How Long Does a Furnace Replacement Take?
A straight furnace swap is usually done in one day. Venting changes, a chimney liner, gas line or duct work, and the permit inspection add time. What to expect.
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Heating & Cooling in Saint Paul, MN
Saint Paul was largely built before forced air became standard, so a service call here is as likely to involve a cast-iron boiler and radiators as a furnace.
HVAC service in Saint Paul, MN
We repair and replace furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, boilers and ductless mini-splits in Saint Paul and across Ramsey County. Every visit starts with a $79 trip charge and a written price before any work, and the $79 is waived when you go ahead with the repair.
- County
- Ramsey County
- ZIP codes
- 55101, 55102, 55103, 55104, 55105, 55106, 55107, 55108, 55114, 55116, 55117, 55119, 55130
- Natural gas
- Xcel Energy
- Electric
- Xcel Energy
- From downtown Minneapolis
- about 9 miles
Updated September 23, 2026
What HVAC problems do we see most in Saint Paul?
- Replacing worn-out cast-iron hot-water boilers with modulating condensing boilers sized to the radiators, not the old nameplate
- Like-for-like steam boiler replacements (steam needs a non-condensing steam boiler), plus pressure control and main vent work
- Chimney liners for water heaters left alone in the flue when a converted-gravity furnace goes to a 96% PVC-vented unit
- Ductless heads or small-duct high-velocity systems to cool radiator-heated houses without opening plaster walls
Around town: Summit Avenue · Cathedral of Saint Paul · Minnesota State Capitol · Como Park · Lake Phalen. Neighborhoods: Highland Park · Macalester-Groveland · Summit Hill · Como · Hamline-Midway · Payne-Phalen · Dayton's Bluff · West Seventh · Saint Anthony Park
Book in Saint PaulWhat are Saint Paul homes like to heat and cool?
Saint Paul's housing runs older than many people expect. On the East Side and in Dayton's Bluff, late-1800s houses sit on stone or brick foundations, often with an addition or two and heating that has been redone several times. Many of the big Victorians around Summit Avenue and Cathedral Hill were divided into apartments decades ago, which can leave several furnaces or boilers, or one boiler serving several units, in a single basement.
Duplexes are common in neighborhoods such as Hamline-Midway and Frogtown, often with a furnace for each floor. At the other end of the timeline, Highland Bridge, on the former Ford plant site in Highland Park, is adding new apartments and townhomes, and scattered infill replaces older houses one lot at a time. Each era calls for a different first look: radiators and piping in the oldest houses, the chimney and venting in the 1920s ones, and the ductwork in the postwar ones.
Winter in Saint Paul
Radiator heat has its own winter trouble. Steam systems bang and spit when pipes lose their pitch or main vents stick, and the far rooms stay cold while the near ones overheat. Hot-water systems lose output to air trapped in the radiators, which a bleed key fixes, and to circulator pumps near the end of their life. Enclosed porches and sunrooms with a radiator are where pipes freeze first when a boiler goes down on a subzero night, so a no-heat call in Saint Paul is also a race against frozen pipes.
Summer in Saint Paul
A radiator-heated Saint Paul house has no ducts to carry cold air, so summer comfort gets solved room by room. Window units are the default, ductless heads are the quieter upgrade, and a small-duct high-velocity system can serve a whole floor through closets and attic space. Third floors and finished attics in the big old houses run hottest, since plaster and brick soak up heat all day and give it back after dark. Down on the river flats, June cottonwood fluff clogs condenser coils.
Which utilities and rebates apply in Saint Paul?
In Saint Paul, Xcel Energy is both the gas and the electric utility, and its rebate list includes gas boilers as well as furnaces, which matters in a city with this many radiator systems. Condensing boilers are where boiler rebates usually apply; steam boilers may not reach the required efficiency, so ask before counting on one. Ductless and mini-split heat pumps used to cool radiator homes have their own Xcel rebates, and some Xcel rebates require a registered contractor, so check that before choosing equipment.
Rebate programs change every year; check the utility's current terms before you buy. Our guides: Xcel and CenterPoint rebates, heat pump rebates, what happened to the federal credits.
Most-requested in Saint Paul
Furnace repair in Saint Paul We repair furnaces across Saint Paul, from Highland Park to Dayton's Bluff, 7am–9pm, seven days a week. Furnace replacement in Saint Paul Replacing a furnace in Saint Paul costs $4,500–$9,500 installed with us: about $4,500–$6,000 for an 80% AFUE model and $6,500–$9,500 for a 96–98% condensing one. AC repair in Saint Paul For AC repair in Saint Paul, call 612-429-3465 any day, 7am–9pm. AC replacement in Saint Paul Central AC replacement in Saint Paul costs $5,200–$9,800 installed with us, quoted flat-rate in writing and sized with a Manual J load calculation. Heat pumps in Saint Paul Saint Paul homeowners get cold-climate heat pumps from us at $7,500–$14,500 installed, quoted in writing after a load calculation. Mini-splits in Saint Paul We install ductless mini-splits throughout Saint Paul for $4,200–$12,500, most often to cool radiator-heated houses without opening plaster. Boiler service in Saint Paul Boilers are everyday work for us in Saint Paul, steam and hot water alike, from Victorians around Summit Avenue to worn cast-iron units in older duplexes. Tune-ups in Saint Paul Tune-ups in Saint Paul cost the same as everywhere we work: $129 for a furnace or an air conditioner, $219 for both on one visit. HVAC cost in Saint Paul Saint Paul furnace replacements run $4,500–$9,500 with us and central AC $5,200–$9,800, both installed.
