Repair when the failure is small, the system is under roughly 10 years old, and the rest of the unit is healthy. Replace when you're facing a compressor, reversing valve, or refrigerant repair on an older system — especially one running R-22 — or when rebates make a new, efficient system cost less than you'd think. If you don't have a heat pump yet, a properly sized one is usually the best comfort-and-savings upgrade a Langley home can make.
"Should I fix it or replace it?" is the question we hear most, usually on the first genuinely cold morning of the year or the first hot afternoon. It's a good question, and the honest answer is: it depends — but not on a coin flip. There's a real framework, and once you see it, the right call for your home usually becomes obvious.
This guide walks through how we think about it after 14 years of repairing and installing heat pumps across Langley and the Fraser Valley. No upsell — we replace systems that should be replaced and we fix the ones worth fixing.
Three decisions, not one
People say "repair or replace," but there are really three situations, and they have different answers:
- You have a heat pump that broke. The question is whether to repair it or replace it.
- You have a heat pump that still works but is aging or costly. This is a planning decision, and it's the one where timing your replacement around rebates saves the most money.
- You have a furnace, AC, or baseboards — no heat pump yet. Here the question is whether to install your first heat pump, and for most Langley homes the answer is yes.
Start with age and the repair-cost math
Most heat pumps last 12 to 15 years, and a well-maintained one in our mild coastal climate can push toward 18 to 20. Age alone doesn't doom a system, but it changes the math on every repair. Two rules of thumb help:
The 50% rule
If a single repair costs more than half the price of a new system, replacement is usually the better long-term value.
The age × cost rule
Multiply the repair cost by the unit's age in years. If the result tops about $5,000, lean toward replacing.
These are starting points, not verdicts. A $600 repair on a 7-year-old system is an easy yes. The same repair on a 14-year-old unit that's also losing efficiency is money better put toward a replacement that qualifies for rebates. The point of the rules isn't to be precise — it's to stop you from pouring real money into a system that's on its way out.
The refrigerant question (it matters a lot)
This is the factor homeowners almost never think about, and it's often the deciding one. The refrigerant your system uses tells you a great deal about its age and its future:
- R-22: If your system runs on R-22, it's old. Production and import of R-22 has been banned in Canada since 2020, so the remaining supply is recycled and expensive. A refrigerant leak on an R-22 system is usually the moment to replace, not refill.
- R-410A: The standard for the last decade-plus. Still widely serviceable, but it's now being phased down under international agreements, so prices will drift up over the system's remaining life.
- R-454B / R-32 (low-GWP): What new systems are moving to. A new install today puts you on current, future-proof refrigerant.
Not sure which one you have? We can tell you in a couple of minutes during a service call — it's printed on the unit's data plate.
Which failures are worth fixing
Not all breakdowns are equal. Some are routine, inexpensive parts; others are the heart of the system. Here's the rough hierarchy we use:
| Failure | Typical call |
|---|---|
| Capacitor, contactor, relay | Repair — cheap, common, fast |
| Sensors, thermostat, defrost board | Repair — often pairs well with a smart thermostat |
| Fan motor, blower motor | Repair if the system is otherwise healthy |
| Refrigerant leak | Depends — fixable when found early; a red flag on R-22 |
| Reversing valve | Lean replace on an older, out-of-warranty unit |
| Compressor | Usually replace unless still under warranty |
A failed compressor or reversing valve on a system past warranty is the classic "replace" scenario — the parts and labour approach the cost of a new system, and you'd be reviving an old unit instead of stepping up to an efficient one. If your unit has stopped heating or cooling entirely, our emergency repair team can diagnose it fast and tell you honestly which side of that line you're on.
When repair is the smart move
- The system is under roughly 10 years old and otherwise running well.
- It's a small, well-understood part — capacitor, sensor, fan motor, contactor.
- It's still under manufacturer warranty (many compressors carry 10-year coverage).
- It runs on R-410A or newer refrigerant, so parts and refrigerant are readily available.
- Your energy bills have been steady, not climbing year over year.
In these cases, fixing it is the responsible call — and a yearly maintenance and cleaning visit will usually keep it running reliably for years more. Most of the "surprise" failures we see trace back to skipped maintenance.
