensate drainage, and periodic servicing. If your hot water runs out with the current tank, or you are reclaiming the floor space, tankless earns its keep. If the existing tank is sized fine and the installation is straightforward, another tank is often the sensible spend. We install Bradford White and Rheem tankless equipment.
How do I know when a water heater is due?
Age plus symptoms. Rusty or discoloured hot water, a rumbling or popping tank, hot water running out sooner than it used to, moisture around the base, or a tank that needs its pilot relit repeatedly are all reasons to have it looked at. Any water on the floor coming from the tank body itself means replacement, not repair — a leaking tank cannot be fixed, and the failure tends to get worse quickly.
Does a tankless unit need maintenance?
Yes, and it is worth doing. Servicing keeps the heat exchanger and the inlet filter screen clear and lets us check venting, combustion and the gas supply. Metro Vancouver water is soft, so this is not the limescale problem you read about on American websites — here it is heat-driven deposits and general debris, which is a gentler issue but still needs attention.
Can you work on the gas side yourself, or do I need a separate plumber?
We are a licensed gas contractor, so the same visit covers the appliance and the gas work. That matters on water heaters more than people expect: venting and gas-line sizing are where a lot of installations go wrong, and both are restricted work in British Columbia.
Brands, models and parts
Which brands do you work on?
All the major furnace, boiler, heat pump and water heater brands found in Lower Mainland homes. We are an independent contractor, not a factory-authorized dealer — a distinction worth understanding. It means our recommendation is not tied to selling one manufacturer's equipment, and we will service what you already own rather than steering you to a brand we are contracted to push.
Do you have favourites?
For hydronic work we have a lot of time for Super Hot, built by Allied Engineering in North Vancouver, and IBC, also a BC company. Local manufacturing means parts and technical support that actually answer the phone in our time zone, which matters more on a February breakdown than any spec sheet. For tankless we install Bradford White and Rheem.
Will you use a genuine part or a generic one?
It depends on the part, and we will tell you which you are getting. Some components — igniters, flame sensors, gas valves, control boards — are brand- and model-specific, and matching them properly from the rating plate is the whole job. Others, like circulator pumps, expansion tanks and zone valves on a hydronic system, are standard components selected by function and sized to the system rather than to the boiler's badge. What decides it is the appliance's own manual, which is why we ask for the model and serial before sourcing anything.
I know exactly which part I need. Can I just tell you?
Send us the model and serial from the rating plate along with the part you believe has failed, and we will confirm it against the manual before ordering. A surprising share of the enquiries we get name a specific model or part number, and those calls are the easiest ones to get right — but we still verify, because the same model designation can cover several production revisions with different parts.
Age, warranty and repair-or-replace
My furnace is fifteen years old. Repair it or replace it?
Age alone does not decide it. What decides it is the cost of this repair against the remaining life and running cost of the appliance, plus how the failure reads. A single component failure on an otherwise sound, well-maintained unit is usually worth fixing. Repeated failures, a cracked or failed heat exchanger, or a repair bill approaching a meaningful share of replacement cost points the other way. A technician who has just inspected it can tell you which of those you are looking at, and you will get both options in writing with the trade-offs laid out.
Is my repair covered by warranty?
Possibly, and it is worth checking before you pay for parts. Coverage depends on the manufacturer, the appliance, its age, whether it was registered after installation, and whether you are the original owner — terms vary too much for us to tell you what yours says. Send us the model and serial number and we will help you find out where you stand. Note that manufacturer coverage usually applies to the part itself rather than the labour to fit it.
I have just bought a house. What should I check?
Find the rating plates on the furnace or boiler and the water heater and note the model and serial numbers — those tell you the age. Ask whether the previous owner has service records. Then have the heating system and the gas appliances inspected before your first winter, particularly if the house has been sitting empty or the equipment's history is unknown. It is cheaper than discovering the problem in January, and an inspection report gives you a baseline for what you actually own.
How long should equipment last here?
Service life varies by appliance, installation quality and maintenance more than by brand, so treat any single number with suspicion. What is reliably true in this climate is that maintained equipment lasts materially longer than neglected equipment, and that our wet coastal conditions are especially hard on condensate systems, outdoor vent terminations and outdoor heat pump units. Annual service is the cheapest thing you can do to push a replacement further out.
Rebates, permits and paperwork
Are there rebates for upgrading?
