My home is heated with a oil furnace/boiler/low-pressure steam radiator system. I has been working with less and less efficiency each winter. Can anyone recommend a company that services these systems? Can't seem to find any ads for companies that specialize in them. Thanks.

I would think any HVAC company would do that. Or maybe a plumber?

Sorry, I can't provide any further suggestions.

Who delivers your fuel oil? I know Griffith works on oil burner systems. Check with your fuel oil company, if they don't do it, perhaps they can recommend someone.

Have you tried Thompson Heating?

Back when I had an oil burner, Hardell always did a good job.

second hardell

Ill have to 3rd Hardell. They have even come to my place for emergency after hours work and they always have had the parts onhand and had it fixed within 1 hour. If you have a service contract with them then any after hours work is free. They come and clean/inspect my furnace/ac each season with the service contract.

final note..im still saving up to get rid of my oil furnace and go with a heat pump. The price of heating oil as of last week was 2.89. Year after year its just going to keep rising. A good efficient heat pump should actually start saving me money when I get 1 installed.

Thanks for the replies, but, Hardell only services the furnace part of the system. I'm looking for someone who knows how to service the actual radiators (some are stone cold, others are hot, some in between).

you probably should bleed them every month or so to avoid vapor locks

if they have bleeders on them just open them alittle till you get water coming out.


Penn Mar Oil does a prebuy in the summer. My oil is locked in at $2.49 a gallon for the winter.

Looks like you may need to call a plumber, if that's the case, Ebersole's in Maugansville has always been fair and reliable.

Anyhow, is it a closed or open system? That is, does it have a reservoir that needs to be refilled (closed) or is it hooked up to your water supply line (open)? {i think i got that right}

But bleeding the system is an excellent suggestion.

I would say you need a plumber.

That's right E-Zombie & Wrangler, my mother had radiators in her home as well.

You need someone that works on furnace. Not someone that works on pipes. lol

You said its a steam system so have you tried replacing the air valves? I lived in an apartment in H-town and the landlord never did anything to fix the place (all to common in H-town). Anyway all of the steam radiators were barely working. So I turned off each radiator completely, unscrewed the air valve and replaced it. I put teflon tape on the new threads before I screwed it in. After I did that to all the radiators they worked so well it was like living in a suana if I had them all on. I took about 5 minutes to replace each one. I think I found the air valve at the hardware stone on S Potomac st across the street from the cemetary.

If a Hardell or other HVAC/oil furnace tech can't tell you how to fix the radiator issues as well they should be ashamed.

Thanks Dirk, I've been wanting to try that but didn't know where to look for the valves. Think I will start there.

If Startzmans (the one dirk was mentioning) doesn't have them, I'm sure Corderman's (on Washington and Elgin) would probably have them.

Hah, I automatically assumed Corderman's and they did have them. Did the trick, too. Thanks again for all the help.

Glad you got your problem fixed, without it costing you a arm and a leg.