⚠️ If you smell gas
Don't touch any switch. Leave the building. Call FortisBC at 1-800-663-9911 from outside. Then call us on 604-865-7979.
Licensed gas fitters — contractor licence LIC-00215637 — working across Richmond, reaching the city in 90 minutes. Most residential gas work runs $500–$2,500.
Richmond's water table affects gas work the same way it affects everything else here, and it shows up in two specific places: buried lines and appliances in crawlspaces.
Why this is different here
Gas appliances in crawlspaces
Most Richmond homes have no basement, so furnaces and water heaters sit in crawlspaces, garages or utility rooms.
For gas appliances specifically, the crawlspace location raises three things we check:
Combustion air. An appliance needs adequate air supply, and a crawlspace that has been sealed or insulated at some point since the appliance was installed may no longer provide it.
Venting corrosion. Flue connections in a humid crawlspace corrode faster than in a dry basement, and a corroded flue is a carbon monoxide question rather than a maintenance one.
Elevation in garages. Gas appliances in a garage generally need ignition sources elevated. Older installations sometimes aren't, and it's the kind of thing that surfaces when something else is being worked on.
What we do in Richmond
Gas line installation, indoor and buried · appliance hookups — ranges, cooktops, dryers · gas fireplace installation and annual servicing · outdoor BBQ and fire table lines · leak detection, 24/7 · permits and safety inspections · meter and regulator relocation, coordinated with FortisBC
The towers — Brighouse and Golden Village
Richmond's tower core is like any other: many buildings don't supply gas to individual suites, and where they do it's typically limited to an existing appliance with no route to extend. We check before quoting.
Why the permit matters
Gas work requires a licensed gas fitter and, in almost all cases, a permit and inspection. The inspection checks venting, and venting is a carbon monoxide question.
If a quote is dramatically cheaper, ask whether the permit is included and what the gas fitter's licence number is. Ours is LIC-00215637.
Gas permits are issued by the City of Richmond, not Technical Safety BC. Technical Safety BC: Jurisdiction
Gas permits go to Technical Safety BC instead of the City when meter outlet pressure is over 2 psig or, except for single family dwellings, a single meter's load exceeds 409,000 BTU (120 kW). A gas permit application must be approved by the City before any gas work begins. City of Richmond: Gas Permit Application Form
New and replacement gas appliances such as hot water tanks and furnaces must be inspected by the City once installed. City of Richmond: Building Regulation Bylaw No. 7230
Source: Technical Safety BC: Jurisdiction — https://www.technicalsafetybc.ca/about/jurisdiction-information · City of Richmond: Gas Permit Application Form — https://www.richmond.ca/__shared/assets/Gas_Permit_Application6226.pdf · City of Richmond: Building Regulation Bylaw No. 7230 — https://www.richmond.ca/__shared/assets/BL_7230_070824_Consolidated_With_BL_1057273185.pdf · checked 2026-09-11