Often yes — CleanBC, FortisBC and BC Hydro have run programs covering various efficiency upgrades, and heat pumps in particular. We deliberately do not publish amounts or eligibility rules here, because these programs change and a stale figure on a web page is worse than no figure. What we do is confirm what is actually available and what you qualify for at the time you are buying, before you commit. Some programs require pre-approval or a specific sequence of paperwork, so tell us you are interested in rebates at the quoting stage rather than after the install.
Do I need a permit?
For gas work and equipment replacement, usually — but requirements and fees vary by municipality, and the Lower Mainland is a patchwork. Permit handling is part of a properly scoped installation quote, and as a licensed gas contractor we pull the gas permits for our own work. If someone is quoting you noticeably cheaper without mentioning permits, that is worth asking about.
Can you provide documentation for insurance or a real-estate transaction?
Yes. Written estimates, inspection findings and our contractor licence details are routinely needed for insurance requirements, strata approvals and property sales, and we will put what we found in writing.
Licensing, and who actually shows up
What licences does BC Wide hold?
BC Wide Home Services Ltd is a Technical Safety BC Licensed Gas Contractor — LGA0090068, holding a Class B Gas Licence, CGA0028029. Our technicians are Red Seal certified. We have served the Lower Mainland since 1999 and we are based in Burnaby.
Why does that matter for my repair?
Because in British Columbia, work on gas appliances, burners, gas piping and venting is legally restricted to licensed gas technicians. A person who is not licensed can look at your furnace from the outside and guess; they cannot lawfully open the gas side to find out. It also means the person diagnosing your appliance is the person qualified to fix it, so you are not paying twice to have two different trades work out the same problem.
What can I safely do myself before calling?
A short list, and it occasionally solves the problem outright: check the thermostat is set to Heat and calling above room temperature, check the switch near the appliance (it looks like a light switch) is on, check the breaker has not tripped, and change a visibly dirty filter. On high-efficiency appliances, make sure the outdoor intake and exhaust terminations are clear of leaves, snow and nests. Then stop. Do not open burner compartments, bypass safety switches or touch gas piping.
Are you insured, and will I get it in writing?
Yes to both. Liability insurance documentation is available on request — strata councils ask for it regularly — and every job is quoted in writing with the scope defined before work starts.
Gas and carbon-monoxide safety
If you smell gas or a CO alarm sounds, this page is not the right place to be. If you smell gas (a rotten-egg odour), hear hissing near gas piping, or your carbon-monoxide alarm sounds — or anyone in the home has unexplained headaches, dizziness or nausea that improves outdoors — leave the house immediately without operating switches, then call your gas utility's 24-hour emergency line or 911 from outside. Do not try to find or fix a gas leak yourself.
Gas appliance repairs, burner work and anything involving gas piping or venting are legally restricted to licensed gas technicians in British Columbia. Homeowners should limit themselves to thermostat settings, breaker checks, filter changes and clearing outdoor vent terminations. Install CSA-approved carbon-monoxide alarms on every level of any home with fuel-burning appliances, and test them monthly.
Why does a technician inspect the heat exchanger?
Because a failed heat exchanger is the fault that turns a comfort problem into a safety problem: it is the barrier between combustion gases and the air you breathe. Where the appliance design allows visual inspection, it is part of every diagnostic and every maintenance visit. If we find one has failed, we will tell you the appliance should not run, and we will say so in writing.
Do I need a CO alarm if my furnace is new?
Yes. Age is not protection, and the failure modes that produce carbon monoxide are not ones you can smell or see. Any home with a fuel-burning appliance — furnace, boiler, gas water heater, gas fireplace, gas range — should have CSA-approved CO alarms on every level, tested monthly.
Still have a question?
Phone (604) 473-9690 or email info@bcwide.ca. Send a photo of the rating plate and a line about the symptom, and you will get a straight answer — not a sales pitch.
BC Wide Home Services Ltd · Burnaby · serving the Lower Mainland since 1999 · Technical Safety BC Licensed Gas Contractor LGA0090068 · Class B Gas Licence CGA0028029 · Red Seal technicians · written estimates · financing available · request a quote
What is a boiler, and how can I tell if my home has one?
A residential boiler is a gas-fired appliance that heats water and uses a circulator pump to move it through a closed loop of piping to radiators, hydronic fin-tube convectors or tubing buried in the floor. The same water goes round and round. It is sealed, kept under modest pressure and protected by an expansion tank and a pressure relief valve. Heat leaves the water through the radiator or the floor surface, which is why boiler heat feels even and quiet: nothing blows, and there is no dust carried around the house on moving air.
