Plumbing, Heating & HVAC Services in Boston, MA

Plumbing in Roxbury can involve original supply piping from the neighborhood’s 19th- and early-20th-century building boom, shared or closely arranged triple-decker systems, finished basements, compact mechanical rooms and renovated kitchens or bathrooms. Proto Home Service repairs leaking and burst pipes, recurring drain problems, toilets, faucets, shower valves, garbage disposals, low water pressure, sump pumps and other problems that interrupt the property.

• Plumbing Repair

• Plumbing Installation

• Bathroom & Kitchen Plumbing Renovations

• Sump Pump Services

• Drain Cleaning Services

• Water Filtration Systems

• Plumbing Inspection Services

We identify the source before explaining repair, replacement or installation options. For an active leak, burst or frozen pipe, sewage backup, overflowing fixture or failed sump pump, shut off water when it is safe and call for 24/7 emergency plumbing service. Roxbury property owners are generally responsible for the building sewer lateral to the Boston Water and Sewer Commission main; recurring blockages can require more than routine drain clearing.

Boston Water and Sewer Commission also runs a Lead Replacement Incentive Program that covers the private-side water service line — the section running from the property line into the building — at no cost to the owner, for qualifying properties with a lead line 2 inches or smaller in diameter and an active, current account. Given how much of Roxbury’s housing predates modern plumbing standards, it’s worth a call to BWSC’s Lead Hotline to check eligibility.

Related guide: What homeowners should know about drain and sewer cleaning inspections.

Roxbury heating systems include steam radiators, hot-water baseboards, forced-air furnaces, heat pumps and buildings that combine older distribution with newer equipment. Proto Home Service inspects the equipment, thermostat, controls, airflow or circulation and heat delivery before recommending a repair. Call when the system will not start, runs constantly, short-cycles, smells unusual, makes new noises or leaves part of the property cold. No heat during freezing weather qualifies for 24/7 emergency heating service.

Roxbury also sits along some of Boston’s busier transit and traffic corridors, and residents have raised legitimate concerns about outdoor air quality in parts of the neighborhood. If indoor air quality is something you’d like addressed alongside a heating or cooling job — filtration, ventilation, or humidity control — it’s worth mentioning when you call, and we can talk through what’s realistic for your system.

Proto Home Service provides gas and oil furnace repair, maintenance, installation and replacement in Roxbury. Weak airflow, cool air from registers, frequent cycling, delayed ignition, unusual odors, rising energy use or a thermostat setting the building cannot reach can signal a problem with the furnace, burner, controls, filter, venting or duct system. We hold an active Massachusetts Oil Burner license in addition to our plumbing and HVAC credentials, so an older oil-fired system isn’t something we have to turn away.

• Furnace Repair & Maintenance

• Furnace Installation & Replacement

A focused repair may be appropriate when the equipment remains safe and dependable. Replacement deserves comparison when a furnace has serious safety concerns, a failed major component, repeated breakdowns or can no longer heat the property evenly. For a new installation, we consider heating load, ductwork, fuel, venting and electrical requirements instead of simply matching the old unit. Our post on furnace troubleshooting covers the warning signs worth a call.

If you’d rather stay ahead of furnace problems than react to them, our Heating Plan Membership ($29/month or $319/year) covers seasonal maintenance and priority scheduling.

Boilers remain central to many Roxbury triple-deckers, brownstones and multifamily properties, plenty of them original to the neighborhood’s 19th-century building boom. Proto Home Service repairs, maintains, installs and replaces compatible steam and hot-water boilers, gas and oil-fired equipment, radiators, hydronic baseboards, circulators, zone controls and related components. We hold an active Massachusetts Oil Burner license on top of our plumbing credentials, so oil-fired and gas-fired hydronic systems both get serviced by the same team.

• Boiler Repair & Maintenance

• Boiler Installation & Replacement

Call when radiators stay cold, baseboards heat unevenly, pipes bang or gurgle, pressure changes, valves leak, the burner locks out or the boiler cycles repeatedly. We check the boiler, burner, controls and distribution system because the source may be outside the boiler cabinet. For replacement, we consider radiation, zoning, venting, fuel and domestic-hot-water needs before discussing equipment.

Related guide: Why annual boiler service matters for performance, safety and warranty coverage.

A burst pipe, a furnace that quits in a cold snap, or a water heater that fails overnight doesn’t wait for business hours, so neither do we. We stabilize the immediate problem first — stopping water, restoring heat, whatever the situation calls for — and only afterward work out whether a repair holds up or replacement is the more practical long-term call.

Choose emergency plumbing, emergency heating, emergency cooling, or emergency water heater service, all available 24/7 — call (617) 842-9104 and we’ll get a technician moving.

If you notice a gas smell, the standard first step is calling your gas utility so it can be checked out properly. Once it’s been confirmed safe, we take care of the actual gas line or equipment repair; our gas line repair and installation post covers what that typically involves.

Proto Home Service repairs, maintains, replaces and installs tank and tankless water heaters in Roxbury. We work with compatible gas, electric and oil-fired hot-water equipment and help owners plan around household demand, recovery time, available mechanical space, venting and existing utility connections — often tighter in a triple-decker’s shared basement than in a single-family home.

• Water Heater Repair

• Water Heater Maintenance

• Water Heater Installation & Replacement

• Tankless Water Heater Services

We’re a certified Navien Service Specialist, which matters if you’re considering a tankless upgrade specifically. Call for no hot water, slow recovery, changing temperatures, rumbling, discolored hot water, tankless error codes or moisture around the equipment. Repair may make sense when the tank and major components remain sound; active tank leakage, corrosion, recurring failures or inadequate capacity can point toward replacement. Our water heater lifespan post covers what actually extends the life of one.

24/7 emergency water heater service is available for active leaks and urgent failures.

Proto Home Service provides central air-conditioning and ductless AC repair, maintenance, installation and replacement in Roxbury. For triple-deckers and other older properties without practical duct space, ductless mini-splits or compatible high-velocity solutions may offer another path to cooling. Renovated homes and condominiums may require careful equipment placement, drainage and zoning decisions. We’re EPA-registered for refrigerant handling, which any AC repair or replacement touching refrigerant legally requires.

• Air Conditioning Repair

• Air Conditioning Maintenance

• Air Conditioning Installation & Replacement

Call when the air conditioner blows warm air, freezes, leaks water, starts and stops repeatedly, makes unusual noises or runs without controlling temperature and humidity. We examine indoor and outdoor equipment, thermostat operation, airflow and condensate drainage before recommending repair. For replacement, we evaluate the building’s cooling needs, existing ductwork, electrical service and available space.

Related guide: Why annual cooling maintenance should happen before a heatwave.

Heat pumps can provide heating and cooling through ducted or ductless equipment. They can serve an entire eligible property, condition selected rooms or supplement an existing boiler or furnace. This flexibility is useful in Roxbury buildings where extending conventional ductwork would be difficult or where owners want independent comfort zones across a multifamily property.

• Heat Pump Repair

• Heat Pump Maintenance

• Heat Pump Installation & Replacement

Proto Home Service repairs, maintains and installs heat pumps and mini-splits. We evaluate the conditioned rooms, cold-weather heating goals, existing system, electrical capacity and distribution plan. As a Mass Save Heat Pump Installer Network participant, we can also help homeowners understand which project details may affect current program eligibility; incentives and requirements should always be verified before installation.