Boiler blues in NYC

Jamesx00x

OK, here we go.. Old boiler broke down. Next door neighbor recommended this guy to install new boiler. The worst experience with this guy, would recommend him to no one. New boiler is in but the water filler is overfilling the boiler and I'm getting hammer like crazy. I go on this page for answers. I called HBS steam heat solutions on Saturday afternoon, left him text message to call me. Saturday evening leave me a text for name address and will call in the morning. Sunday morning no call and I text him again. Calls me in the evening and ask me some question and told me to take pictures and email him. Didn't hear from him and still having problems with boiler, so Tuesday evening I text him again. Now if this guy all he wanted to text questions and answers the whole time, he should of did it the first day!! He made me waste all this time chasing him around for nothing. But he told me to get old installer and threaten to sue him if boiler is not fix. I'm looking for a way to fix the problem, not to be hung out to dry. I would not recommend this guy either to anyone because he should of told me from Sunday that he was not coming out to my house to look at the problem., I hope someone from here can help or I have to bite the bullet. I'm a small business owner and never pull something like this guy did to me. I would of told the customer from the first day that I'm busy and can not come out.

Paul S_3

what

Type of system you have steam?hot water?....Paul S

Paul S_3

sorry

You have steam....call Ecuacool (732 494 help)....very good steam company...Paul s

nicholas bonham-carter

Are you the only steam problem out there ?

This is the time when a lot of systems are breaking down, and the pros are run ragged, so just understand that you may be waiting in line. It's not productive to be blaming someone with whom you have only had telephone contact.

Post some pictures of the boiler and it's piping, so we may be able to spot an obvious problem. --NBC

STEAM DOCTOR

Eazy does it

Lets look at this narrative from my perspective. I get a text from an anonymous person(meaning someone is is unfamiliar to me and did not come to me via recommendation from someone I know). As most of us professionals know, these types of contacts more often than not turn into dead ends. In addition, most heating professionals(myself included) are booked solid with actual paying customers and do not have time to chase after likely dead ends. At no time did I make any commitment to this poster. Rather, I took a few minutes of my precious time and advised the customer as best I could. This was time that could have been spent with family or work or personal matters. I understand that you are frustrated that your original installer took you for a ride. Please do not take it out on me. I am in no way obligated to be your savior. Please be grateful for the free advice that I gave you. Hang everything out on the wall and you will see that what I told you was perfectly accurate. Your near boiler is rotten. There is no effective header (equalizer on wrong side of header) and the near boiler piping is reduced and undersized.

STEAM DOCTOR

Estimate

Also, lets try to be a little bit more accurate. I did give you an estimate and offer to come down and rectify the problems. We don't discuss pricing. However, the price that I gave you was very much in line with what true steam professionals charge. To say that I was just playing phone tag with you is grossly inaccurate.

Jamesx00x

Re: Boiler blues in NYC

 Of course I know I am not the only one with steam problems!!

 BUT, I DO NOT keep customer waiting for three days to give them a quote or AT Least make a attempt to visit the customer home and look over the problem with them. WOW, how fast he writes a reply about my situation to protect himself about his service. If he would of give me the service I requested from the beginning. I would not be writing a bad review. I already bomb Facebook and Yelp with bad reviews for the person that installed this boiler in the first place. I am mad because now I have spend more time to find someone else to fix this problem when I though I was getting a professional from this site. That means wasting time calling people and making sure they come to my house to look at the system.

Jamesx00x

Dead ends

I'm sorry but dead ends is the natural of business. Like i said before, I'm a small business owner too. I know about people calling and wasting my time to give price quotes. BUT I don't make them wait and make them chase me around for answers.

ALIGA

sue the orginal installer

and give ecuacool a call as Paul S mentioned.

CMadatMe

Do You Think

With your attitude and eagerness to utilize facebook and other social media sites when you don't get your "I want it now" way, your going to find a professional to fix your installers mess? Not with a ten foot pole. Just by posting here, the contractor network will be on the lookout for your phone call.



PS...That service you did get, WAS FOR FREE!

Rich_49

Contractors

There is more than one guy listed on this site my friend . You should have called several . If I recollect we have been experiencing some pretty cold temps and  like me I would presume that most guys are very busy . This man probably did the best he could at getting to you but may have had previous emergencies to tend to , that often happens with guys that are worthwhile waiting for . He quite possibly has built a business with regular customers whom refer him to many . He must take care of his base clients or risk losing them . I would much rather have people saying that the work I did was right and good , it is easy to explain that you were just impatient and could not wait .  Think about just how you ended up being beat over the head in the first place , I bet you'll come up with the answer on how that happened .