A water heater is a different job. A gas tank or tankless water heater heats the drinkable water you use for showers, dishes and laundry, and that water is used once and leaves the house. Boiler water never reaches a tap. It is usually treated with a corrosion inhibitor, and it should never be drained and topped up casually, because every litre of fresh water brings in new oxygen and dissolved minerals. Plenty of homes have both appliances side by side; others use a single combi boiler, covered in the next section.
People sometimes ask how heating with a boiler differs from heating with natural gas. In most Lower Mainland homes the boiler is the natural gas appliance. The real comparison is boiler versus furnace. A furnace burns gas, warms air across a heat exchanger and blows that air through ducts. A boiler burns gas, warms water across a heat exchanger and pumps that water through pipes. Both are gas heating; they differ in what carries the heat to your rooms. The table below is the quickest way to tell which one you have without opening any panels.
Owner-safe check: find the appliance (basement, utility closet, garage or a townhouse mechanical room) and read the rating plate label, which lists the make, model, serial number and fuel type. Do not remove burner or cabinet covers. If you live in an older apartment or strata building and see only radiators and valves in your suite, the heat almost certainly comes from a central building boiler that the strata's contractor maintains, and your only controls are the radiator valves or a suite thermostat.
| What to look for | Boiler (hydronic heat) | Furnace (forced air) |
|---|---|---|
| How heat reaches the room | Radiators, fin-tube convectors or warm floors | Floor, wall or ceiling registers blowing warm air |
| What connects to the appliance | Several pipes, a circulator pump, an expansion tank and a pressure relief valve | Large sheet-metal supply and return ducts |
| Gauge on or near the unit | A combined pressure and temperature gauge | Usually none |
| Air filter | None on the heating loop; may have a dirt separator or magnetic filter | Yes, in a slot or cabinet on the return side, or behind a return grille |
| Sound while running | Near silent, with occasional ticking as pipes expand | Blower noise and moving air at the registers |
| Can the same system cool the house | No | Yes, if central air or a dual-fuel heat pump shares the ducts |
Can a boiler heat my home and my hot water too? What is a combi boiler?
Yes, and there are two common ways to do it. The first is a combi (combination) boiler: a condensing gas boiler with a built-in plate heat exchanger that makes domestic hot water on demand. When nobody is using hot water, it heats the house. When a tap opens, it gives the hot water priority and pauses space heating briefly, then goes back to the heating loop when the tap closes. There is no storage tank, which is why combis are popular in townhouses, condos with their own gas service and smaller detached homes where the mechanical room is tight. Brands we service in this category include Navien, Rinnai, Noritz and Bosch; we are an independent contractor, not a dealer for any of them.
The second way is a standard boiler paired with an indirect-fired storage tank. Boiler water passes through a heat exchanger inside the tank and warms the drinking water without ever mixing with it. Because a tank holds a volume of hot water ready to go, this setup handles two or three showers running at once better than most on-demand arrangements, and it suits larger homes with several bathrooms or a basement suite drawing hot water at the same time as the main floor.
Which one fits depends on things we measure on site rather than on a brochure: how many hot water outlets run at the same time, the capacity of the existing gas piping, where a new vent can terminate legally, and the temperature of your incoming water. Metro Vancouver's supply water is cold in winter, so any on-demand appliance delivers less hot water flow at the tap in January than it does in August. Output figures are manufacturer-published; verify them for your specific model with the installer before you commit.
Can a boiler cool the house? No. A boiler only makes heat, and running chilled water through radiators or floors is not a practical residential option because surfaces sweat. If you want cooling in a hydronic home, that is a separate ducted system. In some houses we add an air handler and ductwork for a dual-fuel heat pump, with the boiler feeding a hydronic heat exchanger inside that air handler so the boiler still carries the coldest nights. Whether that is realistic depends on where ducts can run, which is a site-visit question.
One more local point. Our water is soft, so hydronic trouble here is rarely limescale. It is sludge and corrosion: black iron-oxide sediment from older steel and cast-iron components, made worse by oxygen getting into the loop through repeated top-ups or non-barrier tubing. Signs include radiators that stay cold at the bottom while warm at the top, a noisy circulator, and pressure that keeps drifting. Before a new high-efficiency boiler goes onto an old system, a correct job includes flushing the loop, adding a dirt separator or magnetic filter, and treating the water, because the narrow passages in a condensing heat exchanger do not tolerate sludge.
