Boiler Service & Repair

A boiler is an appliance that produces hot water as part of a heating system for a home or business. Boiler systems can be powered by oil, natural gas, propane, or electricity. In Canada, the most common type of boiler is a high-efficiency gas boiler.

Heat-only boilers:

A heat-only boiler provides heat to your home or business via a closed-loop piping system that connects to heat-emitting devices such as radiators, baseboard radiators, in-floor heating, or air handlers. These systems are common in Canada in both commercial and residential spaces. These heating systems can come in many configurations, but they are separate from the domestic water piping for plumbing needs.

Combination boilers or combi-boilers:

The hot water produced by combination boilers is used for both heating spaces and supplying the hot water needed in a commercial or residential space. For example, a combi-boiler can be used to supply hot water for space heating radiators, and radiant floor heating, and supply hot water for taps, washing machines, dishwashers, showers, and more. These boilers are a great solution for small residential homes because they take up less space in utility rooms with one appliance providing both heat and hot water for plumbing.

A boiler generates hot water that is primarily used for heating while a hot water tank is used to generate hot water for plumbing needs. The distinction can be confusing due to combination boilers serving both types of hot water needs, but generally, boilers are primarily heating appliances.

The boiler is activated when the thermostat in your home detects a reduction in temperature. When the boiler starts up, it generates heat using fuel, such as gas, propane, oil, or electricity. The water inside the boiler is heated, but it’s typically not heated to boiling temperatures as the name boiler suggests. Then, through radiators or radiant floor systems, heated water is distributed throughout your home, where it radiates heat to warm the air. The water returns to your boiler where it is warmed again and pumped back out to continue heating your home. This process continues until your thermostat signals that your home has reached the desired temperature, and the boiler will be turned off.

A residential boiler is designed to generate adequate heat for a typical residential building. In order to serve the heating requirements of much larger buildings like warehouses, office buildings, and retail outlets, commercial boilers are typically much larger, and more expensive. Boilers are often rated in MBHs or BTUs. A BTU is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. MBH is one thousand BTU. A commercial boiler can be rated up to 2500 MBH or even more, while a household boiler may only be rated between 30 and 300 MBH.

The efficiency of a boiler is evaluated using its rating in annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE). This compares the quantity of heat a boiler produces to the energy it consumes. The efficiency of the unit is described by its AFUE rating over the course of a year. The AFUE rating of your boiler is listed on the EnerGuide tag which is attached to the side of your appliance (if your boiler does not have an EnerGuide logo, it is probably outdated and needs to be replaced). Depending on the boiler type and fuel source, boiler efficiencies typically range from 80 to 88 percent for mid-efficiency boilers and from 90 to 98 percent for high-efficiency boilers. Although there is no efficiency requirement for Canada, we typically recommend homeowners use boilers with a minimum efficiency of 92%.