Quick answer
A furnace tune-up in Ontario costs $120–$250 for a single visit of 45 to 90 minutes by a licensed gas technician. A maintenance plan that bundles the fall furnace tune-up with a spring AC tune-up runs $150–$350 a year. Parts, repairs, duct cleaning and humidifier pads are quoted separately. Coupon tune-ups priced far below that range are usually sales visits.
A furnace tune-up costs $120–$250 in Ontario when it is a real one: a licensed gas technician, instruments on the furnace, and 45 to 90 minutes in your basement. The spread inside that range comes from the type of furnace and how easy it is to reach, not from your postal code. What matters more than the number is what gets measured for it.
What the tune-up price buys
- Combustion analysis: a probe in the flue reads oxygen, carbon monoxide and flue temperature, which shows whether the burners are burning clean. This is the step that separates a tune-up from a look-over.
- Flame sensor and igniter check: the sensor rod is cleaned and its signal measured, and the hot surface igniter is inspected for hairline cracks, since a tired one picks a cold night to fail.
- Heat exchanger inspection: a visual and camera check of the cells for cracks, rust-through and hot spots.
- Condensate trap clean: on a high-efficiency furnace the trap and drain line are flushed so they do not back up in January.
- Gas pressure: manifold pressure measured with a manometer and compared with the rating plate.
- Temperature rise: supply-air temperature minus return-air temperature, checked against the range printed on the rating plate. A reading above the range means the furnace is short of airflow.
- Filter: checked, and changed if a replacement of the right size is on hand, along with a look at the blower wheel and the wiring connections.
You should be left with the readings in writing, not a sticker on the cabinet. The full checklist sits in what a furnace tune-up includes.
What is not included and is quoted separately
- Parts: a flame sensor, igniter or capacitor found failing is a repair. Common fixes run $150–$450 and are priced in writing before the part goes in.
- Larger repairs found during the visit, such as a draft inducer motor at $400–$900. You can approve them on the spot or book them later.
- Duct cleaning: a separate service with its own truck and equipment, $300–$700 for a typical house.
- Humidifier pad: about $20–$40 when yours is due, which with hard Halton and Hamilton water is every fall.
- Upgraded filters, such as a media filter for a filter cabinet.
Single visit versus maintenance plan pricing
- Single furnace tune-up: $120–$250.
- Maintenance plan, fall furnace tune-up plus spring AC tune-up: $150–$350 a year.
- The same two visits booked one at a time: $240–$500.
The rule is simple. If you have a furnace and central air and intend to service both, a maintenance plan is the cheaper route and adds priority scheduling when something breaks. If you have a furnace only, book the single visit.
Book in September or October. In January the same visit competes with no-heat calls, and a problem found in the fall can be fixed before the furnace is needed every day. Warranty terms often call for regular maintenance by a qualified technician, so keep the invoice with the readings on it.
Why a coupon tune-up far below the going rate is usually a sales call
A licensed technician, a stocked truck and an hour of instrument work cannot be delivered for a fraction of $120. When a flyer offers it, the visit is being paid for some other way: by the repairs, the rental contract or the replacement furnace it produces. The signs are consistent.
- No combustion readings are taken, or none are left with you.
- The visit lasts 15 minutes and ends with a condemned part or a 'cracked heat exchanger' with no photo.
- A second person arrives to discuss replacement before you have a written diagnosis.
- A rental or financing agreement is on the table the same day.
If a tune-up ends with a verdict that the furnace must be replaced, ask for the evidence and get a furnace second opinion before signing anything.
What moves the price inside the range
A mid-efficiency furnace with no condensate system sits toward the lower end. A high-efficiency furnace with a trap to flush, a furnace wedged into a closet in a townhouse, or a propane furnace on a rural lot in Caledon or Flamborough takes longer and sits higher. An after-hours emergency is a repair call, not a tune-up, and is priced as one.
ZK Mechanical's furnace tune-up is carried out by a TSSA-licensed gas technician, with the combustion numbers written on the invoice. Current figures are on the pricing page. To book a fall slot in Burlington, Oakville, Milton or Hamilton, get in touch.