A Gradient syncFURNACE needs professional service once a year. Gradient’s own requirements are a burner clean, a combustion chamber clean, a condensate line and trap clean, a flue and air intake seal check, igniter and flame sensor service, and in the case of the syncFURNACE Tankless, a water system flush and descale. The condensate trap should be inspected quarterly and the filter checked monthly and changed about four times a year. Skipping the trap and burner cleaning is the most common reason a syncFURNACE locks out. 180 Plumbing and Heating services Gradient units across Calgary, whether or not we installed them. Call 403-404-9975.
What Gradient actually requires, in a table
This is the manufacturer’s schedule, not our opinion of one. It comes from section 10 of the sFT-202 installation and operation manual and from Gradient’s own homeowner guidance.
| Task | Minimum frequency | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Burner cleaning | Annually | sFT-202 manual, section 10 |
| Combustion chamber cleaning | Annually | sFT-202 manual, section 10 |
| Condensate line and trap clean | Semi annually | sFT-202 manual, section 10 |
| Condensate trap inspection | Quarterly | sFT-202 manual, section 10 |
| Flue gas vent and air intake sealing | Annually | sFT-202 manual, section 10 |
| Igniter and flame sensor electrodes | Annually | sFT-202 manual, section 10 |
| Burner flame check | Annually | sFT-202 manual, section 10 |
| Full vent system leak inspection | Annually | sFT-202 manual, section 10 |
| Water system flush and descale, syncFURNACE Tankless only | Annually | Gradient syncFURNACE Tankless homeowner service page |
| Filter check | Monthly | Gradient homeowner FAQ |
| Filter change | About quarterly | Gradient homeowner FAQ |
Gradient’s instruction to the technician cleaning the burner, word for word:
“Using a vacuum with nylon brush and high-efficiency filter remove any dust and debris from burner surface.”
And Gradient’s instruction to you, the owner, word for word:
“It is recommended to have a professional contractor service your Gradient unit yearly, including a filter change and water system flush/descaling.”
The water system flush and descale, and which units need one
That second quote is worth reading twice. A water system flush and descale is a specific annual procedure on the syncFURNACE Tankless, and a conventional furnace tune up does not include it, because a conventional furnace does not have a water side to flush.
It applies to the Tankless because city water runs through the appliance itself. The syncFURNACE Boiler is a closed loop, frequently with glycol in it, so it is maintained on different terms and this item does not carry across. If you are not sure which one you have, the model number on the rating plate settles it, and we are happy to tell you from a photograph.
Calgary water is hard. In the southeast it runs between 10.6 and 16.0 grains per gallon from the Glenmore plant, which is the harder of the city’s two supplies. Scale forms inside the heat exchanger, heat transfer drops, and the unit works harder to deliver the same result. What we do is what the manufacturer asks for, in the order the manufacturer asks for it, and we write down what we did.
Hard water, and why the descale matters
Similarly to other tankless water heaters, hard water is not great on equipment. That is a normal Calgary story rather than a Gradient one, and it is a large part of why the annual descale matters as much as it does here.
Gradient recommends water treatment to keep their equipment running efficiently and to get the longevity out of it, and their system drawings suggest an inline sediment filter, a softener, or both. A softener looks after the dishwasher, the fixtures and everything else the same water runs through at the same time. See water softeners in Calgary.
Why the record matters as much as the work
Every coverage paragraph in Gradient’s warranty, the ten year heat exchanger cover included, carries the same condition:
“provided regular maintenance is carried out and documented in accordance with the Product manual(s)”
And the claims terms ask for the paperwork: “Service records and support documentation is required to support maintenance claims.”
Most manufacturer warranties are written this way. It is worth acting on rather than worrying about, because both halves are easy to satisfy: get the unit serviced annually, and keep the record. Most units will be fine. We are not saying your warranty is void. We are telling you what the document says, so you can decide what to do about it. The full terms, and which of Gradient’s three warranty documents applies to your unit, are on the warranty page.
