How do we work on Waterdown houses?

Most of what we do starts with the house rather than the furnace. Waterdown was built in three waves, and each left its own kind of heating behind. The older houses in the Griffin Survey and the McMonnies and Stock Survey were mostly heated by coal or wood first, then converted to oil and later to gas, so radiators, old boilers and unlined masonry chimneys are common. The post-war surveys such as Glenlea, Buchan Court and Renwood Park have forced-air furnaces, often on the original ductwork. In Waterdown South and Waterdown Bay, houses have condensing furnaces venting through plastic pipe in a side wall, plus an HRV and central air.

A visit begins with your own description of what the system is doing. We test it, show you what we found and explain it in plain words. Before any part is fitted, you get a written price and decide whether to go ahead. If a repair is not worth making on an older furnace, we tell you, and we lay out what a replacement would involve. You can start with furnace repair or ask for a written quote.

Gas work in Ontario has to be done properly, and so does refrigeration. Work is performed by TSSA-certified gas technicians, and gas appliances are installed to the CSA B149.1 code. Work is performed by 313A refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics. Where carbon monoxide is possible, such as a cracked heat exchanger or a water heater backdrafting into an oversized chimney after the furnace was replaced, we will not leave it running. Make sure you have a working carbon monoxide alarm next to each sleeping area; the Ontario Fire Code requires one in homes with a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage.

Winters here are long, and side-wall vents on newer houses can disappear under a single heavy snowfall. That is why we talk about the small things too: keeping vents clear, changing filters and keeping the condensate drain flowing. Tune-ups are written down so you have the records the manufacturer's warranty may ask for. See furnace and AC maintenance, or read our guides for longer answers.