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Furnace Installation & Replacement · Burlington, OntarioFurnace Installation & Replacement in Burlington
Furnace installation and replacement in Burlington runs $4,500–$7,500 for a high-efficiency unit, and the number you are quoted at the kitchen table is the number on the invoice. We size the furnace from a heat-loss calculation on your actual house, pull the permit with the City of Burlington, vent it to code, and deal with the water heater you are about to leave alone on the chimney.
Furnace Installation & Replacement in Burlington
Most of the furnaces we replace in Burlington fall into three groups. In Millcroft, Headon Forest and the older parts of Orchard, the builder-installed units from the late 1980s and 1990s are 30 years old or more — some are 80% mid-efficiency furnaces still drafting up a metal flue, some are first-generation condensing units whose secondary heat exchangers are finally corroding through. In Tyandaga, Brant Hills and Mountainside, the 1970s houses are already on furnace number two or three — usually a 90%-plus unit from the early 2000s with a failing inducer or control board, or a cracked-heat-exchanger diagnosis that makes a $1,500–$3,000 repair pointless. And in Roseland, Shoreacres and Aldershot, the 1950s–60s bungalows have small duct systems never designed for a modern blower, so the install has to include a duct static check and sometimes a return-air fix, or the new furnace will be noisy and short-lived.
The City of Burlington's building department requires a permit for a furnace replacement, and we pull it and book the final inspection as part of the price. Venting is the part that low quotes get wrong: a condensing furnace exhausts through PVC or ABS pipe out the side wall, and the gas code sets clearances from windows, doors, the gas meter and any air intake — in Burlington's tight 1970s side yards that sometimes means running to a different wall than the old furnace used. If your water heater shares the old masonry chimney, taking the furnace off it leaves the tank alone on a flue that is now far too big; we price a chimney liner, a power-vent tank or a tankless unit in the same quote so it is not a surprise on install day. The condensate has to go somewhere too; when there is no floor drain nearby, a condensate pump is $250–$450 installed.
Sizing follows the CSA F280 heat-loss method that the Ontario Building Code references, not the nameplate of the unit coming out — a lot of 1990s Burlington furnaces were oversized, which is why the upstairs bedrooms in Millcroft two-storeys never quite catch up. A two-stage furnace with an ECM blower solves most of that for a modest premium, and a modulating unit earns its cost mainly in large or oddly shaped houses. If the air conditioner is also 12 or more years old, replacing both together runs $7,500–$11,500 and saves $1,000–$2,500 over two separate jobs; and if you are open to it, a hybrid furnace-plus-heat-pump set-up is where the rebate money is right now — see our Burlington heat pump installation page. Enbridge's HER+ has wound up and the federal Greener Homes Grant no longer accepts new applicants, so the live Ontario money now sits in the Home Renovation Savings Program — which pays far better on a heat pump than on a furnace-only swap; the furnace rebate page lists what a Burlington homeowner can still claim. For what install day looks like and how long you will be without heat, read how long furnace installation takes, then ask for a written quote — it is free, and it is in writing.
Why ZK Mechanical for furnace installation & replacement in Burlington
- Heat-loss calculation on your actual house, not a furnace picked off the old nameplate
- Permit pulled and inspection booked with the City of Burlington on every install
- Venting routed to code — clearances from windows, meter and air intakes checked on the walk-through, not on install day
- Chimney liner, power-vent or tankless option priced for the water heater you are leaving on the flue
- Lennox, Carrier, Trane, Goodman, Rheem, York, Amana and KeepRite installed; brand tiers explained without a pitch
- Old furnace removed and disposed of, and the basement swept before we leave
- Written pricing before work starts, and a lending-partner plan you can clear early without a penalty
Licensed technicians, Burlington dispatch, no overtime charges.
Furnace Installation & Replacement in Burlington — FAQs
How much does furnace replacement cost in Burlington?
A high-efficiency furnace installed in Burlington runs $4,500–$7,500, with most replacements landing between $4,500 and $6,500. Premium lines such as the Lennox SLP98V or Carrier Infinity 98 carry a $500–$1,500 premium over an equivalent base model. The permit fee varies by municipality, typically $100–$300, and it is inside our quote rather than added later; duct corrections or a chimney liner are itemized before you sign. Our GTA furnace cost guide walks through each line that moves the total.
Do I need a permit to replace a furnace in Burlington?
Yes. A furnace replacement in Burlington is permitted through the City of Burlington's building department, and the inspector checks the venting, the gas piping, clearances and the condensate drain. We pull the permit under our TSSA contractor registration and schedule the inspection. An unpermitted install can surface later when you sell the house or file an insurance claim, so we do not skip it to shave a quote.
What happens to my water heater when the furnace comes off the chimney?
It becomes the only appliance on a chimney built for two, and that is a problem. The tank's small exhaust cannot warm the oversized flue, so it condenses inside the brick, and on a damp day the flue may not draw at all. The code-compliant fixes are a correctly sized liner dropped down the chimney, a power-vent tank that exhausts through the wall, or a tankless conversion. We measure the chimney on the quote visit and include the option that fits your budget in the same price.
Should I replace the air conditioner at the same time as the furnace?
If the air conditioner is 12 or more years old, usually yes. The two share the blower and the indoor coil, and doing both at once means one crew visit, one set of sheet-metal transitions and one permit cycle; a combined replacement typically runs $7,500–$11,500 and saves $1,000–$2,500 against two separate jobs. If the AC is under eight years old, leave it and replace the furnace alone. And if you are replacing both anyway, ask about a hybrid heat pump instead of a new AC, because that is where the current rebates sit.
How long will my Burlington home be without heat during the install?
Most of one working day. A like-for-like replacement is typically six to eight hours; add time when the venting changes walls or a chimney liner is going in. We schedule winter installs to start first thing — the crew is coming from North Service Road, not across the GTA — so the aim is heat running the same evening. The furnace installation service page covers the sequence step by step.
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Furnace Installation & Replacement in Burlington — fast.
Emergency repair or planned upgrade, quoted in writing before any work starts.