Boiler Not Starting in a Shared Hyde Park Building
A cold apartment or a building-wide outage? Safe boiler observations and shared-building access help clarify the next repair step.
Read the guideChicago Plumbing & HVAC Guides
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.
Gas Bill Higher After a Tune-Up? Chicago & Suburbs
Compare gas consumption, billing dates, weather and rates before deciding that a higher bill means the furnace or boiler has failed.
Read the guide
Sump Backup Alarms Before Rain: Basement Checklist
Follow the pump manufacturer’s dry-area checks, record backup alarms and trace the discharge route before the next heavy rain.
Read the guide
Steam Heat in Hyde Park's Vintage Buildings: Banging Radiators, Cold Rooms, and When to Replace the Boiler
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.
Read the guide
No Heat in a Chicago Winter? What to Check First, and When to Call for Emergency Boiler or Furnace Repair
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.
Read the guide
Plumbing & HVAC Consulting in Chicago: Plan It Right Before You Build or Replace
Project planning, troubleshooting, repair choices and inspection photo reports for builders, architects and property managers.
Read the guide
Heat Pump Repair Service in Des Plaines & Chicago: Signs Your Heat Pump Needs Help This Winter
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 guideSteam Radiators Banging or Heating Unevenly? A Chicago Building Guide
Water 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.
Read the guide
Furnace Blowing Cold Air or Short Cycling? Common Causes in Chicago Homes
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.
Read the guide
When to Shut Off Water Before a Chicago Freeze
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.
Read the guide
95% Furnace Maintenance: Clean the Condensate Drain Before Heating Season
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.
Read the guide
Furnace Smells Like Burning? Chicago Heating Guide
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.
Read the guide
Navien Tankless Water Heaters & Boilers in Chicago
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.
Read the guideMore Chicago service information
Browse 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.