Do I Need to Make Any Plumbing or Heating Changes for a Tankless Water Heater Installation?

March 21st, 2022
tankless-water-heater

The tankless water heater is growing in popularity in homes with each passing year. Many homeowners love having this addition to their household as a replacement for a standard storage tank water heater. There’s plenty to love: Tankless water heaters consume much less energy than standard water heaters, have longer service lives, take up less space, and provide unlimited hot water without running out (provided the water heater was accurately sized when installed—that’s why you always want professionals on the job).

There are some potential drawbacks to tankless water heaters. They aren’t right for every home or situation. They cost more than other water heaters to install, and although they save money over their service lives, this initial higher price tag may not fit with some household budget. And there’s also the question of other changes that may need to be made to the plumbing and heating system to accommodate a water heater installation in Parksville, BC. Although not true for all homes, some will need to make more extensive changes to adapt to how a tankless system works.

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Should Your Repair or Replace Your Boiler at the End of the Winter?

March 7th, 2022
gas-boiler

Our weather is starting to warm up, but it’s still cold enough that homes will need to depend on their heating systems for a bit longer—and we all know that March and early April can toss surprise cold snaps at us. Still, this is the time of year when we recommend that homeowners take stock of their heating system if it’s started to show signs of problems. 

In this post, we’ll look at boilers. Boilers can last longer than forced-air heaters (furnaces, heat pumps), but they still won’t last forever, no matter how much we’d like that. If you have started to run into problems with your boiler—such as poor performance, reduced heating, strange noises, higher energy bills—at the end of the winter, you’ll want to consider whether the heater needs repairs or if it’s time to replace it entirely. We offer complete boiler service in Port Alberni, BC and throughout Courtenay, BC and the surrounding areas, so we can shed some light on this conundrum and help you make the best choice for your home comfort future.

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Have You Had Your Fireplace Professionally Cleaned? Here’s Why to Schedule It

February 21st, 2022
fireplace-and-family-reading

You might think that a natural gas fireplace is as durable as a heating system gets. Fireplaces can last for many years, and since most people who have a fireplace in their home use it mostly for atmosphere and additional warmth rather than as a main source of heating, fireplaces don’t see the same level of use as furnaces or boilers. They also don’t burn wood and therefore don’t produce creosote, soot, ashes, and other byproducts that make regular cleaning so critical for wood-burning fireplaces. In fact, one of the reasons most people prefer gas fireplaces is they don’t require daily cleaning and maintenance. 

But gas fireplaces do require professional maintenance and upkeep on a regular basis, and if you don’t have an annual cleaning and inspections for your fireplace Campbell River, BC, it could turn into a costly problem—and the fireplace might even become unsafe. We offer gas fireplace cleaning and maintenance, and we’ll explain below why you should make this a regular service in your home. 

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The Big Benefits of Professional Duct Cleaning

February 7th, 2022
duct-cleaning-before-after

The ductwork inside the walls and attic of your house is probably filled with dust and debris. You won’t necessarily know this because it’s hard to see the inside of the ducts. But those dirty ducts will have a negative effect that can create serious problems for your comfort and your bills.

We recommend that our customers schedule duct cleaning every three to five years. If you haven’t had duct cleaning in more than five years, or you’ve never had it done before, it’s a great time to call us for this service. Curious about the benefits of duct cleaning? We’ll explain more below.

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Can an Electric Furnace Keep My House Warm Enough?

January 24th, 2022
heating-element

If you’re asking this question, it’s likely because you’re accustomed to receiving warmth from a natural gas furnace, or you know that natural gas furnaces have high heating capacity and work fast at delivering warmth to homes. This makes it sound like an electric furnace is the weaker option, one that can’t meet a home’s demands when the outdoor temperature is intensely cold—which describes plenty of our winter days and nights!

Although we recommend natural gas furnaces to homes that have a connection to a municipal gas line, there is no reason why installing an electric furnace in Campbell River, BC can’t provide you and your family with the warmth you need. For an all-electric house, an electric furnace is a perfectly viable choice. In fact, electric furnaces do have several benefits to consider.

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Reasons to Be Glad You Have a Boiler

January 10th, 2022
boiler-with-venting-pipes

Tired of the cold? Or maybe you love the cold—as long as you have a snug place to escape to after a romp in the snow.

Either way, you’re probably glad you have a boiler in Parksville, BC for your home. Boilers provide radiant heating rather than forced-air heating, and there are several terrific things about radiant heating. Below are five reasons to be glad you have a boiler!

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Is It Time to Replace Your Old Fireplace?

December 27th, 2021
fireplace

A fireplace is a sturdy centerpiece in many homes. If your house enjoys the warmth and beauty of a gas fireplace, you can expect to get many years of use from it (provided it receives proper maintenance such as regular cleaning, which is a service we offer).

Fireplaces at times need to have repairs, and these fixes are especially important if you have a gas log fireplace or a gas insert. You never want to take risks with any gas-powered appliance in your home, and prompt repairs help immensely at keeping a gas fireplace working safely for many winters.

Eventually, you’ll need to have a new fireplace put in, replacing the gas logs, the insert, the gas lines, etc. We’ll look at how you can tell if the time has come to consult with us about replacing your fireplace.

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Cracked Heat Exchanger: How a Furnace Can Become Hazardous

December 13th, 2021
furnace-testing

Gas furnaces are a powerful and energy-efficient way to heat a home. We’re familiar with the the usefulness of a gas furnace in Tofino, BC for a household, and we never want to discourage people from looking into installing a natural gas furnace.

But any gas-burning appliance comes with some level of safety risk. Not a large risk, because otherwise these appliances would never receive approval for home use. It’s important, however, for consumers to know about ways any gas appliance could become hazardous, how best to avoid them, and what to do if problems develop. 

In that vein, today we’ll examine one of the ways a natural gas furnace can become hazardous: a cracked heat exchanger.

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Is It Time for a Boiler Replacement?

November 15th, 2021
furnace-with-pipes

Boilers are sturdy heating systems, and they often outlast natural gas heaters by five years or more. But no boiler is sturdy enough to last forever. If you live in your home long enough, you’ll eventually come to a point when the next boiler service in Parksville, BC you need to schedule is a boiler replacement.

You don’t want to replace your boiler before you have to. This begs the question: how can you know when your current boiler has reached its limits and it needs to be replaced? You could just wait for your boiler to completely fail, but that’s a bad idea for many reasons—it leaves you abruptly trapped without heat, the boiler will waste immense amounts of energy in the last year or so, and the boiler could even become hazardous. We want to help you recognize the signs of a boiler ready for replacement before you face serious problems!

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Your Gas Fireplace Needs Regular Maintenance as Well

November 1st, 2021
Fireplace

Fall is the time of the year that we recommend our customers schedule maintenance for their central heating systems. Taking care of your furnace, boiler, or heat pump before winter arrives is the best way to ensure you enjoy vital comfort throughout the season without troubles from repairs or high bills due to wear and tear.

Your central heating system isn’t the only heater in your house that requires attention from professionals. If you enjoy a gas or propane fireplace in Campbell River, BC, we advise you to schedule maintenance service for it as well. You may not depend on the fireplace to warm the whole house, but it’s a great addition and brings a special cozy ambiance to the winter days and nights that you just can’t get from a central furnace. Regular maintenance lets you enjoy your fireplace to the fullest, without worries about safety or operating problems.

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