HVAC & Plumbing Services in Union Bay, BC
P3 Mechanical & Electrical works in Union Bay, the strip of houses and small acreages along Highway 19A between Royston and Buckley Bay. It is a narrow community with water on one side and rising ground on the other, and that shapes the work: salt spray on everything facing Baynes Sound, septic fields and wells instead of city services, and a housing mix running from coal-era heritage buildings to houses finished in the last few years.
Something's not working right now?
Start here. Each one goes to the crew that handles it, and carries the one thing worth checking before we arrive.
- The furnace or heat pump won't startCheck the power switch that looks like an ordinary light switch, near the unit or at the top of the basement stairs.
- No hot water, or water where it shouldn't beShut the water off at the main if you can reach it, and stay clear of any leak near wiring or a panel.
- The house won't cool, or the air is staleCheck the filter first: a clogged one chokes airflow long before the equipment itself fails.
Not sure which one it is? Describe it on the phone and we'll work it out: +1-250-824-7363
A coal port that became a highway village
Union Bay exists because Cumberland's coal had to be loaded onto ships, and the shoreline still shows it. Heritage Row and the buildings around it date from that period, and so do a number of the houses behind them, put up long before anyone ran a duct through a wall. Those places heat with baseboards, a stove, or a furnace wedged into a space never designed for one, and a ductless system is the cleanest way to fix that without touching the original structure.
The newer housing sits behind and above the strip on bigger lots — ducted from the start, better sealed, and with room to put an outdoor unit away from the water. In between there is a long tail of cabins and small older houses that were summer places once and are lived in year-round now, which is the version that usually needs heating and plumbing attention at the same time.
A property on a well changes the plumbing conversation completely: pressure and pump controls to think about, and hardness that scales up a hot water tank and everything downstream of it. It is worth testing the water before a tank is replaced rather than after the new one starts collecting the same scale.
Weather on Baynes Sound
The Sound is a narrow channel between the Island and Denman, and the wind funnels along it. Winter southeasters carry salt well past the beachfront, and properties on the seaward side of 19A take it directly. Salt film on a coil is corrosive rather than cosmetic, so coated equipment, a rinse routine, and mounting that keeps the unit out of the spray line are worth specifying before installation.
Damp is the other constant. Crawlspaces under the older houses along this stretch sit close to the water table, and a cold wet crawlspace becomes cold floors, a rusting furnace cabinet, and ducts that sweat whenever the system runs. Dealing with the crawlspace usually does more for comfort than the next size up in equipment.
What decides the job in Union Bay
- Unincorporated, so the CVRD
- Union Bay sits in Electoral Area A of the Comox Valley Regional District along with Fanny Bay, Buckley Bay and the Denman and Hornby islands, so permits come from the regional district rather than from a city hall in Courtenay or Cumberland. We pull it and book the inspection as part of the job.
- Gas does not reach far
- Gas mains do not reach every property along this stretch of 19A, so electricity, propane and wood carry most of the heating load. The heritage houses behind the old coal port have no duct runs to reuse either, which is why a ductless heat pump is the usual answer here.
- The switch the programs fund
- Coming off propane, oil or electric baseboards is exactly the move CleanBC Better Homes and BC Hydro are built around, with what you receive set by household income and the equipment installed. Terms change between program years, so check the current ones before planning around a number.
- Highway, not a ferry
- Union Bay is strung along 19A, so parts and replacement units come down the highway rather than across a ferry — which is not true of the islands directly opposite. Septic is the norm here rather than the exception, and water comes from a community system on some properties and a private well on others.
Why homeowners here choose P3
- Coated equipment and careful siting for lots facing Baynes Sound
- Ductless retrofits for the heritage housing along 19A
- Well and septic work, including pump controls and hard water
- Permits pulled through the CVRD rather than a municipal office
What happens after you call
You call, or send the form. We ask what the equipment is, how old it is and what it is doing now — enough to tell a repair from a replacement before anybody drives anywhere.
We look at the job. Some things are settled on the phone; anything that touches ductwork, venting, a gas line or a water line gets looked at on site, because guessing at those from a description is how a quote goes wrong.
You get the scope and the price in writing, with the equipment named, so it can be read next to somebody else’s quote line for line. The estimate itself is free, and it follows the visit rather than the phone call.
Where the work needs a permit — furnaces, heat pumps, gas, plumbing — we pull it and book the inspection as part of the job, rather than handing you a form at the end.
Frequently asked questions
Our place looks straight out at Baynes Sound. Will the salt air ruin an outdoor unit?
It will if the equipment is not chosen for it. Wind funnels down the Sound and carries salt inland past the beachfront, and the seaward side of 19A gets the worst of it. Salt sits on the aluminum fins, holds moisture against the coil, and attacks the electrical connections in the cabinet. Marine-grade coatings, a rinse as part of annual maintenance, and mounting the unit out of the direct spray line are what make the difference here.
Can I heat one of the old Union Bay houses without tearing it apart?
Yes — that is what ductless systems are for. The heritage houses along the highway were built decades before central heating, so they have no duct runs and often no crawlspace worth using. A ductless heat pump needs an outdoor unit on an exterior wall and a small line set to each indoor head, which means no ripping into plaster and no change to the exterior character of the building.
We are on a well. Does that change the plumbing or the hot water side?
It changes quite a lot of it. Well water out here is often hard, which scales a hot water tank, shortens the life of fixtures, and drags down the efficiency of anything that heats water. The pump and pressure tank have demands a town-serviced house never deals with, and a system originally set up for a seasonal cabin is frequently undersized for year-round living. It is worth looking at the water itself before replacing the tank.
Who do we get a permit from out here — Courtenay?
No. Union Bay is unincorporated and falls under the Comox Valley Regional District, Electoral Area A, together with Fanny Bay, Buckley Bay, Denman, and Hornby. Heating and plumbing work still needs a permit and an inspection; it just comes through the regional district rather than a municipal hall. We handle that side rather than leaving it with you.
Is there a rebate for switching off propane or baseboard heat?
Yes, that is the switch the programs are aimed at. CleanBC Better Homes and BC Hydro both support moving from propane, oil, or electric baseboards to a heat pump, and what you receive depends on household income and the equipment installed. Because the terms change between program years, check the current ones before planning around a number. We complete the application along with the job.
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