Heat Pumps False Creek · Yaletown · Coal Harbour · Richmond · Burnaby

Water-source
heat pump replacement
for condo owners.

If the unit in your closet, ceiling, or mechanical space is 8+ years old, now is the time to understand how it's performing. We help condo and strata owners get clear education on maintenance, repair, and replacement — before a small issue becomes an emergency.

Specialist in water-source & geothermal heat pumps
Authorized WaterFurnace dealer
Installation & service for all heat pump brands
20+ years in the Lower Mainland
FIG. 01 · IN-SUITE WSHP, CONDO UNIT 1204 8+ YRS OLD FL.18 FL.12 FL.06
8+ yrs
Time to start planning ahead
Fast
Like-for-like quote path
5 yr
Refrigeration parts warranty*

02 —The 8+ year planning window

Is your condo
heat pump 8+ years old?

Owners with central or in-suite heat pump systems that are 8+ years old should start getting educated on their equipment: what maintenance protects, what repairs are worth doing, and when replacement planning makes financial sense.

Planning window
0 yrs5101520+
0–5 yrs · usually still within standard parts-warranty periods
6–10 yrs · service calls can start to creep up
10+ yrs · repair-vs-replace planning becomes important

03 —Why repair gets expensive

Old units don't
fail cheaply.

The bigger problem isn't only cost — it's uncertainty. A $2,400 repair that lasts six months isn't a repair; it's a deposit on the next failure.

Aging compressors

The most expensive single part. Once one starts cycling abnormally, the clock is on the others.

Typical repair · $2,200–4,500

Refrigerant leaks

Coil leaks on older units can be hard to isolate, and legacy refrigerants (R-22, R-410A) are increasingly costly or restricted.

Diagnose + recharge · $900–2,800

Obsolete parts

Boards, valves, and proprietary fittings for 2005-era units can take weeks to source — if they're still made at all.

Wait time · 2–6 weeks

Bench work & removal

Many serious repairs need the unit pulled from the ceiling or closet. Once you're paying for that twice, replacement gets cheap.

Removal + reinstall · $600–1,200

04 —  Repair vs. replacement

Repair isn't
always wrong.

We'll be honest: a 7-year-old unit with a $400 capacitor failure — fix it. But when the unit is 10+ years old and the repair runs into the thousands, the math changes fast.

By the numbers

The honest comparison

Option A

Repair an aging unit

Option B

Replace with new equipment

Typical upfront cost
$1,200–4,500
per major repair
$8,900–14,500
installed, in-suite WSHP
Expected life after
6 months – 4 years
uncertain — depends on next-weakest part
15–20+ years
new full mechanical lifecycle
Warranty
90 days on the specific repair
5-year refrigeration parts*
plus 10-yr extended options
Risk of repeat failure
High — other parts the same age
Low — full new equipment
Refrigerant
May be R-22, R-410A, or other legacy refrigerants
R-454B / R-32
current-generation low-GWP options
Energy use
Same as current — degrading
15–30% lower vs. legacy units

When the repair is more than ~30% of replacement cost and the unit is over 10 years old, replacement is often the smarter financial decision. We'll show you the math, in writing.

05 —Warning signs

Six signs your unit
may need attention.

If you're seeing two or more of these, it's time for a Health Check — before the unit decides for you.

— 01

Unusual noises or cycling

New rattles, clunks, or the unit short-cycling on and off without reaching setpoint.

— 02

Service calls in the past 18 months

One service call is maintenance. Two or more is the unit telling you something.

— 03

Building is 10+ years old

If the building is from 2016 or earlier and the unit is original, it's worth understanding its condition and replacement timeline.

— 04

Loss of cooling or heating capacity

Rooms don't get as cool or warm as they used to — often the first sign of a slow refrigerant leak.

— 05

Visible water or condensate

Pooling, drips, or stains around the unit can point to condensate problems that cause floods and affect insurance premiums.

— 06

Strata fees rising for repairs

Building heat-pump maintenance costs climbing year over year — your unit may not be far behind.

06 —Three ways to engage

Pick the door that fits
your situation.

We don't believe in a single hard pitch. Three lower-friction offers — built around where condo owners actually are when they find us.

Free
01 ·Already got a quote?

Second Opinion.

Already received a quote to repair or replace your condo heat pump? Before you spend thousands, get a no-obligation review from a water-source specialist.

  • 30-min review of your existing quote
  • Plain-language explanation of the work
  • Alternate scopes, brands & pricing
  • Honest assessment — no pressure
Get a second opinion
Buildings
03 ·Multiple owners

Building Group Pricing.

If multiple owners in your building have aging units, coordinated replacement reduces per-unit cost, simplifies scheduling, and gives strata one point of contact.

