How Often Should You Service Your Furnace or Boiler in BC?

Once a year. That's the answer for almost every gas furnace and boiler in the Lower Mainland, and it lines up with what Technical Safety BC recommends for gas appliances in general.

The longer answer depends on what you have, how old it is, and whether it's been acting up lately. Here's how we think about it.

Why once a year

A gas furnace or boiler burns fuel inside your house. When everything is working, the exhaust goes out the vent and you never think about it. When a heat exchanger cracks, a vent gets blocked, or a burner starts running dirty, carbon monoxide can end up in your living space. You can't see it or smell it.

An annual service is mostly about catching those problems while they're still small. Better efficiency and a longer lifespan come along with it.

There's also the warranty. Most manufacturers expect yearly maintenance, and some won't honour a claim without it. If a seven-year-old high-efficiency furnace quits and there's no service history, the warranty conversation can get short. Keep your invoices in a folder near the unit.

What a furnace service should cover

A proper furnace service usually takes about an hour. At minimum, it should include:

• Checking and replacing the filter

• Inspecting the burners and the flame

• Looking over the heat exchanger for cracks or corrosion

• Testing the igniter and cleaning the flame sensor

• Checking the venting, and on high-efficiency units, the condensate drain

• Testing the safety controls and limit switches

• Checking for carbon monoxide and confirming gas pressure is where it should be

If someone is in and out in 20 minutes and only swapped your filter, that wasn't a service.

Boilers: same schedule, different checklist

Hydronic systems are common across the Lower Mainland, especially in older Vancouver and Burnaby homes with radiators and in newer builds with in-floor heat. They need the same yearly visit, but the tech is looking at different things:

• System pressure and the expansion tank

• The circulator pump

• The pressure relief valve

• Leaks at fittings, valves, and zone connections

• Burner condition and combustion

• Venting, and the condensate neutralizer on high-efficiency units

If you have a combi boiler that also makes your hot water, it's working all year, not just in winter. That makes skipping a service a worse idea, not a better one.

When once a year isn't enough

Some homes need more attention. Book a visit sooner if:

• Your furnace or boiler is over 15 years old

• You've just finished a renovation (drywall dust gets pulled straight into a furnace and clogs filters in weeks)

• You have a few pets and the filter looks grey after a month

• You're a landlord with a suite where nobody has touched the filter since the tenants moved in

And don't wait for the annual visit if you notice any of these:

• A yellow or flickering flame where it used to be blue

• Banging, rattling, or a loud whoosh when the system starts

• The furnace turning on and off every few minutes

• Water around the base of the boiler, or pressure that keeps dropping

• Gas bills climbing when your usage hasn't changed

• Your CO alarm going off, even once

If the CO alarm goes off, get everyone outside first and call 911 or FortisBC's emergency line. Call us after.

The best time to book in BC

September and October. The heat usually comes on for good sometime in October here, and the first real cold snap in November is when every heating company's phone starts ringing. That's also when people who skipped their service find out why they shouldn't have.

Spring works too if you'd rather deal with it after heating season. What matters is that it happens once a year, roughly the same time each year.

Is it worth paying for?

Compare it to the alternative. A routine service is a planned visit on a weekday. A no-heat call is usually on the coldest night of the year, sometimes with a part that has to be ordered in while you run space heaters for two days.

FortisBC has offered rebates on appliance maintenance in the past. Check their site to see what's running this season before you book.

A few things you can do yourself

You don't need to be handy for any of this:

• Check your furnace filter every one to three months and replace it when it looks dirty

• Keep a couple of feet clear around the furnace or boiler (no storage boxes stacked against it)

• Look at the outside vents after a windstorm or snowfall and clear away leaves or snow

• Make sure you have a working CO alarm near the bedrooms, and test it monthly

• On a boiler, ask your tech what the normal pressure range is for your system, then write it on a piece of tape next to the gauge so you can check it at a glance

Book your furnace or boiler service

Ark Plumbing & Heating services furnaces and boilers across the Lower Mainland. Our team includes licensed gasfitters, and we're fully insured and bonded.

Call us at 604-441-3411 or request a free quote online, and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.

• Furnace Service & Repair

• Boiler Service & Repair