What we do on a Gradient annual service
The list below matches Gradient’s schedule item for item. That is the whole point: the value is not that we are thorough in some vague way, it is that we do exactly what the manufacturer asks for and leave you the evidence.
- Burner removal and cleaning, using a vacuum and nylon brush as the manual specifies
- Combustion chamber clean and inspection
- Condensate trap clean, and the drain line cleared from the heat exchanger outlet through to the floor drain
- Flue gas vent and combustion air intake checked and resealed as needed
- Full vent system leak inspection, inside and at the termination
- Igniter and flame sensor electrodes cleaned and checked
- Burner flame quality check
- Water system flush and descale on the syncFURNACE Tankless
- Filter check, and change in the correct size for your model
- System pressure check
- Combustion analysis and gas safety check by a Certified Type B Gasfitter
- Gradient’s Appendix E Annual Inspection and Maintenance Record completed and left with you
Appendix E is the record form in Gradient’s manual. It is the form the manufacturer can ask for as proof of maintenance. Keeping it current is useful for your own records, and it also tells the next technician what has already been done to the unit, which can save a lot of time when something needs troubleshooting. It is a good idea to photograph it and keep it with your house documents.
The combustion analysis is on that list because it is on Gradient’s own form. Appendix E carries a line for testing burner combustion and boxes for carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide readings at both high and low fire, plus inlet gas pressure and water pH, for every year from installation through to year ten.
Read it yourself. Gradient publishes the manuals on their own site and we would rather you had the source than took our word for it. The syncFURNACE Tankless sFT-202 manual carries the maintenance schedule in section 10 and the Appendix E record at the back. The sFT-201 manual, the syncFURNACE Boiler manual and the rest are on Gradient’s guides and manuals page.
Registration. Gradient extends the five year parts coverage to ten if the unit is registered within sixty days of installation, and the policy allows either the installing contractor or the owner to do it. On a unit we install, we register it inside the window as part of the job. On a unit already in your house we can find out which document governs it and what it covers. Full detail on the warranty page.
Your builder installed it. Who services it now?
Whoever you choose. If you do not have a company looking after your equipment already, or you would like to switch things up, we would love the opportunity to earn your business.
How to tell what you have. Look at the unit in your mechanical room or closet. Gradient units carry the Gradient badge and a controller screen. The model number is printed on the rating plate. Current syncFURNACE Tankless units read sFT-202 or sFT-201, and older version 4 units read mOD-200 or mOD-201. The full string carries the cabinet size on the end, so a real one looks like sFT-202-N-12LBN3. Send us a photograph of the plate and we will tell you what you have.
Look for the sticker. Gradient’s own documentation says an emergency contact sticker is left in the mechanical room at possession. If there is no sticker, or it names a company you no longer deal with, it is worth getting that appliance onto a service schedule.
Your first service is due one year from installation, not from possession. On a new build those can be months apart, so the due date can arrive earlier than you would expect.
If you are in a townhome, your neighbours almost certainly have the identical unit in an identical closet, commissioned within weeks of yours, which means the whole row comes due at the same time. We can service several units in one visit, and there is a saving in that for everyone in it. See Gradient service in tight mechanical closets.
Why your regular furnace technician may not want the job
This is the honest answer, and it is the manufacturer’s own safety language rather than a comment about anyone else’s competence.
- Opening the burner is licensed gasfitter work, and Gradient specifies the protective equipment for it in the manual.
- The high limit safeties sit on a 115 volt line, which the manual flags in bold.
- The annual service includes a water system flush and descale, which is a plumbing procedure on a heating appliance.
- Gradient requires the work be done by a qualified, licensed technician.
A combination appliance sits across two trades. We hold both: Red Seal Journeyman Plumber and Certified Type B Gasfitter.
Booking it
We service Gradient units across southeast Calgary, including units we did not install and closets you have been told are too tight to work in. Call 403-404-9975.
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, and always in writing. If we find something else once we are in, we stop and re-quote, and you decide.
What is free
- A written quote on any replacement work.
- A warranty and coverage review while we are there. We take the model and serial off the rating plate and work out which Gradient warranty document applies to your unit and when the coverage started. If we cannot answer something on the spot we will find out, or show you where to look. A few minutes on a visit we are already making.
