A large share of Pittsburgh’s housing stock — the historic homes of Bellevue, Mount Lebanon, Sewickley, and the river boroughs — heats with boilers and radiators rather than forced air. That system is durable and comfortable, but it needs a technician who actually understands hydronic and steam heat. Werth-Aire repairs and installs gas boilers and services the radiator and baseboard systems they feed.
When a boiler stops making heat, the cause might be a failed ignition or gas valve, a stuck circulator pump, a bad aquastat or control, low water pressure, a waterlogged expansion tank, or air trapped in the loop. On steam systems, it can be the low-water cutoff, the pressuretrol, or failing vents. We diagnose the specific fault, restore safe heat, and put the repair in writing.
When a boiler is beyond economical repair, we size and install a modern high-efficiency gas boiler that fits the existing distribution — so you keep the even, quiet warmth of radiator heat with far better fuel economy. Every install is permitted and startup-tested.
Need boiler repair & install in Pittsburgh?
Same-day appointments · honest flat-rate pricing
Safety first. A gas boiler is a combustion appliance, so treat any gas smell, soot, or carbon-monoxide alarm as a life-safety event — not a service call. Leave the building, call 911 or your gas utility from outside, and do not restart the boiler. On a steam system, a boiler running with a low water level is also dangerous: shut it off at the switch and call us rather than pouring water into a hot, dry boiler.
Boiler out? Check these first (safely)
Confirm the thermostat and switch
Set the thermostat to heat a few degrees above the room reading, and make sure the emergency switch — often a red plate at the top of the basement stairs — and the boiler breaker are on.
Read the pressure gauge
A cold hot-water boiler should sit around 12–15 psi. If it reads near zero or well above 30, note it for us — low pressure and a waterlogged expansion tank are common no-heat causes.
Check the sight glass on steam
On a steam boiler, the water in the sight glass should sit about half full. Do not add water to a hot, near-empty boiler — let it cool and call us instead.
Call with what you see
Call (831) 461-3437 with the boiler type (hot-water or steam), the pressure or water-level reading, and any lockout light or code — it helps us arrive with the right parts.
Signs your boiler needs attention
- No heat, or radiators that stay cold while the boiler runs
- The boiler will not fire or locks out on start
- Low or dropping system pressure on the gauge
- Banging, knocking, or gurgling in pipes and radiators
- Visible leaks or corrosion around the boiler or fittings
- Uneven heat — some radiators hot, others barely warm
What our boiler repair & install covers
Hot-water & steam
Both hydronic and steam boilers, including circulators, zone valves, controls, and near-boiler piping.
Radiator & baseboard
Cold-radiator diagnosis, air and pressure problems, and balancing across the distribution.
Safety controls
Low-water cutoffs, pressuretrols, aquastats, and relief valves kept in safe working order.
High-efficiency replacement
Modern gas boilers sized to the home, keeping radiator comfort with better fuel economy.
Our process
Diagnose the loop
We check ignition, gas valve, circulator, controls, pressure, expansion tank, and — on steam — the low-water cutoff and pressuretrol.
Restore safe heat
We correct the fault, bleed or purge air where needed, and verify the whole distribution is heating.
Repair-or-replace guidance
If the boiler is failing, we show you the evidence and quote a properly sized replacement rather than pushing it.
Permitted installs
New high-efficiency boilers are sized to your home, installed to code with a Pittsburgh permit, and startup-tested.
Why boiler work needs a specialist
Boilers and radiators are durable and comfortable, but they are increasingly rare, and they need a technician who actually works on them. Hot-water systems depend on circulators, zone valves, expansion tanks, and aquastats; steam systems live and die by the low-water cutoff and pressuretrol. Diagnosing a cold radiator while the boiler still fires, or a pressure that keeps dropping, takes hydronic and steam experience that many companies simply no longer have. We service both every winter across the older boroughs, and when a boiler is finally done we size a modern high-efficiency replacement to your existing radiators so you keep the comfort and lose the fuel bill.
What affects the cost
Boiler repairs are quoted flat-rate; replacements are quoted after a load calculation. Cost drivers include:
- The failed component — a circulator or aquastat versus a heat exchanger or gas valve
- Whether the system is hot-water (hydronic) or steam
- Condition of the expansion tank, zone valves, and near-boiler piping
- For replacements: boiler efficiency, capacity, and near-boiler piping upgrades
Boiler repairs vary widely by component. A replacement is a planned project quoted after we assess the system and distribution — we give you a written scope with equipment, permit, and warranty.
| System type | Key components | Common issue |
|---|---|---|
| Hot-water (hydronic) | Circulator, zone valves, tank | Cold radiators, low pressure |
| Steam | Low-water cutoff, pressuretrol | Banging, water level |
| Radiant / baseboard | Loops, manifolds, controls | Balancing and airflow |
Repair or replace? Use the evidence
Cast-iron boilers are long-lived — often 20–30 years — so a repair is frequently the right call. The honest question is whether the fault is an isolated control or pump versus a failing block or heat exchanger. We show you the evidence either way rather than defaulting to a replacement quote.
When repair makes sense
- The failure is a circulator, zone valve, aquastat, or expansion tank — not the boiler block
- The sections and heat exchanger are sound, with no cracks or persistent internal leaks
- System pressure holds after the underlying cause is corrected
- The boiler is otherwise heating evenly and burning cleanly
When replacement deserves a look
- The block or heat exchanger is cracked, leaking internally, or badly corroded
- The boiler is 25+ years old and facing a major repair, with efficiency well below a modern unit
- Repairs are stacking up or parts for the model are hard to source
- You want to cut fuel bills — a high-efficiency condensing boiler can recover its cost over time
If replacement is the smarter spend, compare a high-efficiency boiler or furnace replacement line by line — sizing, permits, warranty, and startup testing — before you decide.
Why choose Werth-Aire for boiler repair & install
Half the companies in town will not touch an old boiler. We service hydronic and steam systems every winter, and when one is finally done, we size a modern replacement to your existing radiators so you keep the comfort and lose the fuel bill.
Serving Pittsburgh since 2015
11+ years keeping North Hills and Allegheny County homes comfortable through hard winters and humid summers.
4.9★ across 51 reviews
Local homeowners rate us for straight answers, clean work, and pricing with no surprises.
Licensed, insured & EPA-certified
EPA Section 608 technicians installing to ACCA Manual J/S/D standards, with the proper Pittsburgh permits pulled on every install.
Flat-rate pricing, 24/7 response
A written quote before we start, the diagnostic fee explained up front, and around-the-clock help when it can’t wait.
Boiler Repair & Install across Pittsburgh & the North Hills
From our base on the Perry Highway corridor, we bring boiler repair & install to homes across Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania. That includes Ross Township, McCandless, West View, Bellevue, Avalon, and Shaler Township, plus the South Hills, the river boroughs, and the wider metro. See every community on our HVAC service areas page, or call (831) 461-3437 to confirm we cover your street.
Related services
Related reading
- Boiler No Heat? Emergency Steps for Pittsburgh Homes — A boiler that quits leaves radiators cold and pipes at risk. Here are the safe things to check on a hot-water or steam system before calling for help.
- Why Your Old Pittsburgh Home's Boiler Keeps Failing — Older Pittsburgh homes and boilers go hand in hand — and so do recurring boiler problems. Here are the usual causes and how to decide repair vs. replace.