Pre-Season Boiler Tune-Up
The Boiler Physical: Your Boiler's Pre-Season Checkup
Your boiler is about to work every day for six months. The Boiler Physical is a pre-season inspection and tune-up by a Licensed Master Plumber: combustion, controls, safeties, venting, and the steam-specific checks most tune-ups skip.
What Your Boiler Gets: The Exam List
Every visit runs the same checklist:
- Combustion and efficiency check at the burner
- Flame quality, ignition, and safety shutoff tests
- Flue, venting, and draft inspection
- Gas connection and shutoff valve condition at the boiler
- Thermostat call-for-heat test, end to end
Steam boilers also get
- Pressure control (pressuretrol) setting and operation
- Low-water cutoff test and flush
- Main vent condition — the #1 cause of uneven steam heat
- Water line stability and near-boiler piping review
- Gauge glass, safety valve, and skim-condition check
Hot-water boilers also get
- Expansion tank charge and waterlogging check
- Circulator pump and zone valve operation
- Relief valve test and system pressure check
- Air elimination — bleeding and purge points
- Aquastat and limit-control operation
What It Costs
One flat rate, quoted when you book — 20% off if booked by September 15. No trip fee, no diagnostic charge on top.
If the visit turns up repair work, you get a separate scope and price before anything happens.
Your Report
Every visit ends with a report: the boiler's age and fuel, how it's burning, what was adjusted, what to watch, and our read on remaining life.
When a boiler is near the end, the report says so, with the repair-or-replace math laid out (and for oil burners, the 2027 conversion question answered). If your system is steam, the report comes from people who know steam: meet Brooklyn's steam heat specialists →
Who Does the Work
Austin Plumbing & Heating is a Licensed Master Plumber shop: LMP #1879, Rispoli family trade since 1968, based on Jamaica Ave in Brooklyn. Gas-fired boilers are gas work, which NYC law reserves for a Licensed Master Plumber. The person examining your boiler is qualified to fix what they find.
Steam and hot-water systems across Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx.
Own or Manage a Building?
For multifamily and commercial buildings, this is the annual boiler startup. We run startup and shutdown programs, multi-boiler service, and annual DOB boiler filings on contract. See building maintenance contracts →
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What's included in the Boiler Physical?
Combustion and efficiency check, operating and safety control tests, venting and draft inspection, near-boiler piping review, and burner cleaning and adjustment as needed. Steam boilers also get pressure-control, low-water cutoff, and main-vent checks; hot-water boilers get expansion tank, circulator, and relief-valve checks. You receive a report at the end.
How long does it take?
Roughly 60 to 90 minutes for a typical one- to four-family home boiler. Steam systems with radiator issues can run longer; we stay until the checklist is done.
Do you handle both steam and hot-water boilers?
Yes, and the checklist differs for each. Steam is a specialty of ours: pressure settings, low-water cutoff operation, and main venting are where steam systems quietly fail, and most tune-ups never look at them. Hot-water systems get their own list: expansion tank charge, circulator operation, relief valve, and zone controls.
Is this the same as the annual city boiler inspection?
No. The annual DOB boiler inspection is a compliance filing that applies to larger buildings — low-pressure boilers in one- to five-family homes are generally exempt from that requirement. The Boiler Physical is a maintenance and condition service for your benefit, not a city filing. If your building does need the annual DOB filing, we perform that inspection and file it too.
What happens if you find a problem?
Small adjustments that fit inside the visit are simply done. Anything larger goes in the report with a scope and price, and our read on whether it's a repair now, a watch item, or a boiler near end of life. No work starts without your sign-off.
My boiler is only a few years old. Do I still need this?
Yes. Combustion drift, venting problems, and control failures don't wait for old age, and most manufacturer warranties assume annual maintenance. On a young boiler the visit is quick, and the report gives you a baseline for future seasons.
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Book Before the First Cold Night
20% off if booked by September 15. We confirm every booking by phone.