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OK, let’s be honest: No homeowner loves making calls to home service companies. If you’re on the phone with an HVAC guy, for example, there’s a good chance it’s because something’s not working the way it should (or at all)… which means you have to “deal with” getting it fixed. And by “deal with,” we mean spend time and money you’d much rather invest in a kerpillion other ways. 

None of that is any fun, but there’s one more way home service repairs can be made particularly unpleasant: When you don’t really understand the equipment that’s malfunctioning, let alone have the foggiest idea of what it’ll take to repair it. That means when you finally gather up the energy/courage to call someone, you wind up feeling frustrated (and maybe even a little embarrassed) because you can’t easily explain what’s happening:

“You know how that one gray box that’s supposed to do that one thing? Well, instead it’s making this weird noise—it kinda goes ‘ding thunk a chunk’— and I need someone to fix it.”

Worst of all, when you’re not sure how to describe your problem, it’s easy to worry that the person on the other end of the phone will take advantage of your naïveté. No one likes to feel like they’re getting ripped off. 

So, with that in mind, let’s do a little HVAC 101! And since the weather’s finally cooling off (#blessed), let’s talk big-picture about the differences among three major appliances: water heaters, boilers, and furnaces.

Water Heaters vs. Boilers vs. Furnaces

On occasion, we have homeowners call us for help with their water heater, because, well it includes the word heater. But here’s what you need to know: HVAC companies install and service appliances designed to cool and heat your home. Water heaters are actually part of your plumbing system, not your HVAC system, because their purpose begins and ends with the temperature of the water supplying your faucets, showers, dishwasher, and washing machine.

Now here’s where it gets slightly tricky. Boilers also heat water, but in addition to giving you hot water for all the purposes above, they provide warmth by circulating the hot water through your home using a series of pipes and baseboard radiators. (Some boilers convert the hot water to steam and use steam radiators instead, which isn’t quite as efficient.) Because boilers are designed to provide heat (not just hot water), they fall into the HVAC category.

Furnaces also have the job of heating your home, but they don’t use water at all. Instead, furnaces heat the air itself and then push the warmed air throughout your home using a series of ducts.

Now, many people use the words boiler and furnace interchangeably, which can get you in a bit of trouble when you call for a repair. If you say your furnace quit on you, but you actually have a boiler (or vice versa), we may send the wrong tech with the wrong tools. It may be helpful to remember that if you have radiators, you have a boiler. If you have ductwork, you have a furnace. 

To see more about how each of these systems operates, including diagrams of what radiators look like, check out this helpful infographic from energy.gov.

Which is Better: Boilers or Furnaces?

As with most things in life, there’s really no “better” when it comes to boilers and furnaces: There’s just “different.” 

Boilers tend to require less maintenance and produce heat more efficiently, and they don’t push dust and allergens throughout your home like furnaces do. However, they’re more expensive to install, take longer to heat up a room, and can freeze in extremely cold conditions—which is, of course, the exact opposite of what you’re looking for in a heater. 

Furnaces, on the other hand, are less expensive than boilers, won’t freeze in the winter, can’t leak like boilers can, and don’t create humidity problems. On the other hand, they require more frequent maintenance, including filter changes, they’re noisier and typically have a shorter life span than boilers.

Have Peace of Mind with a Furnace or Boiler Check-Up

Regardless of which system you have, it requires at least yearly cleaning and other preventive maintenance to ensure it’s running safely and efficiently. We’re proud to be the most trusted HVAC company in Calgary, and we’d be honored to help you protect your home investment and keep your family warm and comfy this winter. Give us a call today!

Serving Calgary, AB and surrounding areas

We take immense pride in providing Calgary, AB and surrounding areas with top-notch plumbing, heating, and cooling services, ensuring every home and business operates smoothly year-round. Our team’s expertise and dedication shine through in every project, earning the trust and satisfaction of our valued customers across the city. Serving you isn’t just a job for us; it’s a commitment to excellence and a testament to our passion for keeping our community comfortable and thriving.

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A job well done.

I felt the company is oriented on quality of customer service , they send me the track link when dispatch the plumber, and the plumber is super on time too . I really appreciate Richard , he is supper patient to help me find out what is the best solution, focus on customer’s interest . Thank you again , I will definitely use your service again when I having plumbing problems, which I hope it will never happen.

