Replacing a separate furnace and hot water tank with a single Gradient syncFURNACE is a one day job
in most homes. It involves sizing the unit to your house and your hot water use, confirming the
vent route and the gas and electrical supply, removing both old appliances, setting and connecting
the new unit, commissioning it, and taking out the City of Calgary permit. 180 Plumbing and Heating
installs Gradient equipment across southeast Calgary. Written quotes are free and yours
to keep either way. Red Seal Journeyman Plumber and Certified Type B Gasfitter. Call 403-404-9975.
Is it the right unit for your house?
Before anything else, read
the honest comparison. It sets out where a
combination unit beats a separate furnace and tank and, just as importantly, where it does not.
The short version: a combination unit usually makes sense when mechanical space is tight, when
venting is awkward, and when both appliances are near the end of their lives anyway. It usually
does not make sense when you have a working furnace with years left in it and only the tank has
failed.
We would rather tell you that on the phone than sell you the wrong appliance.
What we work out before quoting
Heating load, not appliance size. The right question is what your house actually needs, not
what was there before. Oversizing is the most common fault in Calgary furnace replacements, and it
produces a system that short cycles, swings in temperature and wears out early. The syncFURNACE
range covers space heating outputs from 15 to 95 MBH across five cabinet sizes, and there is a
correct one for your house.
Hot water demand. How many bathrooms, how many people, and whether two showers ever run at
once. Gradient rates the sFT-202 at 10.5 US gallons per minute at a 35 degree Fahrenheit rise and
4.8 at a 77 degree rise. Calgary’s winter incoming water is the demanding case, so we size for
January, not July.
Airflow and ductwork. Airflow ranges from 200 to 2,000 CFM depending on the model. Standard
duct models are the 8L, 12L, 16L and 20L. High velocity models are the 06H and 10H, which suit
homes with small duct systems.
The vent route. The unit vents in 2 inch or 3 inch PVC or polypropylene, with a maximum of
about 30 feet per run on 2 inch and 100 feet per run on 3 inch. Gradient states the unit can be
retrofit inside an existing B-vent and terminated vertically out the roof, which in a Calgary
winter is worth real money: vertical terminations ice up far less than side wall ones.
Gas supply. Natural gas at 3.5 to 10 inches water column, or propane at 8 to 13 with a
conversion kit. We check the meter and the line size, because an undersized gas line is a common
reason a new appliance underperforms.
Electrical. 115 Vac single phase, with a minimum circuit ampacity between 5.4A and 14.6A
depending on model and a 15A or 20A breaker. Gradient states the furnace and water heater together
draw under 10 amps, which is often useful in a house with a full panel.
Clearances and access. Gradient certifies the unit for zero clearance to combustibles and
separately recommends 24 inches at the front and 12 inches above for service access. We will tell
you honestly what your space gives you and what that means for servicing it in five years time.
The unit cannot be installed on carpeting.
Condensate. A condensing appliance produces condensate, and it needs a correctly sized, sloped
drain to a floor drain or a pump. Getting this wrong is the single most common cause of a lockout
later, so we do not compromise on it.
What the day looks like
- Water and gas off, old equipment drained. The old furnace and the old tank both come out.
- The new unit is set in place and levelled, with clearances confirmed.
- Ducting, water, gas, venting and electrical connected, and the condensate drain run and
sloped correctly. - The system is filled, purged of air and pressure tested.
- Commissioning. Combustion analysis, gas pressure verified under load, hot water setpoint and
flow checked, thermostat and any air conditioning, HRV or humidifier verified as working with
the new unit. - Permit and inspection. We take out the City of Calgary permit and handle the inspection.
- Product registration completed on your behalf, inside Gradient’s sixty day window, which
extends parts coverage from five years to ten. This is the one warranty deadline that cannot be
recovered later, and it is why registration happens at installation rather than afterwards. - We walk you through it. Where the filter goes and what size it takes, what the screen shows,
how to read system pressure, how to shut the water off if you go away, and what to do if it
locks out. - The old appliances leave with us.
