No heat and the house is getting cold
A dead boiler in winter is urgent, and our dispatch line is open 24/7. While you wait, dress in layers, close doors to keep heat in the rooms you use, and check that the thermostat is set to heat with fresh batteries if it takes them. Do not keep pressing the reset button, because repeated resets can flood a burner with unburned fuel.
If you smell gas, or a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, leave the building at once and call 911 or the gas utility from outside. Do not look for the cause first. Never run a gas oven or a portable fuel heater indoors to warm the house.
- Look for water on the floor around the boiler and shut the feed valve if it is leaking.
- Check the breaker or switch for the boiler and the fuel supply valve.
- Keep a working carbon monoxide alarm near sleeping areas.
- Open cabinet doors on exterior walls if pipes could freeze.
What the boiler is telling you
| Symptom | Common cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No heat, boiler silent | Power, thermostat, ignition or fuel issue | Check breaker and thermostat, then call |
| Banging or kettle noise | Trapped air, scale or low water | Turn it off and call |
| Pressure gauge very high or very low | Expansion tank, feed valve or leak | Shut it off if high and call |
| Water around the base | Leaking fitting, relief valve or tank | Shut off the feed and power, then call |
| Radiators cold at the top | Air in the system | Bleed them (see below) |
Cold house and a boiler that will not fire? Call now and we will work out the safest next step.
(732) 466-1098Leaks at the boiler
Water on the floor under a boiler can come from a loose valve packing, a weeping fitting, a relief valve that has discharged, or a failed section of the unit itself. The source matters, because a drip at a union is a small repair and a leak from the vessel is not.
Switch off the power and fuel to the boiler, close its water feed, and put a pan or towels down. If you cannot tell where the water is coming from, our leak detection page covers how we trace it when pipes run behind walls.
Bleeding radiators safely
- Turn the heat offLet the system cool so you are not opening a valve on hot water.
- Find the bleed valveOn a hot-water radiator it is a small valve near the top of one end. Steam radiators work differently and are not bled this way.
- Open slowly with a keyHold a rag below it and turn a quarter turn. Air hisses out first, then water.
- Close when water flowsTighten the valve as soon as a steady stream appears, then check the boiler pressure gauge and the feed.
Hot water, steam and cast iron radiators
Hot-water systems
A pump circulates heated water to radiators or baseboards. Pressure and trapped air are the usual troubles.
Steam systems
Steam rises to radiators through pipes and vents. They run at low pressure and fail differently, so do not bleed them like a hot-water system.
Cast iron radiators
They are heavy, long-lived and hold heat, but they can leak at valves and stall when air is trapped.
A technician identifies which system you have on site. Pictures of the boiler nameplate and the gauge help us prepare on the phone.
What a plumber handles and what needs a heating contractor
We handle the water side of a boiler. That includes leaks, valves, feed lines, expansion tanks, circulator connections and bleeding air. Burner, ignition and combustion work is a heating contractor's trade, and gas appliance work has its own rules.
If your problem turns out to be on the burner or gas side, we will say so on the phone or on site rather than guess. A new system or a replaced unit connected to existing piping falls under plumbing installation.
Boiler work in New Jersey still falls under the plumbing trade where pipes are involved. According to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs plumbing board FAQ, plumbing may only be performed by a master plumber or an authorized plumbing contractor, so ask who is doing the pipe work before you agree to it.
Source: NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers FAQ, njconsumeraffairs.gov/plu/Pages/FAQ.aspx
Renting and no heat
Tenants should tell the landlord or building manager the same day heat fails and keep a record of when. Rules on heat in rentals exist at the state and local level, and we cannot state them for you here. Ask your municipality or a tenant resource what applies to your building.
If you live in nearby Highland Park or Edison, our pages for Highland Park and Edison cover how we handle calls there, including after-hours requests.
What affects the cost of a boiler repair
Homeowners insurance often covers sudden pipe failure but usually not wear or a worn-out boiler, so ask your insurer. We give a clear price before work starts. Call (732) 466-1098 for a real number once you describe what the boiler is doing.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Dispatch is 24/7, so a boiler that fails on a freezing Saturday night is a call we take. Same-day appointments are offered when available, and we are licensed and insured.
Call (732) 466-1098 and tell us what the boiler is doing. We will tell you what is safe to check while the plumber is on the way.
Banging often comes from trapped air, scale in the heat exchanger or low water. It is not always dangerous, but it is a reason to turn the boiler off and have it checked rather than run it.
The normal range is printed on the boiler or in its manual, so check there. A reading well above that range, or one that keeps climbing, means shut the boiler off and call. A reading near zero often points to a leak or a feed problem.
On a hot-water system, yes, with the system cool and a rag in hand. Steam radiators should not be bled. If you are unsure which you have, leave it for the technician.
Leave the building, leave doors open if safe, and call 911 or the gas utility from outside. Do not relight anything or flip switches. We can help after the gas side is cleared.
The first step is identifying the system, which a technician does on site. We handle the plumbing side of these systems, and will tell you if a burner or gas issue needs a heating contractor.