B&B Plumbing replaces and maintains gas boilers for homes in West Roxbury, Dedham, Westwood, Norwood, and Needham, MA. We keep steam and hot water systems running through New England winters, and we answer no heat calls 24/7.
A boiler heats water or makes steam that circulates through radiators or baseboards to heat your home. Boiler service has two sides: annual maintenance that keeps an existing unit efficient and reliable, and full replacement when a boiler reaches the end of its life. B&B Plumbing provides both across West Roxbury, Dedham, Westwood, Norwood, and Needham, where radiator heat is still the backbone of the housing stock.
Boilers in our towns work hard. A typical unit runs thousands of hours between October and April, and many of the boilers we service in West Roxbury and Dedham basements are 20 to 40 years old, hooked to steam or hot water systems that predate them by decades more. Cast iron boilers can be workhorses, but efficiency drops as they age. A boiler from the 1990s often burns 25 to 35 percent more gas than a modern high efficiency unit to deliver the same heat, and that difference shows up on every winter bill.
Boiler failure in a Massachusetts winter is not an inconvenience, it is the start of a countdown. A house without heat in a cold snap can start freezing pipes within hours, turning a heating problem into a flood. Failures cluster on the coldest nights of the year, when the boiler works hardest, and that is precisely when every heating contractor's phone rings at once. Replacing a boiler that is showing its age in September beats replacing it in a panic in January, both in price and in stress.
A proper replacement is a system job, not a box swap. Mike sizes the new boiler to the actual heat load of the house rather than just matching the old nameplate, corrects the near boiler piping that steam systems in particular depend on, vents the unit to code, sets up the controls, and balances the system so every radiator heats. Annual maintenance visits cover burner cleaning, combustion checks, relief valve and low water cutoff testing, circulator inspection, and bleeding air from the system before the season starts.
Mike evaluates the boiler, the piping, the radiators, and the controls as one system. Sometimes a repair buys years, and you get that option honestly when it exists.
The replacement is sized to the home's real heat load, not just the old nameplate. You get clear options from standard efficiency to condensing, each with its installed price.
In winter we plan the swap so your house is never cold overnight. Heat is typically off for a single working day.
New boiler set, near boiler piping corrected, gas connection and venting done under our license, controls configured, and permits pulled. Steam systems get skimmed and hot water systems purged of air.
We verify every radiator heats, check combustion, test safety devices, and haul the old boiler away. You get a walkthrough of the controls and a maintenance schedule that protects the warranty.
West Roxbury's pre 1940 Victorians and Colonials still heat with steam and gravity converted hot water systems that demand a plumber who knows old radiators. We are based here and service these systems all winter long.
Learn More →Dedham's historic homes and East Dedham two family houses run some of the oldest heating plants in our area. We keep aging boilers alive where it makes sense and replace them cleanly when it no longer does.
Learn More →Westwood's 1950s and 1960s homes hold a generation of boilers now well past their design life. Swapping one before it quits in January is the single best heating decision a Westwood homeowner can make.
Learn More →In Norwood's two to four family buildings a dead boiler means multiple cold households at once. We give landlord no heat calls priority and offer maintenance plans that prevent them.
Learn More →Needham splits between postwar systems due for replacement and new high efficiency condensing boilers that need annual service to keep their warranties. We handle both generations of equipment.
Learn More →The best month to replace or tune a boiler is before the heating season starts. January is the worst. Call ahead of the cold.
A gas boiler replacement typically runs $6,000 to $12,000 installed, depending on hot water versus steam, boiler size, and the near boiler piping. High efficiency condensing units sit at the upper end but cut fuel bills every month after. You get the full installed price before work begins.
Most residential swaps finish in 1 to 2 days, with heat off for a single working day. In winter we schedule around forecasts so your house is never cold overnight. Steam systems needing piping rework can run a day longer.
The boiler itself is usually a maintenance item and not covered, but sudden damage it causes, like burst pipes from a mid winter failure, often is. Equipment breakdown riders can cover the boiler itself. Maintenance records support claims and keep warranties valid.
Efficiency drifts down as burners foul and surfaces scale, so you pay more for the same heat. Small issues grow unnoticed into January no heat calls, and skipped maintenance can void a newer boiler's warranty.
Yes. No heat calls are treated as emergencies all winter and answered 24/7 across all five towns. A house without heat in a cold snap risks frozen pipes within hours, so call (781) 379-0778 as soon as the heat quits.
Yes. B&B Plumbing Company holds Massachusetts license #16415 and is fully insured. Installations include the gas connection, venting, and near boiler piping, all to Massachusetts code with permits pulled where required.
Boiler and water heater often age together. Replacing both at once saves on labor and disruption.
A new boiler deserves sound gas supply piping. We inspect and upgrade the line as part of the job.
If the boiler quits and pipes freeze before help arrives, we handle the thawing and repairs too.
Call now and get your heat handled before the next cold snap does the scheduling for you.
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