How does a modulating furnace work, and what do the ratings on the label mean?
Gas furnaces come in three basic firing styles. A single-stage furnace has one setting: the gas valve is fully open or fully closed. A two-stage furnace adds a low-fire setting and runs there most of the time, stepping up to high fire on cold days. A modulating furnace has a gas valve that adjusts in small increments across a range, paired with a variable-speed blower that matches airflow to the flame. The control watches how quickly the house loses heat and trims the output so the furnace runs long and low instead of blasting and shutting off.
The benefits are steadier temperatures, quieter operation, fewer on-off cycles that wear ignition parts, and better filtration because air passes through the filter more often. That suits our climate well. Most of a Metro Vancouver heating season is spent in cool, wet, mild weather where the house needs only a small part of the furnace's full output, and that is exactly where modulation earns its keep. The honest caveat: a modulating furnace only behaves like one when the ductwork is sized properly and the thermostat is compatible with its controls. Put one on undersized ducts with a basic thermostat and it may run much like a two-stage unit.
The rating labels are easier to read once you know what each one measures. AFUE describes how much of the gas energy becomes heat in your home over a typical season rather than going up the vent. Condensing furnaces and boilers achieve high AFUE by pulling extra heat out of the water vapour in the exhaust, which is why they produce acidic condensate that needs a drain and use plastic venting. SEER or SEER2 describes the seasonal cooling efficiency of an air conditioner or heat pump. HSPF or HSPF2 describes the seasonal heating efficiency of a heat pump. UEF describes water heater efficiency. The rating plate also lists input (gas burned) and output (heat delivered), and the two are not the same number. We do not quote a figure for any model here; read it from the rating plate or the manufacturer's published documentation, and compare whole installed systems rather than one number.
Can a high-efficiency boiler save money? A condensing boiler only condenses when the water returning to it is cool enough. With an outdoor reset control, which lowers water temperature on mild days, and radiators or floors sized to heat the house with cooler water, it spends much of the season condensing. An older system with small cast-iron radiators that need very hot water will condense less of the time. Other real benefits are sealed combustion that draws outdoor air, quieter operation, a smaller footprint and modulation. Ask for the reasoning behind any savings claim in writing, not a promise.
The most efficient way to run what you already have is mostly habit:
- Use a schedule with a modest overnight and away setback rather than large swings; turning the thermostat way up does not heat the house faster.
- Keep supply registers, return grilles and radiators clear of furniture, rugs and curtains.
- Change furnace filters on time; a loaded filter makes the blower work harder and can trip the high-limit safety.
- On a boiler, make sure outdoor reset is actually enabled and set by the installer, not left at a fixed high water temperature.
- On a dual-fuel system, leave the heat pump-to-furnace changeover setting where your installer put it unless you have discussed a change with them.
- Book annual maintenance so combustion and airflow stay within the manufacturer's range.
Where is my furnace filter, which type should I use, and how often should I change it?
On most furnaces in Lower Mainland basements, crawlspaces and closets, the filter sits in a slot where the return duct meets the blower cabinet. Look on the return side, which is the side where the larger duct brings air back from the house, for a narrow removable cover or a small door. Some installations put the filter behind a return air grille in a hallway wall or ceiling. Others have a separate, thicker media filter cabinet mounted beside the furnace. Horizontal furnaces in crawlspaces or attics usually have the slot at one end of the cabinet. If you cannot find it, the installer's paperwork or the furnace manual will show it.
For type, start with the size printed on the frame of the filter already in there, and use the type your furnace manufacturer or installer specifies. Pleated disposable filters are a sensible middle ground for most homes. Be careful with very restrictive high-efficiency filters squeezed into a thin one-inch slot: they can choke airflow, which makes the furnace overheat and trip its high-limit switch and, in summer, can cause a heat pump or air conditioner to freeze up. If you want finer filtration, the correct fix is a deeper media cabinet that offers more surface area and less resistance, installed by a technician who checks the static pressure afterwards.
For timing, check the filter monthly during the heating season. A thin pleated filter is typically replaced every one to three months; a thick media filter often lasts longer, so follow its label. Change sooner if you have pets, are renovating, run the blower continuously, or are living through a wildfire smoke summer, which has become a regular feature of BC Augusts. Dual-fuel and central air systems move air for more months of the year than a furnace alone, so their filters load faster. Homes with a basement suite that shares one furnace push more air through one filter and should be checked more often.