The Annual Care Plan
An appliance that needs documented service every year for the life of the house is exactly what a maintenance plan is for. Members get the annual service scheduled without having to remember it, priority booking, and the record completed each year so the documentation never has a gap in it. See the Annual Care Plan.
Frequently asked questions
How often does a Gradient syncFURNACE need to be serviced?
Once a year by a professional. Gradient’s manual requires the burner and combustion chamber cleaned annually, the condensate line and trap cleaned semi annually, and the flue, air intake, igniter and flame sensor checked annually. Gradient also tells homeowners to have a contractor perform annual maintenance including a filter change and water system flush and descaling. The condensate trap should be inspected quarterly.
What is included in a Gradient annual service?
Burner and combustion chamber cleaning, condensate trap and line cleaning, vent and air intake checks, a full vent system leak inspection, igniter and flame sensor service, a burner flame check, a filter check and change, a system pressure check, a combustion and gas safety check, and on the syncFURNACE Tankless a water system flush and descale. We also complete Gradient’s Appendix E maintenance record and leave it with you.
What is a water system flush and descale, and does my Gradient need one?
It applies to the syncFURNACE Tankless, annually. Gradient’s homeowner guidance for the Tankless says annual maintenance should include a filter change and water system flush and descaling, because city water runs through that appliance. Calgary water is hard, and scale inside the heat exchanger reduces heat transfer, which makes the unit work harder and shortens its life. The syncFURNACE Boiler is a closed loop, frequently with glycol in it, and is maintained on different terms. A conventional furnace tune up does not include a flush, because a conventional furnace has no water side.
Can any furnace company service a Gradient syncFURNACE?
It needs a licensed gasfitter who knows the appliance. A syncFURNACE is not a conventional furnace, the annual service includes a water system flush and descale, opening the burner is licensed gasfitter work, and the high limit safeties sit on a 115 volt line.
Do you service Gradient units you did not install?
Yes, and most of the ones we see are exactly that. Many Gradient units in Calgary were installed when the house was built, so there may be no service history on file for them. We are happy to take those on.
What happens if I skip the annual service on my syncFURNACE?
The two likely outcomes are a lockout and a shortened service life. The condensate trap blocks, the trap pressure switch opens, and the unit faults on ALM 3, usually on a cold night. Scale builds in the heat exchanger and efficiency drops. The schedule also covers combustion and venting, which is why Gradient asks for the work to be done by a qualified technician.
Can I still register my Gradient to get the ten year parts warranty?
Only if it was installed within the last sixty days. Gradient’s policy extends the five year parts coverage by a further five years if the product is registered within sixty days of the Original Date of Installation. The policy allows either the installing contractor or the owner to do it, and registration is free, through the product registration page on gradientthermal.com. On units we install we register inside the window as part of the job.
How often should I change the filter in my Gradient furnace?
Gradient recommends checking the filter monthly and changing it as needed, which generally works out to about four times a year. Any standard furnace filter fits, and Gradient names Aerostar, Clean Comfort, GeneralAire and Honeywell as compatible examples.
My Gradient was installed by the builder. Who services it now?
Whoever you choose. There is no requirement to use the company that installed it. Gradient’s documentation says an emergency contact sticker is left in your mechanical room at possession, so that is the first place to look if you want to know who has been called before.
Do I need service records to make a Gradient warranty claim?
Gradient’s claims terms say service records and support documentation are required to support maintenance claims. Their manual includes an Appendix E Annual Inspection and Maintenance Record, which is the document they are asking for. We complete it on every visit and leave it with you.
Does my Gradient have to be serviced by a Gradient dealer?
No. Gradient’s warranty requires a Certified Contractor, which their document defines as a licensed mechanical contractor whose principal occupation is heating and plumbing installation, certified under local law. That is a broader category than their published dealer list. What it does rule out is unlicensed work.
Written by Desmond Neufeld, Red Seal Journeyman Plumber and Certified Type B Gasfitter. Last updated 31 August 2026.
