Frequently Asked Questions

Every community within 45 miles of Duluth, Minnesota or Superior, Wisconsin — 66 towns across six counties in two states. We are licensed in both and there is no surcharge for crossing the bridge.

Inside the core 15-mile area, same-day is normal and often within a couple of hours. Further out it takes longer and we will give you a real window rather than an optimistic one.

Yes, 24/7 including holidays, with a live person. In a −20°F climate an overnight no-heat call should not wait for morning.

Yes. Minnesota and Wisconsin are separate credentials and a Twin Ports contractor needs both. We carry both plus insurance valid in both states.

$89, credited toward the repair when you approve the work. Same rate after hours. There is an after-hours labour rate for the repair itself, which we state on the phone before dispatching.

Yes, including the load calculation and the survey. The $89 diagnostic applies to repair calls, where the work is determining what is wrong.

Yes, and it matters here because the area spans Comfort Systems, Minnesota Energy Resources, Minnesota Power and Focus on Energy depending on address and fuel. We identify what applies, install to that tier, and file it.

Yes, monthly payment plans on new systems on approved credit, with terms in writing at quote time. Ask for the net figure after rebates — it changes the monthly payment materially.

Yes — hot water and steam, one pipe and two pipe, cast iron and modern condensing. It is a substantial part of our winter work because so much Twin Ports housing heats this way.

Usually not. Ducting a balloon-framed house with no duct chase is a major renovation and you lose radiant comfort. Replacing the boiler keeps your radiators for far less disruption. If you want air conditioning, price ductless mini-splits first.

Cold-climate models do — useful capacity to roughly −13°F to −15°F, covering most of our heating hours. Nearly all installs here are dual-fuel so the furnace takes the coldest nights.

Your electric bill rises and your fuel bill falls. The total drops substantially if you burn propane, fuel oil or electric resistance, and much less if you have cheap natural gas. We run it with your actual rates before you commit.

Yes, and the rural townships are a large part of our work. Propane needs different orifices, roughly three times the manifold pressure of natural gas, and combustion verification after any conversion.

Once a year per system — heating in the fall, cooling in the spring. The heating check matters most here because of the hours equipment runs and because combustion safety should not be left unmeasured.

We sample flue gas with a calibrated analyser and read oxygen, carbon monoxide, stack temperature and efficiency. It is the only way to know a gas appliance is burning safely. A furnace that looks fine can still produce dangerous CO — yes, you need it.

Possibly a serious one. An orphaned water heater in an oversized masonry flue often will not draft, and exhaust can spill into the basement. It is common here and correctable — have it tested.

15–20 years, toward the shorter end because of the hours equipment runs in this climate. Documented annual maintenance reliably pushes units to the top of that band.

If it is under about 15 years old and the repair is less than roughly a third of a replacement, usually yes. Past 18–20 years, or with any heat-exchanger crack, no. We quote both side by side.

Whatever the Manual J load calculation says, which here is usually smaller than what is already in your basement. Most furnaces we survey are 30–50% oversized because each replacement matched the previous nameplate.

Yes. Most of our work is on equipment somebody else installed, across all the major manufacturers. We will tell you plainly when a unit has reached the point where continued repair is worse value than replacement.

Yes — rooftop units, boiler plants, refrigeration, walk-ins, make-up air, kitchen ventilation and controls, with maintenance agreements that carry priority dispatch and no after-hours premium.

Because we will not publish numbers we cannot substantiate, and self-reported ratings in a website's own markup are not evidence. When we have a body of verifiable reviews we will point you at the platform hosting them.