These three types of coverage are frequently confused — and that confusion can leave homeowners with significant gaps in their protection without realising it. Here's exactly what each one covers:

The Protection Plan is the top tier of coverage — it includes everything in the Maintenance Plan, plus comprehensive parts and labour coverage when your unit needs a repair. Think of the Maintenance Plan as preventive care and the Protection Plan as full insurance against unexpected repair costs.

Most Ontario homeowners assume their manufacturer's warranty protects them from all repair costs. It doesn't. Understanding these gaps is essential to knowing whether a Protection Plan is right for you.

Labour Is Almost Never Included

A manufacturer's warranty covers defective parts — it does not pay for the technician's time to diagnose the problem, remove the faulty component, install the replacement, and recommission the unit. In Ontario, labour for a tankless repair typically runs $150 to $400 per call, depending on the complexity. That cost is yours to bear, even while the warranty is active.

Wear-and-Tear Failures Are Excluded

Manufacturer warranties cover manufacturing defects — components that fail due to a fault in how they were made. They do not cover components that fail through normal use over time. A thermistor that degrades after seven years of operation, a flow sensor that wears out, a gas valve that develops a fault after a decade of cycling — these are wear-and-tear failures, and they are explicitly excluded from most manufacturer warranties.

Scale Damage Is Excluded

If your heat exchanger is damaged by scale buildup — a common occurrence in Ontario's moderate to hard water regions — the manufacturer's warranty will not cover it. Scale damage is considered a maintenance failure, not a manufacturing defect. This is one of the most frequent warranty denial scenarios we see, and it's why an active Maintenance Plan is required to hold a Protection Plan with us.

The Warranty Has an Expiry Date — Your Unit Doesn't

A Rinnai or Navien unit is built to last 20 to 25 years. The parts warranty covers 5 years. The heat exchanger warranty covers 12 to 15 years. After those terms expire, you are fully responsible for every repair cost — parts and labour — on a unit that may have 10 or more years of service life remaining. The Protection Plan provides continued coverage beyond the manufacturer warranty period, extending your financial protection for the life of the unit.

The Protection Plan provides parts and labour coverage for failures of covered components due to normal wear and mechanical breakdown. Here's what's included:

All covered repairs are performed by our licensed HVAC technicians using manufacturer-approved parts. No third-party contractors, no generic components.

We believe in being completely upfront. Here's what the Protection Plan does not cover, so there are no surprises:

• Scale or sediment damage to any component: This is why an active Maintenance Plan — including annual descaling — is a mandatory condition of the Protection Plan. A well-maintained unit will not experience scale-related failures. If a unit is found to have significant scale damage at claim time due to a gap in maintenance, that failure is excluded.
• Physical damage or misuse: Damage resulting from improper installation by a non-licensed technician, physical impact, flooding, fire, or any cause other than normal mechanical wear is not covered.
• Cosmetic issues: Aesthetic damage to the unit's casing, display panel scratches, or similar non-functional issues.
• Pre-existing conditions: Failures that are identified or noted at the time of enrolment inspection as pre-existing are not covered under the plan from day one — though some may be addressed as part of bringing the unit into plan eligibility.
• Gas line or plumbing infrastructure: The plan covers the tankless unit itself. Failures in your home's gas line, water supply plumbing, or venting system beyond the unit's connections are not included.
• Acts of nature: Damage caused by lightning, power surges, flooding, or other external events.

If you have any questions about whether a specific situation is covered, call us before you need the claim. Our team will give you a clear, honest answer — no fine print surprises.

The protection plan pays for itself the first time it's used. Here are the real costs of common tankless repairs in Ontario — without coverage:

All prices are approximate ranges and include HST. Actual costs vary by unit brand, model, parts availability, and job complexity.

A single gas valve or control board replacement without coverage costs more than multiple years of Protection Plan fees. And if two or three issues arise within the same year — which is common in units approaching the 8–12 year mark — the savings become dramatic.

A Real Scenario: Year 9, No Coverage vs. Full Coverage

The Protection Plan is built on top of the Maintenance Plan — not instead of it. An active Maintenance Plan is a mandatory condition of Protection Plan coverage. Here's why, and how the two plans form a complete shield for your unit:

• Prevention first: The Maintenance Plan's annual descaling and inspection prevents the majority of failures before they happen. A well-serviced unit is significantly less likely to need a repair call — keeping claim frequency low and ensuring the Protection Plan is there for genuine unexpected failures, not preventable ones.
• Warranty preservation: Annual maintenance records are required to support manufacturer warranty claims. The Maintenance Plan generates those records automatically, keeping your manufacturer warranty valid alongside your Protection Plan coverage.
• Accurate condition baseline: Because our technicians service your unit annually, they know its history, its quirks, and its current state. When a protection claim arises, diagnosis is faster and more accurate — reducing repair time and the likelihood of a second visit.
• Single point of contact: With both plans active, one call to 1-888-675-5907 handles everything — maintenance, emergency dispatch, repair authorisation, and parts sourcing. You never need to coordinate between a maintenance provider and a warranty company.

