A commercial hot-water heating system is more than the boiler. Circulator pumps move heated water through the building, an expansion tank holds system pressure steady, and controls decide how hot the water should be based on outdoor temperature and demand. Safety devices like the flame safeguard control and low-water cutoff shut the boiler down when something is wrong.
When a building is cold, the cause can be in any of those pieces. We diagnose and service burners and ignition, flame safeguard controls, low-water cutoffs, circulator pumps, expansion tanks and reset controls, so the fix addresses the real problem instead of the part that happened to be easiest to swap. If your building is run by a central control system, our guide to commercial HVAC controls explains how the pieces talk to each other.
Many office, apartment and school buildings use a boiler to keep the shared water loop warm for water source heat pumps, with a cooling tower or fluid cooler handling summer. On those systems, we look at the boiler, the loop and the heat pumps together.
Most calls start with a cold building, a lockout light or water on the mechanical room floor. These are the causes we find most often.
No heat, hard starts or a burner that lights and drops out. We check igniters, flame sensors, gas pressure and combustion air.
The flame safeguard control shuts the boiler down when something is off. We read the fault, find the cause and test the control itself.
A tripped low-water cutoff can mean low system pressure, a leak, a failed fill valve or a dirty probe. We find out which before the boiler goes back online.
A boiler that fires but cannot move heat. We check pump motors, couplings, seals and flow, and look for the air or debris that wears pumps out.
Relief valves weeping, pressure swinging or air in the system. A waterlogged expansion tank or a failed fill valve is a common culprit.
Wrong setpoints, failed sensors and reset curves that leave water too cool on cold days. We verify inputs, outputs and the sequence of operation.
Some zones roast while others stay cold. We trace zone valves, balancing, pumps and air in the loop rather than just turning the boiler up.
Water under the boiler, at fittings or around pumps. We find the source and tell you whether it is a repair or a sign the equipment is near the end.
When the boiler does not hold the shared loop in range, water source heat pumps across the building lock out. We check both sides.
Boilers carry the heating load for buildings full of students, tenants and staff. We plan work around the people in the building.
Classrooms, gyms and public buildings that need heat on the first cold morning. Major work can be scheduled for evenings, weekends or school breaks.
Schools & public facilitiesCentral boilers that heat every unit, where one failure means a building full of tenant calls. We coordinate access with property management.
Property managers & multi-siteBoilers serving hydronic heating or the water loop for water source heat pumps. One contractor for the boiler, the loop and the rooftop units.
Water source heat pump serviceThe worst time to find a bad igniter or a seized pump is the first cold morning, when every building in the valley calls at once. A fall startup gives us time to test the burner, safeties, pumps and controls and fix what we find before you need the heat. Many buildings pair it with a spring shutdown check.
Boiler startup and maintenance can be part of a preventive maintenance agreement that also covers your rooftop units, heat pumps and refrigeration, priced as a custom contract for your equipment. See our commercial maintenance plans for how they work.
When a boiler is near the end of its life, we give you the repair cost and the replacement option side by side. We can help you plan a replacement for a future budget year and schedule the work for after hours, weekends or school breaks. Learn more about our commercial installation work.
Lockouts, cold zones, maintenance and replacement
We work on hot-water (hydronic) and steam heating boilers in commercial buildings: schools, offices, apartment and multifamily buildings, and public facilities, along with the loop equipment around them, including circulator pumps, expansion tanks, burners and ignition, flame safeguard controls, low-water cutoffs and reset controls. We service all brands.
A lockout means a safety control shut the burner down. Common causes are a failed or dirty flame sensor, ignition problems, a burner that is not getting proper gas or combustion air, a low-water cutoff tripping, or a flame safeguard control that has failed. Resetting it may get heat back for a while, but repeat lockouts have a real cause. We find it rather than just resetting the control.
Not always. If the boiler is firing but heat is not getting where it should, the problem is often in the loop: a failed circulator pump, air in the system, a waterlogged expansion tank, a stuck zone valve, or controls and outdoor reset settings that are holding the water too cool. We check the boiler, the water flow and the controls together.
Before heating season. A fall startup gives us time to check the burner, ignition, safeties, pumps and controls and fix problems before the first cold snap, when everyone needs heat at once. Many buildings also schedule a spring shutdown check. We can set up both as part of a preventive maintenance agreement priced as a custom contract for your equipment.
Yes. In a water source heat pump building, the boiler keeps the shared water loop warm enough in winter while a cooling tower or fluid cooler handles summer. When the boiler or its pumps are not holding loop temperature, heat pumps across the building can lock out. We look at the boiler, the loop and the heat pumps as one system.
It depends on the boiler's age and condition, which part failed, and how often it has needed repairs. We give you the repair cost and the replacement option side by side so you can decide, and we can help you plan a replacement for a budget year or schedule the work for after hours, weekends or school breaks.
Yes. We answer 24/7 and offer 2-hour emergency response. After-hours and emergency calls are billed at overtime rates. Response times can vary with location, weather and call volume.
We answer 24/7 and offer 2-hour emergency response. After-hours and emergency calls are billed at overtime rates. See our emergency commercial service and commercial HVAC pages for more.
Response times can vary with location, weather and call volume.
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2 months ago
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8 months ago
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6 months ago
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a month ago
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6 months ago
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