Boiler
A cast iron boiler, a radiator on every floor, and a quote to change it
Once your boiler job is booked through us, $100 off your first job is credited.
If your house heats with radiators and the quote for a new boiler does not say how it chose the size, ask what the radiators need, ask where the new boiler vents, and ask what the old piping can carry. Send your details and we will hand you the questions and introduce one local contractor.
Three questions
Three questions to ask before anyone prices your system
Ducts and pipes Decides this job
What can my existing ducts or pipes carry?
The load worksheet
Will you do a load calculation and give me the worksheet?
Chimney and water heater
What happens to my chimney and my gas water heater?
The worksheet
What any quote should show
| Ask on every quote | Quote A | Quote B | Quote C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1A load worksheet for your house | Quote A answer | Quote B answer | Quote C answer |
| 2How the new unit will vent | Quote A answer | Quote B answer | Quote C answer |
| 3What happens to the water heater | Quote A answer | Quote B answer | Quote C answer |
| 4Duct or pipe changes, listed one by one | Quote A answer | Quote B answer | Quote C answer |
| 5Who pulls the permit | Quote A answer | Quote B answer | Quote C answer |
| 6What is removed and hauled away | Quote A answer | Quote B answer | Quote C answer |
| 7A start date and a payment schedule | Quote A answer | Quote B answer | Quote C answer |
We tell you what to ask before anyone prices a new system, then introduce a local contractor who does the work.
Start your worksheet
Tell us about the house and the system. You get the three questions, and a local contractor only if you say yes.
Credit: $100 off your first job
The $100 comes off once your installation is booked through us.
- We fund the $100; the contractor's quote is unchanged.
- One credit per customer at each property.
- Book the job by December 31, 2026.
- Mention the credit when you book.
This fits when
When boiler is the next decision
- Nobody can say when the boiler went in If it predates you or the last owner, ask a contractor to read the age off the unit and write it on the quote.
- You are not sure whether it is steam or hot water Tell the contractor what gauges and pipes you can see, because the replacement differs.
- Some radiators stay cool Ask whether the cause is the boiler, the piping or the radiators before you buy a larger boiler.
- A bid quotes the same output as the old boiler Ask for the calculation behind it. Insulation or window upgrades since the old boiler went in may have lowered what the house needs.
- You want to add a zone or a cooling system Say so on the first call. It changes what the piping must do and what the contractor should price.
Where it sits
Inside the house: boiler
- BoilerIts output should match what your radiators need on the coldest design day.
- Circulator and controlsThey decide how heat reaches each floor, so the quote should name them.
- Mains and radiatorsAsk what the piping and radiators are made of, what each can carry and what stays.
- FlueAsk whether the new boiler vents out a side wall or keeps the chimney.
Basis: Residential Code of New York State, Chapter 14 Air Source Heat Pumps: Don't Oversize, NYSERDA fact sheet
Spec FAQ
Questions before you ask for quotes
| You ask | Short answer |
|---|---|
| F1 How can I tell whether my boiler is steam or hot water? | Tell the contractor what gauges and pipes you can see, because steam and hot water call for different equipment. |
| F2 Should the new boiler be the same size as the old one? | Only if the calculation says so. Ask for the worksheet. Windows, insulation and air sealing since the old boiler went in may have changed what the house needs. |
| F3 My boiler just quit. Should I replace it? | If your boiler has stopped, a repair may be the cheaper first question. |
| F4 Will my old radiators work with a new boiler? | They may, but it depends on the radiators and piping. Ask the contractor what each radiator needs and what the system can carry. |
| F5 What happens to my water heater? | If it shares the boiler's chimney, ask whether the quote includes a fix for the flue it will be left on. If it does not, ask why. |
| F6 Can a heat pump replace a boiler? | It may be possible, with changes to the way heat is delivered. Ask a contractor for both a boiler quote and a heat pump quote built on the same worksheet so you can compare them. |
| F7 Who pulls the permit for a boiler replacement? | Your town or village decides if one is needed. Ask who files it before you sign, and ask your code office if the answer is unclear. |
What the job covers
What a boiler job covers
- Removing the old boiler The contractor drains the system, disconnects the old unit and takes it away.
- The new boiler and its controls The quote should name the model, the output and the controls that run the radiators.
- Venting A new boiler may vent through a side wall or stay on a chimney. Ask which, and why.
