Frequently asked questions

Waterdown is served by the regional natural gas utility, which runs and upgrades the gas system across the Hamilton area. Homes beyond the gas lines rely on other fuels, such as propane or wood. The furnace, its burner parts and its venting all differ with the fuel, so it matters when we order parts or size a replacement. Check your heating bill or look for a propane tank outside, then mention which fuel you have when you get in touch.

Mostly the part that failed and the time it takes to find the fault. Cleaning a flame sensor or replacing a worn igniter sits at the small end. An inducer motor, a control board or a blower motor costs more, and a cracked heat exchanger is the expensive one, often the point where a new furnace makes more sense. Age matters too, because parts for older furnaces can be harder to find. You see a written price and approve it before any part goes in. For the full breakdown, read what goes into the price of a furnace repair or a new furnace.

Start with the simple things. Make sure the thermostat is set to heat, a few degrees above room temperature, and replace its batteries if it has them. Check the furnace switch, which looks like a light switch on or near the furnace, and the breaker in the panel. The front door of the furnace has a safety switch, so it must be seated properly. A badly clogged filter or snow over the side-wall pipes can also stop it. If all of that checks out, note the pattern of the blinking light on the control board and book a furnace repair.

First, check the thermostat fan setting. On ON, the blower runs between heating cycles and the air feels cool; AUTO fixes that. If it is already on AUTO, the burners may be lighting and then shutting off. Common causes are a dirty flame sensor, a failing igniter, a clogged filter tripping the high-limit switch, or a blocked condensate drain on a high-efficiency furnace. In older houses with long duct runs, the far rooms can feel lukewarm even when the furnace is fine. Change the filter, wait one full cycle, and if the air is still cool, book a furnace repair.

Often, but not automatically. A furnace that age is usually a mid-efficiency model, parts can be harder to find, and the heat exchanger has been through a lot of winters. A small repair on a furnace that is otherwise sound can still make sense. A major failure, especially a cracked heat exchanger, usually means replacement. A new furnace should be sized to the house and its ductwork, not to the old label, and in post-war houses the original ducts are often undersized. Ask for both prices, repair and replacement, then compare them with our page on furnace installation and replacement.

The failed part matters most. A capacitor or contactor is a fairly small repair, a condenser fan motor costs more, and a refrigerant leak or a failed compressor is the large end, where an older unit may not be worth fixing. The age of the system and the refrigerant it uses also play a part. Work is performed by 313A refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics. You get a written price to approve before anything is fitted. If the house is warm and the outdoor unit is humming but not cooling, turn it off at the thermostat and book an air conditioner repair.

The basics are the same for most systems: the filter, burners, flame sensor and igniter, the blower, the safety controls and a check that the furnace is venting properly. On the cooling side, the outdoor coil, the indoor coil and the condensate drain. Then it depends on the house. In newer homes the condensate drain, its trap, the side-wall vents and the HRV filter get the attention. In older homes it is the venting, the chimney and the draft. Keep the service records, since manufacturers often ask for them on a warranty claim. See furnace and AC maintenance.

Newer high-efficiency furnaces, like the ones in most Waterdown South and Waterdown Bay houses, draw in air and exhaust through two plastic pipes low on a side wall. Snow is a real factor here. The Hamilton RBG climate station near Waterdown has a 1981-2010 normal of 118.1 cm of snow a year, and it once recorded 38.4 cm in a single January day. A buried or frosted pipe makes the furnace shut itself off for safety. Brush the pipes clear by hand and keep the area around them open, then switch the furnace off and on. If it will not restart, or the pipes keep icing up, book a furnace repair.

Under Ontario Regulation 212/01, gas appliances must be installed, serviced and repaired by a registered contractor using qualified gas technicians. The installation has to meet the CSA B149.1 Natural Gas and Propane Installation Code, and the same rules apply to propane. Work is performed by TSSA-certified gas technicians. A proper installation also protects the manufacturer's warranty on the new equipment. Before anyone opens the burner compartment, ask to see their gas technician card, then read how we handle furnace installation and replacement.

The Ontario Fire Code requires a working carbon monoxide alarm next to each sleeping area in a home with a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage. That covers most houses with a gas furnace, a gas water heater or a garage built onto the side. If an alarm sounds, get everyone outside, call the fire department from there and leave the gas appliances off until they have been checked. Test your alarms this week, replace any that are past the date on the back, and if you suspect a venting problem, book a furnace repair.

It needs checking. In the Glenlea, Buchan Court and Renwood Park surveys, many houses started on oil, moved to gas, then got a high-efficiency furnace that vents out the side wall. That leaves the gas water heater venting alone into a chimney sized for far more heat, where flue gases cool, condense and can backdraft into the basement. In the Griffin Survey and the McMonnies and Stock Survey, unlined masonry chimneys can also be damaged by that condensation. Look for soot, rust or moisture around the water heater's draft hood, and if you see any, book a check through furnace installation and replacement.

Possibly, but check first. Waterdown has 121 designated heritage properties, most of them in the old village core, and changes to the outside of the house, such as a new side-wall vent for a high-efficiency furnace or an outdoor air conditioning unit, may need the City of Hamilton's approval. Sometimes a different layout, like running the vent to a side or rear wall, keeps the street face untouched. Contact the City's heritage staff before you commit, then look at the options on our air conditioning installation page.

Cold outdoor air holds very little moisture. At the Hamilton RBG station near Waterdown, the 1981-2010 normal daily average is -4.7 °C in January, so the furnace spends months warming dry air. In newer Waterdown South and Waterdown Bay houses, an HRV that is out of balance can bring in more outdoor air than the house needs. In older houses, drafty windows and doors do the same. Static shocks, cracked wood trim and dry throats are the usual signs. Pick up an inexpensive humidity meter, watch the reading for a week, then read our guide to humidity in winter and summer.

Sometimes, and the programs change often. In recent years most incentive programs have leaned toward heat pumps and energy upgrades rather than a gas furnace on its own, and many require an energy assessment before the work is done, so the order matters. A hybrid set-up, with a cold-climate heat pump and the gas furnace kept as backup for the coldest weeks, is one option worth pricing. Check the current program rules before you sign anything, and read is a heat pump worth it in an Ontario winter.