What to do before you need anybody. Written for the way houses behave here — freeze-thaw, chinooks, and the two weeks in autumn when a garden tap decides the rest of your winter.
Seasonal guides · 3 min read
Calgary winter prep: is your plumbing and A/C ready for the freeze?
Freeze-thaw cycles are hard on a house. An exterior tap, a sump discharge line and an outdoor condenser all want ten minutes of attention before the ground goes solid.
Seasonal guides · 4 min read
Furnace not working in Calgary? What to check before you call
Most no-heat calls in a Calgary winter turn out to be one of five things a homeowner can check in ten minutes. Here they are in order, and the point at which you should stop checking and pick up the phone.
Seasonal guides · 4 min read
Frozen pipes in Calgary: how to prevent them and what to do when one freezes
A frozen pipe is a warning; a burst one is a flood. Where pipes freeze in Calgary homes, how to thaw one safely, and the one valve everyone in the house should be able to find.
Homeowner guides · 4 min read
Does my Calgary house have Poly-B? A guide by year built
Poly-B water pipe was installed in Alberta homes from the mid-1970s until production ended in 1998. How to tell from your home's age, how to spot it in ten minutes, and what having it actually means.
Homeowner guides · 3 min read
Do you need a permit to replace a hot water tank in Calgary?
In most cases, yes — and who is allowed to pull it is the part people miss. What the City of Calgary says, why a gas water heater is gas work, and the questions to ask before anyone swaps your tank.
Seasonal guides · 4 min read
Furnace tune-up in Calgary: what a maintenance visit should include
A yearly check-up is the cheapest way to avoid a no-heat call in January. What a technician should actually do on a tune-up, the jobs you can do yourself, and the questions that separate a real inspection from a sales visit.