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Propane furnace installation and repair is natural gas furnace work with a different fuel set-up: the furnace ships built for natural gas, is converted with the manufacturer's LP kit, and is set to about 10 in. w.c. at the manifold. A new high-efficiency furnace on propane installs for $4,500–$7,500, and most repairs land between $150 and $800.
Almost no residential furnace leaves the factory as a propane furnace. It is built for natural gas, and the installer converts it with the LP kit the manufacturer sells for that exact model: smaller burner orifices, a stiffer regulator spring in the gas valve, and on some models a low-gas-pressure switch. Manifold pressure is then set with a manometer to roughly 10 in. w.c., against 3.5 for natural gas. A conversion label goes on beside the rating plate so the next technician knows which fuel the appliance is set for.
The work is split between two companies, and it helps to know where the line is. Your propane supplier owns or leases you the tank, sets it, and in most supply contracts looks after the regulators that step tank pressure down to the roughly 11 in. w.c. the house runs on. A TSSA-licensed gas technician does everything from there in: the house piping, the furnace, the conversion and the combustion set-up, all to CSA B149.1. We coordinate with the supplier so the tank is filled and the regulators are set before commissioning day.
Propane is a rural fuel here. Natural gas mains stop short of many of the concession roads around Lowville, Kilbride, Campbellville, Carlisle, rural Flamborough and rural Caledon, so the farmhouses and estate lots out there heat with propane, oil or electricity. Our guide to propane furnaces in rural Flamborough covers the local picture: tank siting, deliveries and running costs. This page is for hiring the installation or the repair.
Propane has generally cost more per unit of heat than natural gas in Ontario, and that changes the equipment conversation. A two-stage or modulating furnace earns its premium sooner on propane, and pairing the furnace with a heat pump as a hybrid system lets electricity carry the mild days and saves the tank for the cold ones. Sizing and venting follow the same rules as any furnace installation. Ask for a written quote and we will measure the house and look at the tank and regulator set-up on the same visit.
Propane-specific faults we get called for
- Lockouts on the coldest mornings with the tank gauge low: a nearly empty tank cannot vaporise enough liquid at −25°C to hold pressure
- Frost on the regulator, or a regulator vent buried in snow or ice, and burners that light and then fade
- Yellow, lazy flames and soot at the burners or the vent: the mark of natural gas orifices left in a furnace running on propane
- A furnace moved from a gas-served house, or bought second-hand, with no conversion label beside the rating plate
- A booming, delayed ignition or a rotten-egg smell near the floor; propane is heavier than air and pools low, so leave the house and call from outside
How it works
A heat-loss calculation, a check of the house piping size and where the second-stage regulator sits, a venting route for the plastic flue pipes, and a written quote that names the furnace and its LP kit by part number.
Old furnace out, new one set and vented, condensate drained. The LP orifices and regulator spring are fitted before any gas is connected, and the house piping is pressure-tested.
Inlet and manifold pressure measured with the furnace firing, a combustion analyser in the flue reading carbon monoxide and oxygen, the conversion label applied, and the readings left with you on the invoice.
Brands: We install Lennox, Carrier, Goodman, Rheem and Daikin furnaces with each maker's own LP kit, and repair propane furnaces from the other major brands as well.
Common questions
Can a natural gas furnace run on propane?
Only after it has been converted with the kit made for that model. Propane arrives at higher pressure and carries more heat per cubic foot, so natural gas orifices pass far too much fuel: the furnace overfires, soots up the heat exchanger and makes carbon monoxide. If the manufacturer offers no LP kit for a model, that furnace cannot legally go on propane.
Who do I call when the propane furnace quits: you or the propane company?
Check the tank gauge first. If it is low, or the regulator is iced over, that is the supplier's side and their delivery or service line is the call. If the tank has fuel and the range or water heater still lights, the fault is in the furnace and that is ours. A propane smell is neither: get out and call the supplier's emergency number from outside.
Why does my propane furnace struggle in extreme cold?
Propane is stored as a liquid and has to boil off into vapour inside the tank. The colder the tank and the lower the level, the slower that happens, so a furnace firing flat out on a −25°C night can pull pressure down until it locks out. Keeping the tank above roughly 30% in January and clearing snow off the regulator prevents most of these calls.
Do I need a permit to replace a propane furnace?
Permit rules for a furnace replacement are set by your municipal building department: the Town of Milton, the City of Hamilton, the Town of Caledon or the City of Burlington, depending on the lot. We confirm the requirement before the job and pull the permit where one applies. The gas connection and conversion have to be done by a TSSA-licensed technician either way.
Should I stay on propane, or switch fuels?
If Enbridge Gas is bringing a main down your road, a propane to natural gas conversion is usually worth pricing. If no main is coming, the practical upgrade is a cold-climate heat pump with the propane furnace kept as backup, which cuts tank fills without leaving you dependent on one fuel during an ice storm on a Hydro One rural line.