Heat pumps in Caledonia

A thin layer of frost on the outdoor unit in winter is normal. The unit melts it off in a defrost cycle, and you may see steam and hear the fan stop for a few minutes. A solid block of ice that does not clear is not normal. It usually points to a failed defrost sensor or control, a low refrigerant charge, or meltwater that has nowhere to drain and refreezes under the unit.

Supply air from a heat pump feels cooler than air from a furnace, even when it is heating properly. If the house is not holding temperature, or the backup heat runs most of the day, check three things first: the filter, the thermostat mode (emergency heat left on by mistake is common), and the snow around the outdoor unit. It needs clear space on all sides and underneath.

If the breaker trips, the outdoor fan does not spin, or the unit is iced solid, turn the system off at the thermostat and call. Running it in that state can damage the compressor. Refrigerant leaks and compressor faults are refrigeration work. Work is performed by 313A refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics.

A hybrid system uses the heat pump in milder weather and switches to the gas furnace when it gets colder. When the switchover setting is wrong, the furnace runs on days the heat pump could carry the house, or the heat pump struggles on its own in deep cold. The setting lives in the thermostat or a control board, and it can be adjusted.

Newer Caledonia homes, like those in Avalon, usually have a high-efficiency condensing furnace with plastic side-wall vents. A heat pump added to one of these still depends on that furnace on the coldest days, so the usual furnace faults still matter: a blocked or frozen condensate drain, or intake and exhaust vents buried by snow. Clear the vents by hand after a storm. If the furnace keeps shutting down, see furnace repair.

The gas side of a hybrid is installed to the CSA B149.1 Natural Gas and Propane Installation Code. Work is performed by TSSA-certified gas technicians. A home with a gas furnace also needs a working carbon monoxide alarm next to each sleeping area, as the Ontario Fire Code requires.

Caledonia itself is on natural gas, supplied by Enbridge Gas. Parts of Haldimand County are not. The Ontario Energy Board's natural gas expansion report lists a proposed Enbridge Gas project for Haldimand – Dunnville, which shows the network still does not reach everyone.

Homes beyond the gas main usually heat with oil, propane or electric baseboards. A cold-climate heat pump is built to keep heating at much lower outdoor temperatures than older models, and it can replace or back up any of those. Where the house has ducts, it connects to them. Where it does not, ductless heads go on the walls. If you keep the oil or propane furnace as backup, it becomes a hybrid system with the furnace doing less work.

Houses around Shetland Street were mostly built with a standard-efficiency gas furnace vented into a chimney. Their original ducts are often too small for central air. A heat pump moves more air at a lower temperature than a furnace, so it has the same problem: undersized ducts make it loud and short on comfort.

If the ducts need work before you could add cooling, that is a good time to look at a heat pump. One outdoor unit handles both heating and cooling, and the duct changes are done once.

If the old furnace is also replaced, the gas water heater can be left alone in a chimney sized for two appliances. It may not draft properly and can cause condensation in the chimney. We check this on the same visit and tell you whether the chimney needs a liner. See furnace installation and replacement.

The oldest houses near Edinburgh Square and Caithness Street started with wood or coal and were converted later. Many still have boilers and radiators, or cramped ductwork added after the fact. Running full new ducts through plaster walls is rarely practical.

A ductless heat pump puts small indoor heads on the walls, connected to an outdoor unit by a refrigerant line through a small hole. It can heat the rooms the boiler struggles with and cool the house in summer. Many owners keep the boiler for the coldest weeks. Old pipe or duct insulation in these houses can contain asbestos, so we look before we drill and tell you if it needs testing.

We start with the house, not the label on the old equipment: the size and layout, the windows and insulation, and the ducts if there are any. That sets the heat pump size and tells us whether the ducts can carry the airflow.

Next is where the outdoor unit goes. It should sit on a stand above the usual snow line, with room to drain and away from bedroom windows where its sound would carry. We check the electrical panel has capacity for it.

Rebate programs for heat pumps change. We check which ones are open at the time, what equipment they accept, and whether your house qualifies, before you decide. You get a written price and approve it before any part is fitted.

After installation we register the equipment with the manufacturer where that is required. Yearly servicing keeps the manufacturer warranty valid and catches drain and coil problems early. See furnace and AC maintenance.