Most single unit replacements are a day. Awkward vent routes, gas line upgrades, or a mechanical
room that needs work to make the unit serviceable can add time, and we will tell you that at quote
stage rather than on the day.
What you get afterwards
- Ten years on the heat exchanger and ten years on parts, because we register the unit for you
inside the sixty day window rather than leaving you to find out about it afterwards. Both periods
are also capped by operating hours, and the heat exchanger cover is for a defect resulting in a
leak. See the warranty page. - Gradient’s Appendix E maintenance record, opened and ready, so the documentation the warranty
asks for exists from day one. - A service sticker on the unit so anyone in the house knows who to call.
- A first annual service reminder, because the clock starts at installation.
Common questions before you commit
Will it fit where my old furnace was? Almost certainly, and usually with room to spare.
Dimensions run from 35 x 30 x 17.5 inches up to 40 x 37 x 24 inches, height by depth by width, and
you are removing a hot water tank as well.
Can I keep my air conditioning? Yes. The unit is air conditioning ready and Gradient states
compatibility with any standard thermostat, air conditioner, humidifier or other mechanical
equipment.
What about my existing chimney? Often it becomes the vent route. Gradient states the unit can
be retrofit inside an existing B-vent and terminated vertically out the roof.
How long do they last? Gradient warrants the heat exchanger for ten years, conditional on
documented maintenance. Service life beyond that depends heavily on annual servicing and on water
quality, which in Calgary means the annual flush and descale matters more than it would elsewhere.
Getting a quote
Replacement quotes are free, written, and yours to keep whether you use us or not. We will look
at the house, take the measurements, tell you what we would do and why, and put it in writing.
How we price this work
We charge by the job, not by the hour. Hourly billing punishes you when a job turns out to be
complicated and punishes us for being quick, so we price the job. You get one number for the
finished work, agreed before anything starts, in writing. Parts, labour, disposal, permits and
haul away are in the number you agreed. If we find something else once we are in, we stop and
re-quote, and you decide.
On a job this size you will see three options rather than one: the straightforward replacement, the
one we would recommend, and the one that deals with the underlying cause of whatever went wrong.
We will tell you which one we would choose in our own house.
Call 403-404-9975.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a syncFURNACE installation take?
Most single unit replacements are a day. An awkward vent route, a gas line that needs upsizing, or a mechanical space that needs work to make the unit serviceable can add time. We tell you that at quote stage rather than on the day.
Do I need a permit to replace a furnace in Calgary?
Yes, and we take it out and handle the inspection as part of the job. Anyone who suggests skipping it is not doing you a favour: it matters for insurance and it matters when you sell the house.
Can a syncFURNACE use my existing chimney?
Often yes. Gradient states the unit can be retrofit inside an existing B-vent and terminated vertically out the roof. In Calgary that is a real advantage, because vertical terminations ice up far less than side wall ones.
What size syncFURNACE do I need?
It depends on your heating load, your ductwork and your hot water demand, not on what was there before. Space heating output across the range runs from 15 to 95 MBH with airflow from 200 to 2,000 CFM. Oversizing causes short cycling and temperature swings, so the sizing conversation is worth having properly.
Will you register the unit for me?
Yes, as part of the installation, and that timing matters. Gradient extends parts coverage from five years to ten only if the product is registered within sixty days of installation, so it has to happen at the job rather than later. Registration is free. Gradient’s own shortcut registration link currently returns a 404, which is very likely why so many units in Calgary were never registered.
Do you install Gradient units in tight mechanical closets?
Yes, and we will tell you honestly what the space means for servicing it later. The unit is certified for zero clearance to combustibles and is designed to be serviced from the front, but Gradient recommends 24 inches of front clearance for service access, and if your space is tighter than that it is better to know before the unit goes in than five years afterwards.
Written by Desmond Neufeld, Red Seal Journeyman Plumber and Certified Type B Gasfitter. Last updated 23 August 2026.