The filter change is one of the few furnace tasks that is fully homeowner-safe. Here is the sequence we teach:
- Set the thermostat to off, then switch off the furnace's service switch (it looks like a light switch on or near the unit).
- Note the airflow arrow on the old filter before sliding it out.
- Insert the new filter with the arrow pointing toward the blower and the furnace, away from the return duct.
- Close the filter cover or blower door fully. Many furnaces have a door safety switch and will not run if the panel is not seated.
- Restore power and set the thermostat back to your normal schedule.
- Never remove the burner compartment cover, reach into the blower area with power on, or run the furnace with the filter slot left open.
How often should a furnace or boiler be serviced, and what should a maintenance visit include?
Once a year, by a licensed gas technician, ideally in late summer or early fall before the first cold wet week, when bookings are easier to get. Many manufacturers make documented regular maintenance by a qualified person a condition of their warranty, so read your warranty paperwork for the exact terms; we do not state a warranty length on anyone's behalf. On a dual-fuel system, the heat pump side should be checked as part of the same visit or in spring before cooling season. A maintenance visit is preventive work. It is not a repair call, and if the technician finds something that needs a part, you should get a written quote before any repair starts.
The table below shows what a proper visit covers and which parts of it a homeowner can share. The dividing line is simple: anything that involves the gas train, combustion, venting, electrical connections or refrigerant is licensed work in BC.
What you should see in writing afterwards: the date, the appliance make, model and serial number, the combustion and carbon monoxide readings actually recorded, gas pressure, what was cleaned or adjusted, any parts recommended and why, and the technician's name. If a safety problem is found and the appliance is shut off or tagged, the report should say exactly what was found and where. If you are told a heat exchanger is cracked, ask to see the crack or a photo of it and the combustion reading that supports the finding. A report that says only 'serviced, all good' is not enough to show a manufacturer, an insurer or the next technician.
| Maintenance task | Furnace | Boiler | Who does it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combustion analysis and carbon monoxide test in the flue | Yes | Yes | Licensed gas technician |
| Burner, ignitor and flame sensor inspection and cleaning | Yes | Yes | Licensed gas technician |
| Heat exchanger inspection for cracks and corrosion | Yes | Yes | Licensed gas technician |
| Vent pipe, joints and outdoor termination check | Yes | Yes | Technician inspects; homeowner keeps terminations clear of snow, leaves and shrubs |
| Condensate trap and drain cleaned on condensing units | Yes | Yes | Technician cleans; homeowner watches for leaks or pooling |
| Gas pressure and gas valve operation | Yes | Yes | Licensed gas technician only |
| Safety controls: high limit, pressure switch, low-water cutoff where fitted | Yes | Yes | Licensed gas technician |
| Blower wheel, motor and electrical connections | Yes | Not applicable | Licensed technician |
| Circulator pump, expansion tank, system pressure and relief valve | Not applicable | Yes | Technician services; homeowner can read and note the pressure gauge |
| Air filter replacement or dirt separator cleaning | Filter | Dirt separator | Homeowner can change filters; technician cleans separators |
| Thermostat schedule and settings | Yes | Yes | Homeowner can adjust schedule; wiring and control setup by technician |
Which heating system is right for my home, and why does licensed installation matter?
Start from the house, not the brochure. What decides the answer is the distribution you already have (ducts or pipes), a room-by-room heat loss calculation, the capacity of your gas service and piping, where a vent can legally terminate, the space available, your hot water demand and whether you want cooling. A home with ductwork is usually best served by a high-efficiency gas furnace, and it can add a heat pump as a dual-fuel system. A home with radiators or in-floor heat is usually best served by keeping the pipes and replacing the boiler or moving to a combi. Tearing out working hydronic distribution to chase a trend rarely makes sense.
What is a heat pump, and where does it fit? A heat pump moves heat rather than making it by burning fuel. It uses a refrigerant cycle to pull heat from outdoor air in winter and reverses in summer to cool the house through the same ducts. Its heating output and efficiency fall as the outdoor temperature drops, which is why BC Wide leads with dual fuel: the heat pump carries the mild days that make up most of our heating season, and the gas furnace takes over during cold snaps, with the control deciding when to switch. You get central cooling in summer and a gas appliance you can rely on for the coldest nights.