Jing Huang

Had them update and install our infloor heating two zones, and add tank less hot water on demand and install a water softener. Our technician was very professional kept his work area tidy, cleaned up after himself. He also wiped down all the equipment used including piping and tubing. He was friendly, kept us informed on his progress. You could tell he enjoys what he does… great job Thank you so much.

Carol Hill

John came out to review our heating and AC set-up. He was very knowledgeable and patient as he walked us through the various units and proposed maintenance program. Would highly recommend.

Lucus Tomei

I had furnace venting replaced. This company is efficient and very professional. You know who is coming to do the work and given notice of when they’ll arrive. Heinz was very knowledgeable, professional, was not bothered by all my questions. He gave full explanations, reasons why, and great advice on maintenance care. He showed that he cared about what he was doing and was very efficient in getting the work done quickly. I highly recommend this company and Heinz.

Elsa Krienke

We could not do the water valve replacement because the city could not shut the water off. I was warned ahead of time that this might happen so was not worried. Yamil was courteous and professional and I look forward to his return when the city can fulfill there end of the job. Justin and Sean were great with the furnace install. It went smoothly and Justin explained the new thermostat fully. The walk through on the furnace was useful and timely. Justin and Sean were friendly and professional and great to work with. John who came out for the initial inspection…

Paul Palardy

Drake Ahern did an awesome job cleaning the ducts. Was very friendly and professional. Worked hard and paid attention to all the details. I’d definitely have him back next time.

David Dickinson

The appointment to come to check my boiler was prompt and early I’m the day so I didn’t have to wait the whole day. I received a call 15mins before the arrival. An email and a text was sent earlier. Gerry introduced himself and told me his purpose. He checked my boiler for a while then explained clear to me what the problem was, it was relief to know that it is nit necessarily a serious one. He made further checks and made some recommendations for change of some worn out parts, the re-glycol – 10yrs overdue and some leak that…

Roland B.

Heinz was professional and honest. He gave me options and the price. The price was the price and there were no extra charges. He worked on a boiler system that was having issues. He flushed and cleaned system and everything is back up and running. When he was finished he asked if I had any question. I look forward to him coming back to service this system again.

Curtis W.

Can’t say enough about the great service I received from Heinz regarding some concerning alerts we got on our Ecobee Smart Thermostat yesterday. I felt cared for and trusted that he was focused on the necessary followup to assure our safety. Heinz is very good at his job.

Kim Koch

Arrived on time and did a quick and efficient replacement of my kitchen sink faucet. Also took the time to further explain the operation of the water softener installed on the last visit.
Richard was friendly and knowledgeable. Great service!

Marybeth Marrow

Jon was on time and dispatch team did their best to get him to the property to do an inspection on leaking pipes and backup sewer system. Jon then immediately got another job into the system to have a deeper inspection of the entire system to determine where the blockage was.

David Crawford

Clearview was excellent to deal with. Very professional in their approach and the picture sent of the plumber before hand is an excellent idea. Richard was great to deal with. He gave me different options to resolve the problem.

Rick Pultz

Barry did a great job in replacing a leaking Hot Water tank. Just a bit shocked at how much the cost of a new tank has increased over the years. We would certainly use ClearView for future jobs.

Ken Stowell

Thank you! Your service has always been reliable, professional,and friendly.
Rural folks can depend on you, as We have for more than 30 years, for both our property and others.
If you say you’re coming – you show up- or you promptly let us know of any delays! AND do a fantastic job. We’d asked for certain day & hours, as our neighbour has a B&B, didn’t want to cause issues with septic removal smells for them. YOU DELIVERED! Thank you. The Jackson’s.

Robert Jackson

Our hot water tank blew and fortunately we noticed right away. We called Clearview Services late in the evening and we were answered right away. We were kept in the loop throughout the entire experience and Gabe Colpitts was the service technician who visited the next morning. He was very professional and spent the time to explain and educate the different options that were available. We were up and running with hot water the very next day.

Mike Mario

Barry was fantastic. Explained the steps that would be required to detect the leak and then proceeded with the work. He was professional and managed to fix our issue same day. He left our home clean and tidy before leaving. Overall very happy.

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