Boiler Repair on the North Shore
A large share of Winnetka, Evanston, Kenilworth, Glencoe, and Highland Park still heats with hot-water or steam boilers, much of it equipment that has been in the basement for decades. Boiler work is its own trade: low-water cutoffs, circulator pumps, zone valves, expansion tanks, aquastats, sight glasses, and near-boiler piping behave nothing like a forced-air furnace, and a technician who only knows furnaces will guess. We repair boilers as boilers - finding the actual fault, quoting it flat in writing, and getting heat back into the radiators. Old boilers are often worth repairing well past the age at which a furnace would not be; cast-iron sections routinely outlive their controls. We will tell you honestly which side of that line yours is on.
Plus a $99-$169 diagnostic, credited toward the repair. Circulator, zone-valve, and control replacements sit in this range; sectional or heat-exchanger failures are a replacement conversation and we price both.
Call us when you're seeing this
- No heat, or only some radiators getting warm
- Boiler will not fire, or locks out on reset
- Banging or hammering in the pipes
- Visible leaking around the boiler or near-boiler piping
- Pressure gauge reading low, high, or dropping
- Radiators cold at the top, or a steam system not filling
Our process
- 1Call and book a diagnostic
Tell us what the system is doing. We schedule a diagnostic visit to your home - same day where we can, and priority dispatch for no-heat and no-cool calls.
- 2We find the actual fault
A technician tests the system rather than guessing at it, and tells you what failed and why. The diagnostic fee is credited toward the repair if you go ahead.
- 3You get the price before we touch it
You approve a flat, written repair price up front. No parts get ordered and no work starts until you say yes.
- 4Repair - and the honest number if it isn't worth it
Most repairs are done in a single visit. If the repair is a poor buy against the age of the system, we show you that math and what replacement would cost, then leave the decision with you.
Why choose us for this work
- · We diagnose the actual fault instead of replacing parts until it works.
- · Flat repair pricing, approved by you in writing before any work starts.
- · Diagnostic fee credited toward the repair.
- · 24/7 dispatch for no-heat and no-cool calls.
- · Straight repair-or-replace math - no scare tactics to sell a system.
When a repair stops being the right buy
The rough test we use: multiply the repair price by the age of the system. If that number clears the cost of a new one, replacement is usually the better spend - and on equipment past 15 years, out of warranty, or running phased-out R-22, it often is. We will run that math with you before you approve anything, and we are happy to do the repair if that is what you want.
See what replacement costsTowns we serve
Frequently asked questions
How much does a new furnace or AC cost on the North Shore?
Installed furnace replacements typically run $4,500-$9,000, central AC $5,000-$10,000, and a full furnace-plus-AC system $9,000-$18,000. Boilers (common in older North Shore homes) run $7,000-$15,000, and heat pumps $10,000-$22,000 before rebates. Final pricing depends on system size, efficiency, and how your home is configured. Every quote is written and itemized after an in-home estimate.
Should I repair or replace my system?
As a rule of thumb, if a system is 15+ years old, needs a repair that costs more than about a third of a new unit, or has failed more than once in a season, replacement usually saves money over time. We give an honest recommendation - if a repair makes more sense, we'll say so, and we'll do the repair.
Do you do repairs, or only replacements?
Both. We repair furnaces, air conditioners, and boilers, with a $99-$169 diagnostic that is credited toward the repair and a flat repair price you approve in writing before any work starts. Most repairs run $180-$950 depending on the equipment and the fault. Replacement is what we specialize in, but that does not mean we push it - a good system with a failed part gets the part.
Do you offer a maintenance plan or service agreement?
Yes. Plans run $199-$399 per year depending on tier and how many systems the home has, and cover two seasonal visits - heating in the fall, cooling in the spring - plus priority dispatch and a discounted repair rate for members. A one-off tune-up without a plan is $129-$199. Most manufacturer warranties require documented annual maintenance, so a plan also keeps that coverage intact.
Do you help with ComEd, Nicor, and federal rebates?
Yes. High-efficiency furnaces, AC, heat pumps, and boilers often qualify for Nicor Gas and ComEd rebates - heat pumps can earn tiered ComEd rebates of roughly $1,400-$2,000 depending on equipment. We size and select equipment to hit rebate thresholds and hand off the documentation you need to claim them.
My furnace died in the middle of winter - can you help fast?
Yes. We run a 24/7 emergency line for no-heat and no-cool situations. When a system can't be safely or economically revived, we can often provide temporary heat and get a replacement installed quickly.
Boiler Repair - Service Areas
Evanston is the North Shore's largest city, a dense mix of historic homes, two-flats, and university-area prop...
Winnetka is a lakefront village of large, older homes where heating and cooling systems are often decades past...
Wilmette is an established North Shore suburb where a large share of homes are well past the point of easy rep...
Kenilworth is a small, historic lakefront village of architecturally significant homes. Nearly every project i...
Glencoe is an affluent lakefront village of substantial older homes. Boiler replacements, cooling retrofits, a...
Highland Park is a large Lake County lakefront city with a wide mix of housing ages. From boiler replacements ...
Lake Forest is an estate community of large, older homes where heating and cooling systems are often multi-zon...
Lake Bluff is a small lakefront village of older, well-kept homes. Boiler replacements and full-system furnace...
Northbrook is a large, family-oriented suburb of postwar and later homes. Furnace-and-AC full-system replaceme...
Glenview is a large suburb with a wide range of home ages, from postwar neighborhoods to newer construction at...
Northfield is a quiet, established village between Winnetka and Northbrook. Boiler replacements and full-syste...
Deerfield is a family-centered Lake County suburb of mid-century and newer homes. Matched furnace-and-AC repla...
Bannockburn is a small, leafy Lake County village of large properties. Multi-zone furnace-and-AC replacements ...
Skokie is a large, established near-north suburb of postwar homes. Full-system furnace-and-AC replacements and...
Park Ridge is a classic near-north suburb of older brick homes and bungalows. Boiler replacements, cooling ret...
Morton Grove is a settled near-north suburb of mid-century homes. Full-system furnace-and-AC replacements and ...
Niles is an established Cook County suburb of mid-century homes. Full-system furnace-and-AC replacements and h...
Lincolnwood is a compact suburb bordering Chicago with a mix of home sizes. Full-system replacements and boile...
Golf is a tiny, historic village of large homes surrounded by Morton Grove and Glenview. Nearly every project ...
Lincolnshire is an upscale Lake County suburb of newer, larger homes. Full-system furnace-and-AC replacements ...
Long Grove is a semi-rural Lake County village of large estate homes. Multi-zone furnace-and-AC replacements a...
Mettawa is a rural Lake County village of large estates. Multi-zone replacements and boiler modernization in s...
Buffalo Grove is a big family suburb straddling Cook and Lake counties, built largely from the 1970s on. Match...
Vernon Hills is a newer Lake County suburb of planned neighborhoods. Full-system furnace-and-AC replacements a...
Highwood is a compact, older North Shore city of small-lot homes, many still on boilers and radiators. Boiler ...
Libertyville pairs a pre-war downtown core still on boilers with 1990s-and-later subdivisions now reaching the...