Why installation by a licensed contractor matters: in BC, installing a gas appliance requires a licensed gas contractor and a gas permit, issued by Technical Safety BC or, in some municipalities, by the city itself. Heat pump electrical connections need a licensed electrician, and refrigerant can be handled only by a certified technician. The things that decide whether a job is correct are invisible once the drywall is closed: gas pipe sized for the total connected load, vent clearances from windows, doors and property lines, a condensate drain that will not freeze or back up, adequate combustion air, and duct static pressure within the equipment's published range. An incorrect install can void a manufacturer warranty, shorten equipment life and create a carbon monoxide risk.
Lower Mainland housing stock adds its own wrinkles, and every house is different, so treat these as common patterns rather than rules. Older bungalows and Vancouver Specials often have undersized return air, which makes a new furnace noisy and hot-running unless the ducts are corrected. Original gas piping in older homes was often sized for fewer appliances than a modern house carries. When an old furnace that shared a masonry chimney is replaced with a sidewall-vented condensing unit, the gas water heater left on that chimney can end up badly vented and may need a liner or its own new vent. In strata townhouses, new wall penetrations and outdoor unit locations need council approval before work starts.
Your written quote should name the equipment model, the heat loss basis for the size chosen, any gas piping and venting changes, whether the permit is included, the condensate route, the thermostat, removal of the old unit, the commissioning readings you will receive and who registers the warranty. BC Wide Home Services Ltd has done this work across Metro Vancouver since 1999 under TSBC licence LGA0090068 and Class B gas contractor licence CGA0028029, and carries 4.7 stars from 181 Google reviews.
When to call a licensed technician rather than troubleshoot yourself:
- You smell gas: leave the house, do not operate switches or appliances, and call your gas utility's emergency line from outside. Call us once the utility has made it safe.
- A carbon monoxide alarm sounds, or anyone has headaches, nausea or dizziness that ease when they leave the house.
- You see soot, scorching or melting near a vent, burner area or draft hood, or the flame looks lazy and yellow instead of crisp and blue.
- Boiler pressure keeps dropping and needs topping up, or the relief valve is discharging water.
- Water is pooling under a condensing furnace or boiler, or the unit locks out repeatedly.
- The furnace short-cycles, the ignition fails repeatedly, or you have no heat at all. Call (604) 473-9690; we offer priority scheduling for no-heat calls where we can, but we will never promise an arrival window we cannot keep.
- Gas and carbon monoxide safety: keep a working CO alarm on every sleeping level and near fuel-burning appliances, never block vents or combustion air openings, keep outdoor vent terminations clear, and never use a gas range or oven to heat the house.
More questions homeowners ask
What is a heat pump, and will it replace my gas furnace?
A heat pump moves heat between indoors and outdoors using a refrigerant cycle, heating in winter and cooling in summer through your existing ducts. We recommend pairing it with your gas furnace as a dual-fuel system rather than removing the furnace. The heat pump handles the mild days that make up most of our season, and the furnace takes over during cold snaps.
Can my boiler cool my home in summer?
No, a boiler only produces heat, and radiators or heated floors cannot be used for cooling without condensation problems. Cooling a hydronic home means adding a ducted system, such as a dual-fuel heat pump with an air handler. In some homes the boiler can still feed that air handler for the coldest nights, which we confirm on a site visit.
Can a high-efficiency furnace or boiler lower my heating bills?
Often it can, because a condensing appliance recovers heat that an older unit sends up the chimney, but the result depends on the house. Ductwork, radiator sizing, controls and how the system is set up all affect real savings. Ask for the reasoning in writing and for a written quote, rather than accepting a promised saving.
Can I service my own furnace or boiler?
You can change furnace filters, keep vents and registers clear, read your boiler's pressure gauge and test your CO alarms. Anything involving the burner, gas valve, venting, combustion testing or electrical connections is licensed work in BC and belongs to a licensed gas technician. Book that annual inspection before the heating season.
Do you offer emergency and after-hours furnace and boiler service?
Yes, we take emergency calls and fit urgent work in where our schedule and parts allow, but we will not promise a guaranteed arrival time. Call (604) 473-9690 and describe what you are seeing so we can prioritise no-heat and safety calls. If you smell gas, leave the house and call your gas utility first.
What should I do if my carbon monoxide alarm goes off?
Get everyone out into fresh air right away and call emergency services from outside, especially if anyone feels unwell. Do not go back in to look for the source. Once the home is declared safe, have a licensed gas technician inspect every fuel-burning appliance and its venting before you use them again.
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