These guides cover the problems we see most often in Chicago buildings: steam and hot-water radiators in vintage two-flats and greystones, basement flooding after heavy rain, frozen pipes in January cold snaps and furnaces that quit on the coldest nights. Written the way we would explain it standing in your basement. Chicago addresses are reached at 773-250-6060.
A sudden jump in your water, gas or electric bill usually means something in your home is wasting it. Here is what to check yourself, season by season, and when to call a pro.
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A good service call starts with a good report. Here is what Chicago building managers should document about rooftop units, zones and controls before the technician arrives.
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Navien's NPF and NDF furnaces, NAA condenser and NAM coil each do a different job. What to compare before replacing a furnace and AC together.
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A cold apartment or a building-wide outage? Safe boiler observations and shared-building access help clarify the next repair step.
Read the guideCompare gas consumption, billing dates, weather and rates before deciding that a higher bill means the furnace or boiler has failed.
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Follow the pump manufacturer’s dry-area checks, record backup alarms and trace the discharge route before the next heavy rain.
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Courtyard buildings, greystones and two-flats in Hyde Park and Kenwood still run on steam. Here is how owners and associations can tell a fixable steam problem from a boiler at the end of its life.
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Before you call, a few safe checks can solve the problem or save time on the repair. Here is what to look at on a boiler or furnace, and the warning signs that mean you should call right away.
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Project planning, troubleshooting, repair choices and inspection photo reports for builders, architects and property managers.
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Cool air, ice that will not clear, constant defrost or backup heat that never shuts off: the warning signs, the safe checks and when to call.
Read the guideWater hammer on the first cold morning and one apartment roasting while another stays cool are the two classic steam-heat complaints in older Chicago buildings. Here is what usually causes them.
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Cold air from the registers and a furnace that starts and stops every few minutes are different symptoms with overlapping causes. Here is how to tell them apart before calling for heating service.
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A full-building water shutoff is useful for some vacant or vulnerable properties, but it is not the default for every cold night. Here is how to make the decision safely.
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A condensing furnace is designed to make water. When the trap, drain line or condensate pump stops moving it, you get leaks and nuisance shutdowns — usually on the first cold night.
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A light dusty odor during the first fall startup can be ordinary. Smoke, melting plastic, soot or fuel odors are not. Here is how to tell the difference.
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A tankless water heater makes hot water, a boiler heats the house, and a combi-boiler does both from one wall-hung unit. Here is how the Navien equipment differs and what correct selection actually requires in a Chicago-area building.
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A running boiler does not guarantee heat is reaching every radiator. Use the pattern of cold rooms and cold radiator sections to narrow down the likely cause.
Read the guideBrowse the neighborhoods we work in on our Chicago service area map, find our phone, address and scheduling details on the Chicago local business information page, or see every service we offer in the city on the Chicago service area hub.
