Heating & Cooling
Furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, dual-fuel systems and mini-splits across Metro Vancouver. Repairs, replacements and seasonal servicing. 24/7 in a cold snap.
What's happening?
No heat, and it's cold → check three things first, they take thirty seconds. Thermostat (including its batteries), breaker (plus the switch on or near the furnace that looks like a light switch), and filter (a clogged one can trip the safety limit). Still nothing → Furnace repair.
Blowing cold air → usually ignition or a dirty flame sensor. Sometimes just the fan setting left on "on" instead of "auto". Furnace repair.
⚠️ A persistent burning, electrical or acrid smell → turn it off and call us. A faint dusty smell on the first run of the season is normal; a persistent one isn't.
⚠️ Your CO alarm has sounded → leave the building and call 911 from outside. Don't investigate.
Radiators with cold spots → air at the top (bleed them) or sludge at the bottom (needs flushing). Boilers.
Boiler pressure keeps dropping → there's a leak, or the expansion vessel has failed. Topping it up repeatedly treats the symptom. Boilers.
Your furnace is 15+ years old and you're deciding what next → Furnace installation, but read Dual-fuel first. If you're replacing anyway, the incremental cost of a heat pump is smaller than the standalone number suggests.
You want air conditioning → Heat pumps if you have ductwork, Ductless mini-splits if you don't.
It's September → Furnace maintenance. Book before the first cold snap, not during it.
Our heating and cooling services
Vancouver's climate is unusual, and it matters
Our winters are mild, wet and long, which puts most of the heating season in exactly the range where a heat pump is at its most efficient. That's not true in Calgary or Winnipeg, and it's why heating advice written for the rest of Canada often doesn't fit here.
It's also why cooling has moved from luxury to something people plan for. Summers have changed, and a system that only heats now solves half the problem.
Season by season
September–October — furnace tune-ups, before everyone books at once.
November–February — repairs, and we run 24/7.
Spring and late summer — the best time to replace a system, when you're not making a five-figure decision without heat in the house.
May–August — mini-splits and cooling.
Heating and cooling questions
Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
Most often an ignition failure or a dirty flame sensor. Sometimes it is simply the fan setting left on 'on' instead of 'auto', which blows unheated air between cycles.
My furnace is not working — what should I check first?
Three things, and they fix a surprising number of calls. The thermostat, including its batteries. The breaker, and the switch on or near the furnace that looks like a light switch. And the filter — a clogged one can trip the safety limit.
Is a burning smell from my furnace normal?
Briefly, on the first run of the season — that is dust burning off. A persistent burning, electrical or acrid smell is not. Turn the furnace off and call us.
What should I do if my carbon monoxide alarm goes off?
Leave the building and call 911 from outside. Do not investigate. The furnace must not be run again until it has been inspected.
What size furnace do I need?
Whatever a heat loss calculation says — not what was there before. An oversized furnace short-cycles, which means uneven temperatures, more wear and worse efficiency. If someone quotes a size over the phone without asking about your insulation, they are guessing.
How often should a furnace be serviced?
Annually, before heating season. Most manufacturer warranties require documented annual maintenance, and the combustion check is a carbon monoxide safety measure.
Do heat pumps work in Vancouver winters?
Yes. Our mild, wet winters are close to ideal for them, and modern cold-climate units operate efficiently well below anything Vancouver typically sees.
What is a dual-fuel heating system?
A heat pump paired with a gas furnace. The heat pump handles mild weather, which in Vancouver is most of the year, and the system switches automatically to the furnace when it gets cold enough that gas is the better option.
Is dual-fuel cheaper to run than gas alone?
In most Vancouver homes, yes across a full year, because the heat pump handles the mild majority of the season more cheaply. The exact figure depends on your electricity and gas rates.
What is a switchover point?
The outdoor temperature at which a dual-fuel system hands over from the heat pump to the gas furnace. Setting it to the economic balance point for your actual rates, rather than a generic default, is what makes the system worth having.
Will a heat pump cool my house in summer?
Yes. That is a large part of why they now make sense in Vancouver.
Do I qualify for a heat pump rebate in BC?
Possibly, and the amounts can be significant. Programs change, and some require the contractor to be registered with the Home Performance Contractor Network at the time you are quoted — so it is worth asking before you collect quotes.
Why do some of my radiators have cold spots?
Air at the top, which bleeding fixes, or sludge at the bottom, which needs a power flush.
My boiler pressure keeps dropping — why?
There is a leak somewhere in the system, or the expansion vessel has lost its charge. Repeatedly topping it up treats the symptom rather than the cause.
Can two people shower at once with a combi boiler?
On most domestic combi boilers, not comfortably — hot water is heated on demand at a fixed flow rate. If simultaneous showers matter, a combi is the wrong choice.