  • Tiered pricing at 3+ & 5+ units
  • Sequenced install — minimum disruption
  • Single strata-friendly contract
  • Owner notice & communication kit
Ask about group pricing

Group pricing in practice

One building. One quote.
One coordinated install.

When 3+ owners in the same building replace together, we sequence the installs across consecutive days, coordinate one site visit and one written scope, and pass the savings back. Strata gets one point of contact. You get a better price.

3+
Owners to unlock group tier pricing
12%
Typical per-unit cost reduction
1
Strata-facing point of contact
5 days
Typical building install window

07 —Why West Coast Geothermal

Specialists, not generalists.

Most HVAC companies don't want to touch water-source heat pumps. They're the specialty we built the business around.

01 — SPECIALTY

Water-source is our core practice.

Closet-mounted, ceiling-mounted, vertical-stack — we work on the units other contractors refer out. It's not a sideline.

02 — DEALER

Authorized WaterFurnace dealer.

Full product access, parts, and factory-backed warranty support — not a parts-house guess on a discontinued brand.

03 — LOCAL

Maple Ridge HQ, Lower Mainland since 2003.

Same-day callbacks. Real names. Scott picks up the phone. We service every system we install.

04 — ADVISORY

Repair-vs-replace, honest math.

If repair is the right call for your unit, we'll tell you. We're not interested in selling you a system you don't need yet.

05 — WARRANTY

5-year refrigeration parts warranty.*

The expensive components — compressor, coil, valves — covered. Extended 10-year options available.

06 — STRATA

Strata & property manager friendly.

Insurance certs, owner notices, scheduling around strata bylaws. We make the process clear for owners, councils, and managers.

08 —Frequently asked

Real questions from condo owners.

If yours isn't here, call us. We're happy to talk through your specific situation before you book anything.

— 01 Is my heat pump my responsibility, or the strata's? +

In most BC strata buildings, the in-suite heat pump is the owner's responsibility, while shared building mechanical systems are the strata's. But every building's bylaws and Form B are different — we'll help you read yours during the Health Check, and contact your strata or property manager if needed.

— 02 How much does a typical condo heat pump replacement cost? +

For a like-for-like in-suite water-source heat pump in a Lower Mainland condo, replacement typically runs $8,900–$14,500 fully installed, depending on tonnage, location in the suite, and access. Group pricing (3+ owners in one building) reduces per-unit cost meaningfully. We provide written, fixed-price quotes — no change-order surprises.

— 03 How long does the replacement take? +

A single in-suite replacement is typically one working day. We arrive in the morning, remove the old unit, install the new one, commission it, and the suite has heat and cooling back by end of day. We bring matting and floor protection — your floors and walls stay clean.

— 04 What's included in the Condo Heat Pump Health Check? +

A full on-site inspection: refrigerant pressures and temperatures, electrical readings, fan and blower performance, condensate pan and drain, building water-side performance, age and serial verification, and a visual check of coils, compressor housing, and controls. You receive a written report with photographs, a condition rating, and our honest recommendation on repair, monitor, or replace.

— 05 Do you handle the strata / building paperwork? +

Yes. We provide insurance certificates, WorkSafeBC documentation, a written scope-of-work for your strata Form K, and direct communication with your property manager or strata council if needed. For group pricing across multiple owners, we send a single strata-facing scope and coordinate scheduling around bylaws (elevator bookings, work-hour restrictions, etc.).

— 06 Is financing available? +

Financing is available for qualified customers, OAC. Many condo owners also plan replacement through existing home equity, lines of credit, or personal financing — we don't push HVAC-specific financing. Ask during the quote and we'll outline the options.

— 07 My quote from another contractor seems high — will you really review it? +

Yes — that's exactly what the Second Opinion offer is for. Send us the quote (photo or PDF is fine), give us 30 minutes, and we'll tell you whether it looks fair, what's missing, and what an alternate scope or brand might cost. No obligation, no pressure to switch.

09 —Get in touch

Tell us about
your unit. We'll tell you what we'd do.

One short form, same-day callback before 4pm. For common like-for-like replacements, we'll work toward a fast base quote with clear caveats; for complex scopes, we'll confirm the details first.

No phone tag, no pressureYou'll speak with Scott or a senior tech, not a call centre.
Same-day callback before 4pmSubmit before 1pm M–F and we'll call you back the same business day.
Fast quote pathSimple swaps move quickly. Complex replacements get a written, itemized scope before pricing is finalized.

  Ready when you are.

Before your unit
fails on the coldest week of the year.

A 30-minute Health Check now beats a $4,000 emergency repair in January. Or sooner — if you've already got a quote you're not sure about.

Service area
Vancouver · Richmond · Burnaby · North Shore
Hours
Mon–Fri 7:30–5 · same-day callback before 4pm
Specialty
Water-source & geothermal heat pumps