How is the work done?

Most calls to Stoney Creek Heating start with a worry, not a part name: the house is cold, the furnace is making a sound it never made before, or an alarm has gone off. The first job is to slow that down. We ask what the system is doing, when it started and what has already been tried. Some things are safe for you to check, such as the filter, the thermostat batteries, the furnace switch or snow over the side-wall vents, and we tell you which ones while you wait for the visit. Gas valves, burners and wiring are left to the technician.

The house usually tells the technician what to expect. In Olde Towne, along King Street and Lake Avenue, homes first heated by wood or coal were later converted, so the ducts can be odd or undersized, the boiler may be ageing, and a chimney can be left with no appliance after a high-efficiency upgrade. On the mountain, the Felker, East Felker and Heritage Green subdivisions mostly have forced-air gas furnaces and central air from the 1990s and 2000s, and many of those original units are now near the end of their life. In Fruitland and Winona, newer condensing furnaces have their own common faults: frozen condensate drains, wall vents blocked by snow and ventilation units that have never been serviced.

At the visit, the technician confirms the symptom with you, tests the system and shows you what was found. You see a written price and approve it before any part is fitted. If a fault should not be left running, such as a cracked heat exchanger that can let carbon monoxide into the air the furnace circulates, you hear that plainly, along with the reason. Gas appliances are installed to the CSA B149.1 Natural Gas and Propane Installation Code adopted in Ontario. For a breakdown, see furnace repair. For a new system, the house and its ducts are sized, and the venting and any orphaned chimney are checked before a model is proposed. See furnace installation and replacement.

The quieter side of the work is maintenance. A seasonal tune-up helps keep the manufacturer's warranty valid and finds worn parts before a cold night. For heat pumps, the options are explained without pressure, and rebates are checked at the time you ask, because they change. Much of Stoney Creek is still farmland, and some rural properties above the escarpment heat with propane or oil, so we ask you to confirm your fuel before booking. If you are not sure where to start, the guides and the FAQ cover the common questions.