Services
Boiler repair
Hot-water and steam boilers heat a lot of Southwest Side two-flats, and most of what goes wrong with them is in the controls, not the iron.
Signs you need it
Radiators that stay cold at the top, or in one room
Banging or knocking in the pipes
A pressure gauge that reads far from the label
Water on the floor under the boiler
A boiler that turns on and off every few minutes
The visit
What happens at the visit
- 01
Step 1: We call from the corner
You hear from us before the truck is at the door.
- 02
Step 2: Carbon monoxide and the flue first
A reading by the boiler and a look at the flue before anything is opened.
- 03
Step 3: Diagnosis
Pressure, the low-water cutoff, the circulator or the steam vents, the zone valves, the thermostat.
- 04
Step 4: The number, in writing
What we found, the part and the price, before any work starts.
- 05
Step 5: The repair and the test run
The boiler runs until the radiators are warm, and we take a second reading.
The cost
What drives the cost
No dollars on this page, because no two basements are alike. The written number carries them.
What moves the number
These are the things that make one boiler call different from the next.
Hot water or steam
The part: a circulator, a zone valve, a low-water cutoff, an expansion tank
The radiators and their valves
The age of the boiler, and the chimney it vents into
Access in the basement
Repair or replace
A bad part is a repair. A boiler that leaks from the body, or a vent that can't be made safe, is a replacement conversation, and we write down what we found so you can get a second quote.
Questions
About boiler repair
Is my boiler hot water or steam?
Steam radiators have a vent near the top on one side and one pipe; they bang when the system is off-balance. Hot-water radiators have a pipe at both bottom corners and a small bleed valve. If you're not sure, text us a photo of the boiler and the radiator.
How often should a furnace or boiler be looked at?
Once a year, in the fall, before the first cold week. A boiler's burner and a furnace's flame sensor and flue are what we look at, and we measure carbon monoxide at the same time.
What does the visit cost, and what do I get?
The visit fee is on the pricing page, or we tell you on the phone. You get a written number for the repair before any work starts, and if you say no, you owe the visit fee and nothing else.
Do you work on oil or propane?
Our work is natural gas furnaces and boilers, which is most of the Southwest Side. If yours burns something else, call and ask before you book.
Also
Related
Furnace repair
For forced-air heat.
Furnace repairVenting and carbon monoxide
What leaves the house, and what we measure.
Venting and carbon monoxide
Ready to book the visit?
Tell us what it is doing, and we will say when we can be there.
Weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. After hours from October 15 to April 15.