- Connections to your existing piping Look for the mains, the circulator and the points where the new boiler joins your existing piping.
- Filling, bleeding and start-up The contractor fills the system, clears air from the radiators and starts the boiler.
Start from the radiators, not the old boiler
A boiler exists to feed your radiators. The sensible first step is a room by room estimate of how much heat each space loses, and then a boiler chosen to match.
State energy researchers tell contractors to run their own calculation and not to swap in a like-sized unit. They also say many furnace and boiler systems are oversized from the start. Ask the contractor for the numbers behind the output on your quote.
Want the worksheet for your house?
If the answer is that the new boiler is the same size as the old one, ask whether anything in the house has changed since. New windows or insulation change the arithmetic.
Basis: Residential Code of New York State, Chapter 14 Air Source Heat Pumps: Don't Oversize, NYSERDA fact sheet
What your old mains and radiators can carry
A new boiler connects to your existing pipes and radiators, and those can have habits. Some radiators fill slowly, and some mains hold air.
Ask the contractor to look at the piping before pricing and to list what will be replaced. If a bid says nothing about the piping, ask whether the boiler is the only thing being changed and why.
Want the worksheet for your house?
You are paying for the whole system to work, not only for a new boiler in the corner. Put that expectation in your first call.
Reading a boiler quote line by line
A good boiler quote names the boiler by model and gives its output. It says whether the house is steam or hot water, and it lists what happens to the old piping, the circulator and the controls.
Look next for the vent. A quote should say whether the boiler vents into a chimney or out a side wall, and what becomes of any other appliance on that chimney. Then look for the removal line: the old boiler, and any oil tank that goes with it.
Want the worksheet for your house?
Finally, look for what is missing. If you cannot find the radiators, the piping or the vent, ask for each by name. A boiler is part of a loop, and a quote that describes only one part of the loop has left you to guess the rest.
Where the new boiler vents
The state building code applies when an appliance leaves an existing chimney or is connected to one. The code tells you to resize the chimney where needed, so condensation is controlled and the remaining appliances keep proper draft.
If your boiler and gas water heater share a chimney, ask what the plan is for the water heater. A bid that leaves it out is a bid with a missing line.
Plan the replacement while the radiators still work
If your boiler is still working, use the time to compare quotes and ask all three questions.
Ask each contractor to list the radiators, the piping and the vent in the quote so the bids can be compared.
Pipe run
How a boiler job runs
- 01
Say what kind of system you have
Steam or hot water, radiators or baseboard, gas or oil. The contractor needs all three.
- 02
Ask for the radiator numbers
A good quote starts from what each room needs, not from the old boiler's label.
- 03
Compare how each bid vents
Side wall, chimney liner or something else. Lay the choices side by side.
- 04
Choose the quote with the paperwork
Book the contractor whose worksheet, vent plan and permit answer arrived in writing.
On paper
What to hold before you sign
The heat loss worksheet
It shows what your house needs, room by room, so you can compare it with the boiler on the quote.
The piping notes
A short list of what stays, what changes and what the existing mains can carry.
The venting plan
Where the boiler vents and what becomes of any water heater on the chimney.
The permit line
Who files the permit in your town or village, and when you will see it.
Not sure what to ask? Start the worksheet.
What moves the price
What changes a boiler quote
- Whether your house runs on steam or hot water, since each calls for different equipment.
- The boiler's output, which should follow your worksheet and not the old label.
- Venting: moving to a side wall vent costs differently than keeping a lined chimney.
- Changes to old piping, valves and the circulator.
- Controls, including whether the system is split into zones.
- A gas water heater left on the old chimney, if any.
- Permit fees set by your town or village.
The Heating and Cooling Syracuse pledge
- Asking us is free, and so is the introduction.
- You get the three questions before anyone quotes.
- You decide whether a contractor visits.
- Your $100 comes off the way our Terms set out.
The contractor you choose answers for the installation itself.
Heating and Cooling Syracuse, (315) 640-3590 Full start-up terms
Credit: $100 off your first job
The $100 comes off once your installation is booked through us.
- We fund the $100; the contractor's quote is unchanged.
- One credit per customer at each property.
- Book the job by December 31, 2026.
- Mention the credit when you book.
Where
Boiler in your town
Median home built before 1940
Median home built 1940 to 1969
Median home built 1970 or later
Ask first, then compare quotes.