Paul Pollets

New Boiler

If you have a new boiler, where is the contractor that installed it? He's accountable for proper installation to manufacturer's specs, correct "near-boiler" piping and commissioning.That usually includes water treatment to remove oil and debris from piping.

If the installer is not to be found, then you'll have to deal with another company that has steam expertise. I do agree that calls should be returned promptly in the world of business...not just the heating business.

Sounds like you have a warranty issue with the installer. If it's not fixed and piped correctly, you'll have premature failure of components and crappy unreliable heat.

Good luck on finding a pro to do some steam magic...harder to find in High Heating Season!

ALIGA

when things go wrong in NYC

bad installers are no where to be found, they will duck and dodge.

Rich_49

They

are also the first guys to return a call from someone who they think will be the next mark . Funny thing is that you don't always get the best cell service when you're in a basement and spending time to do it right . According to this gentleman these guys are more reputable than a dog A&%ed tired true mechanic . 

nicholas bonham-carter

Let's start with pictures

In order to make the installer make good, you need advice here on what went wrong, so get out the camera, and take pictures of the boiler, and it's piping.

We may suggest a simple fix, or a complete reinstall meant, but without pictures, how can we know?--NBC

Zman

Expectations

I find this one interesting.

The homeowner hires contractor 1 to install a new boiler. Contractor 1 is clearly unqualified and screws up the job. The homeowner decides to cut ties with contractor 1.

The homeowner then calls contractor 2 on a Saturday. Contractor 2 responds to a customer he has never met and asks for more info on a system that someone else screwed up. Contractor 2 follows up with the owner during regular business hours and give him a quote.



Mr. Homeowner is now pissed at contractor 2, who, near as I can tell, has done nothing wrong other than trying to help someone he has never done business with on a weekend.



Now the homeowner is trying to bash contractor 2 on the internet.



I only have one question.



Jamesx00x, what is the name of your small business? I think it is only fair. I know who I would rather do business with.



Carl

Jamesx00x

Know the FACTS

1. Call Saturday and then text

2. Received text Saturday Night that he will call on Sunday Morning

3. No call on Sunday morning

4. Text him on Sunday afternoon on Whats going on.

5. Contractor call and told me to email pictures of boiler

6. I took the time and effort to take pictures and email on Sunday night

7. No call back on monday

8. Tuesday, Now I'm upset because I have to chase contractor to do work

Who is paying who??

9. When I finally touch base with contractor, I had feeling that he didn't even spend anytime looking at pictures I email him on Sunday night.

nicholas bonham-carter

A storm in a tea cup

Let's not waste any more time on these complaints, and look at your pictures. There may be a lot of time consuming work to straighten this system out, and winter is here.

Boiler and piping

Radiators, and their measurements

Boiler make, and model--NBC

CMadatMe

Here's The Fact

He was not under contract to perform any services. The service you received and advice at this point was free. You also had the ability to call as many contractors as you wished if you were not happy with the delay.



Now take your ball and go home, mommy has some oatmeal on the table for ya.

icesailor

Another fact:

Many don't even bother calling back on calls like these. And many of those that do, will be because maybe it is an easy fix. If it is wrongly piped, and going to take a long period of time, or the caller sounds like a potential burr in the undies, we will wish them health, happiness and long distance. And wonder why we ever answer the phone and waste our time listening to stories of dubbers that do these installations.



If I had been paid for all the uncompensated time in my career of looking at Kindergarten Picasso's, where either nothing was done to repair the mess (they learned to live with it) or some other dubber, one level up from the last one, tried to fix the problem on the cheap.

And if I had been paid all that money, I'd have more in my retirement.

Pride and interest will make us go and look. Good sense tells us to keep away.

ALIGA

As NBC stated

lets move on.



Post up pics of the install.

Post up the name of the installer, so we know who not to call in the future.



Both parties in this case are wrong.

- James who was frustrated at BN for lack of response after sending pics, etc

- BN for assuming James would be a dead end

Bob Gagnon plumbing and heating

You Should

Use someone else's phone and call him, leave a message that you need a job looked at.



Thanks, Bob Gagnon