When replacement wins
- The system is 12-plus years old and facing a major repair.
- It runs on R-22, and you're looking at a refrigerant leak or recharge.
- The compressor or reversing valve has failed out of warranty.
- Repairs are becoming a pattern — two or three calls in a couple of seasons.
- Bills keep climbing even though nothing about your usage has changed.
- It was never sized right and has always struggled in the cold or heat.
There's an upside people forget: a modern inverter-driven heat pump is dramatically more efficient and quieter than a 15-year-old unit, and a new replacement opens the door to rebates an old system simply can't qualify for. The replacement often costs far less than the sticker price once those are applied.
No heat pump yet? Installing your first one
If you're heating with a gas furnace, electric baseboards, or running a separate AC, a heat pump replaces all of it with one efficient system that heats and cools. The right type depends on your home:
- Have good ductwork? A central ducted heat pump ties into it for whole-home comfort.
- No ducts, or rooms that never feel right? A ductless mini-split adds quiet, zoned heating and cooling without tearing up the house.
- Want summer relief above all? A heat pump is also your air conditioning — one system, both jobs.
The thing that matters most for a first install is sizing. An oversized unit short-cycles and wears out early; an undersized one struggles on the coldest nights. Getting it right is the whole game, and it's what our installation process is built around. While you're at it, a heat pump water heater can cut your hot-water energy use too.
The Langley angle: climate and housing
Local context changes the decision more than most national guides admit. A few things specific to Langley and the Fraser Valley:
Our climate is two-sided now. Fraser Valley winters are mild by Canadian standards, which is gentle on equipment and ideal for heat pumps. But we get sharp Arctic outflow cold snaps that can dip well below −10°C for a few days, and since the 2021 heat dome, summer cooling has gone from "nice to have" to genuinely important. That two-sided demand is exactly why a single heat pump makes so much sense here — and why a properly chosen cold-climate model that holds capacity in a deep freeze is worth specifying.
Your neighbourhood's housing stock matters. The older ranchers in Brookswood and the semi-rural homes in Fernridge often run on electric baseboards, where a heat pump delivers the biggest savings of all. The 1990s and 2000s two-storeys in Walnut Grove frequently have an aging furnace ready for a ducted conversion. Newer builds in Willoughby are an easy fit for high-efficiency systems. Heritage homes in Fort Langley usually call for a ductless approach that respects the character. And condo or townhome owners around Willowbrook often need strata sign-off for an outdoor unit — something we help package up.
Fuel type shifts the savings. Out in Salmon River and the Otter District, plenty of homes still run on propane or oil — and switching off those fuels both saves the most month to month and unlocks the largest rebates. You can see every area we serve for notes specific to your part of town.
How rebates rewrite the math
British Columbia has some of the best heat pump rebates in the country. Between the federal, provincial, and utility programs — CleanBC Better Homes, FortisBC and BC Hydro, and Canada Greener Homes — a qualifying install can come down by thousands of dollars, and switching off fossil-fuel heating typically unlocks the largest amounts.
This is the part that flips a lot of "I'll just repair it again" decisions. When a new, rebate-eligible system effectively costs far less than the sticker, pouring money into an old unit looks a lot worse. Program amounts and eligibility rules change, so we keep on top of what's current and map out exactly what your home qualifies for. Our rebate assistance covers the paperwork end to end — see the full rebate breakdown for where the money comes from.
A 60-second decision checklist
Lean toward replacing if you answer "yes" to two or more:
- Is the system 12 years or older?
- Does it run on R-22 refrigerant?
- Is the repair a compressor, reversing valve, or big refrigerant job?
- Have you called for repairs more than once in the last two seasons?
- Are your energy bills climbing with no change in usage?
Mostly "no"? You're likely in repair territory. On the fence? That's exactly what an in-home assessment is for — book one here and we'll give you a straight answer, not a sales pitch. You can also read more about how we work.
The bottom line
Repair the small stuff on a younger, healthy system. Replace when you're facing a major repair on an older unit — especially on R-22 — or when rebates make a new system the better buy. And if you don't have a heat pump yet, a right-sized one is the single best comfort upgrade most Langley homes can make. When you want a second opinion with no pressure, we're a phone call away.