All services in Saint Paul
Saint Paul HVAC questions
Who repairs furnaces and air conditioners in Saint Paul, MN?
Central Minnesota Heating and Cooling serves Saint Paul and the rest of Ramsey County, about 9 miles from downtown Minneapolis. We repair and replace furnaces, central air, heat pumps, boilers and ductless mini-splits, and we're open 7 days, 7am–9pm. Call 612-429-3465.
How much does an HVAC service call cost in Saint Paul?
A flat $79 trip charge, waived when you approve the repair. Written price before any work; same prices in every town we serve. See HVAC cost in Saint Paul for installed prices.
How can I tell if my Saint Paul radiators run on steam or hot water?
Look at the boiler. A steam boiler has a glass sight tube showing the water level and a pressure control set very low. A hot-water system has an expansion tank, a circulator pump and bleed valves on the radiators, which stay full of water. Steam radiators usually have one pipe and a small air vent on the side. It matters because steam needs a steam boiler, while hot water can go to a condensing boiler.
What is the white wrap on the old pipes around my Saint Paul boiler?
In houses this age, the white or gray wrap on heating pipes and old boilers often contains asbestos. Left intact, it's usually safe. Before we cut or move piping during a boiler replacement, the material has to be tested, and if it contains asbestos a licensed abatement contractor removes or encapsulates it first. We point this out during the quote so the schedule and the price account for it.
Does a boiler or furnace replacement in Saint Paul need a permit?
Yes. The City of Saint Paul's Department of Safety and Inspections (DSI) issues the mechanical permit, and we pull it as part of the job and schedule the inspection. In older houses the inspector pays close attention to venting, chimney condition and combustion air, so we look at the flue and the connector pipe before quoting instead of finding surprises on inspection day.
Is a condensing boiler worth it with the old cast-iron radiators in our Saint Paul house?
Often, yes. A condensing boiler reaches its best efficiency when the water returning to it is cool, and big cast-iron radiators can usually heat a house with lower water temperatures than the old boiler ran for most of the season. An outdoor reset control lowers the water temperature on mild days. This applies only to hot-water systems; a steam system needs a steam boiler. We size the boiler to your radiators, not the old nameplate.
Also serving near Saint Paul
- West St. Paul, MN 3 mi
- Maplewood, MN 5 mi
- Roseville, MN 5 mi
- Falcon Heights, MN 5 mi
- South St. Paul, MN 5 mi
- Little Canada, MN 5 mi
- Mendota Heights, MN 5 mi
- North St. Paul, MN 6 mi
Guides for Saint Paul homeowners
What Is an Orphaned Water Heater, and Why Can a New Furnace Mean a Chimney Liner?
An orphaned water heater is left alone in a chimney sized for two appliances after a 90%+ furnace goes in. Why it drafts poorly, the CO risk and the fixes.
Read the guideWhat Does a Boiler Expansion Tank Do, and How Do You Know It's Failing?
A boiler expansion tank absorbs water that swells as it heats. How it works, what the pressure gauge tells you, and why a dripping relief valve is the clue.
Read the guide- Boiler Replacement Cost in Minnesota (2026)Pricing
- Can a Furnace Leak Carbon Monoxide? How It Happens and What to DoHeating
- Furnace and AC Replacement Cost in Minnesota: Together or Separately?Pricing
Brands we service in Saint Paul: AirEase · Amana · American Standard · Ameristar · Aprilaire · Arcoaire · Armstrong Air · Bosch · Broan-NuTone · Bryant · Buderus · Burnham · Carrier · Champion · Coleman · Comfortmaker · Concord · Daikin · Day & Night · Ducane · ecobee · Frigidaire · Fujitsu · Gibson · Goodman · Google Nest · Gree · Heil · Honeywell Home · Lennox · LG · Lifebreath · Lochinvar · Luxaire · Maytag · Midea · Mitsubishi Electric · MrCool · Navien · NTI · Payne · Peerless · Rheem · Rinnai · RunTru · Ruud · Samsung · Santa Fe · Tempstar · Trane · Triangle Tube · Utica Boilers · Viessmann · Weil-McLain · Westinghouse · York
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