Frequently asked questions

If you live in one of the newer homes off Spring Creek Rd. or in the Marz Subdivision, your furnace probably breathes through two plastic pipes in the side wall. When a drift or a crust of ice covers them, the furnace shuts itself off rather than run without proper venting. Brush the snow away by hand and clear the area right down to the ground. Then turn the furnace off and back on at the service switch. If it still won't light, or the pipes keep icing over, book a furnace repair visit.

Mostly two things: which part has failed and how much of the furnace has to come apart to reach it. Cleaning a flame sensor is a short job. Replacing a blower motor or a control board takes more time and a pricier part. Age matters too, because parts for older units can be harder to find. Once a heat exchanger is cracked, the real question becomes whether to repair or replace. Either way, you see a written price and approve it before any part is fitted. Tell us what the furnace is doing when you ask for a quote.

Houses in the old village core were often heated with wood or coal first, then converted to oil and later gas. That left a lot of furnaces far larger than the house needs. A replacement should be sized to the house itself, not to the old label. If the new furnace vents through the side wall, check the old chimney: a water heater left alone in it may need a liner. Old ductwork can also be undersized or wrapped in old insulation, so it should be looked at too. Book an assessment through furnace installation and replacement.

Floor area is only part of the answer. Insulation, windows, how airtight the house is and the condition of the ducts all change the size of furnace you need. That, in turn, changes the price. A new build off Spring Creek Rd. and an older house of the same size near Station Street can need very different equipment. A proper heat-loss calculation sets the size, and the written price follows from it. Our guide on what size furnace a Smithville house needs walks through it.

It depends on what has failed and whether the part is easy to get. Some faults, like a dirty flame sensor or a blocked condensate line, can often be dealt with during the visit once they're found. A specific control board or inducer motor for an older model may have to be ordered first. If that happens, we'll explain what's safe to run in the meantime. For full details, see furnace repair.

Not necessarily. Many older homes have ductwork that was sized for heat, or for a furnace that's long gone. Push cold air through those ducts and it often won't reach the top floor. A ductless system mounts heads in the rooms that need them and runs a small refrigerant line to an outdoor unit, so it doesn't depend on the old ducts. Work is performed by 313A refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics. See air conditioning installation.

A standard central air conditioner rarely qualifies for a rebate on its own. Heat pumps often do, because they cool in summer and also heat in the shoulder seasons. A cold-climate heat pump paired with your existing gas furnace is a common way to replace an ageing air conditioner and become eligible for whatever program is running. We look up the current programs when we prepare a quote. Read about hybrid set-ups on our heat pumps page.

In established subdivisions like Station Meadows, many air conditioners are reaching the end of their service life. The indoor coil is a frequent culprit, because leaks there let the refrigerant charge drop. Dirty outdoor coils, a weak capacitor or a clogged drain line can also cause poor cooling, water around the furnace or a tripped breaker. Repair costs depend on which of these it is. You get a written price before any work starts. Work is performed by 313A refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics. See air conditioner repair.

Under Ontario Regulation 212/01, gas appliances must be installed, serviced and repaired by a registered gas contractor using G1, G2 or G3 gas technicians. The work must meet the CSA B149.1 Natural Gas and Propane Installation Code. At Smithville Heating Cooling, work is performed by TSSA-certified gas technicians. Doing it this way also helps keep the manufacturer's warranty valid. Before anyone opens the cabinet, ask to see their gas certificate. Read more on 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 takes in a lot of Smithville, from gas-heated houses on Canborough Street to the new streets south of town. In early November the normal low is 0°C, so furnaces are running steadily by then. Test your alarms before the cold settles in, and replace them by the date on the back. Our guide on side-wall vents, snow and carbon monoxide covers the rest.

Enbridge Gas provides natural gas service across the Township of West Lincoln, and Smithville is part of that. The utility handles the gas supply and the meter. The furnace, water heater and other appliances in the house are yours to look after. If you ever smell gas, leave the house first and call the gas utility's emergency line from outside. For appliance problems, such as a furnace that won't light or keeps shutting down, book a furnace repair.

Not always, at least not yet. Enbridge Gas has run a non-binding expression of interest to confirm demand for new natural gas distribution service in the Grimsby-Lincoln-West Lincoln area, starting December 1, 2029. It is also looking at options to add capacity there. Non-binding means nothing is settled. Ask the utility about service to your lot before you choose equipment. If gas is uncertain, it's worth pricing a heat pump set-up that could pair with a furnace later. Start with our heat pumps page.

Programs come and go, and the rules change often. Federal and provincial support has tended to favour heat pumps and higher-efficiency equipment over a straight furnace swap. Some programs require an energy assessment before the work starts, so the order you do things in matters. We check which programs are open at the time we quote, so you know before you commit. Keep your invoices and equipment model numbers, since applications usually ask for them. Our guide on rebates and tax credits explains what to check.