When you enrol in the Protection Plan, your Maintenance Plan is automatically included — one fee, one provider, complete coverage.

Getting on a Protection Plan takes one call. Here's how the process works:

• Call 1-888-675-5907: Tell us your unit's brand, model, and age (or we can look it up from your installation records if we installed it).
• Initial unit assessment: If your unit has never been serviced by us, we schedule an initial inspection visit to assess its current condition and confirm eligibility. Units with significant pre-existing scale damage or unrepaired faults may need to be brought into good working order before coverage begins.
• Plan selection: We'll recommend the plan tier that best suits your unit's age, your local water hardness, and your household's hot water usage. No pressure — you choose what's right for you.
• Coverage begins: Once your unit passes the eligibility assessment (or following your first maintenance service), your Protection Plan coverage is active. You receive written confirmation of your coverage terms.
• Annual renewal: We contact you before each renewal date. No auto-renewals without your awareness. No hidden fees.

The Protection Plan makes the most financial sense for:

• Units 7 years or older: The risk of component failure increases significantly after the 7-year mark — just as the manufacturer's parts warranty is approaching expiry. This is the sweet spot where protection coverage delivers the most value.
• Units where the manufacturer parts warranty has expired: Once the factory warranty is gone, every repair is 100% out of pocket. The Protection Plan steps in exactly where the manufacturer warranty stops.
• High-demand households: Families of 4 or more, homes with frequent simultaneous hot water use, or households where hot water downtime would be genuinely disruptive all benefit from priority dispatch and unlimited covered repairs.
• Homes in hard water areas: Even with annual maintenance, units in high-hardness regions (Waterloo, Hamilton, parts of the GTA) face greater component stress over time. The Premium Protection Plan's heat exchanger coverage is particularly valuable in these areas.
• Homeowners who want budget certainty: If unexpected home repair bills cause stress, replacing variable repair costs with a fixed annual fee provides real peace of mind — regardless of what breaks.
• Recent CHC installation customers: Starting your Protection Plan from installation year means you enter the higher-risk years (7–15) with continuous, documented coverage in place and a known service history with our team.

Do I need both the Maintenance Plan and the Protection Plan?

If you enrol in the Protection Plan, the Maintenance Plan is bundled in — you don't purchase them separately. The Protection Plan fee covers both your annual maintenance service and your parts and labour protection in a single annual fee. If you only want annual servicing without the repair coverage, the standalone Maintenance Plan is available at a lower fee.

My unit is still under the manufacturer warranty. Is the Protection Plan worth it now?

Even during the manufacturer warranty period, the Protection Plan adds value in two specific ways: it covers labour costs on warranty claims (which the manufacturer warranty does not), and it includes your annual maintenance service. Once the manufacturer warranty expires — typically 5 years on parts — the Protection Plan becomes your sole financial protection against repair costs. Starting early also ensures uninterrupted coverage documentation, which matters if a warranty claim arises near the end of the factory coverage term.

What if my unit needs a repair that costs more than the plan's limit?

For most covered repairs, there is no per-claim cap — the plan covers the full cost of parts and labour for listed components. The heat exchanger on the Premium Plan has a coverage limit (provided in your plan terms). If a repair exceeds the applicable limit, you pay only the difference above the covered amount. We'll always advise you of the expected cost before any work begins.

Can I enrol if my unit was installed by another company?

Yes — we accept units installed by other contractors, provided they pass our initial eligibility inspection. We service all major brands including Rinnai, Navien, Rheem, Bradford White, A.O. Smith, and others. If the unit has pre-existing issues, we'll advise you on what needs to be resolved before coverage can begin.

What happens if my unit can't be repaired and needs to be replaced?

If a covered component failure renders the unit non-repairable at reasonable cost — for example, a catastrophic heat exchanger failure on the Premium Plan — we'll provide a replacement credit toward a new Rinnai or Navien unit installed by Constant Home Comfort. The credit amount and terms are detailed in your plan agreement. This ensures you're never left with nothing after years of coverage payments.

Is there a waiting period before coverage begins?

For units installed by Constant Home Comfort, coverage begins immediately upon enrolment — no waiting period. For units from other installers, coverage begins following the successful completion of the initial eligibility inspection and any required remediation. We'll confirm your coverage start date in writing.

A tankless water heater is a significant investment — one you've made to save money, improve comfort, and stop worrying about running out of hot water. The Protection Plan makes sure a single unexpected repair bill doesn't undo those benefits. One annual fee. Full parts and labour coverage. Priority 24/7 service. Annual maintenance included. No surprises.

Call 1-888-675-5907 today to enrol or ask about current Protection Plan pricing for your unit. Serving Toronto, the GTA, Hamilton, Ottawa, London, Waterloo, Barrie, and all of Ontario.