Yes. Residential boilers normally run between 12-20 PSI cold and a bit higher when the system is hot. Pressure climbing past 25-30 PSI usually means the expansion tank has failed (water-logged or lost its air charge) or the pressure-reducing valve is feeding too much water in. The pressure relief valve will open around 30 PSI — if you're seeing water around the relief valve, that's the system telling you something's wrong. Don't ignore it.

A boiler that loses pressure has a leak somewhere — sometimes obvious (water on the floor near the boiler), sometimes hidden (a leak inside a wall on a baseboard or radiator zone, a slow weep from an old fitting, evaporating away before you notice). The fix starts with finding it. Pressure testing the system isolates which loop or zone is losing water.

Once a year for gas-fired residential boilers — typically in late summer or early fall, before heating season. Annual service should include: combustion analysis, flue and draft inspection, low-water cutoff test, pressure relief valve test, expansion tank pressure check, circulator pump check, gas pressure check, and a visual inspection of the heat exchanger. A boiler that gets annual service catches small problems before they become winter emergencies.

A well-maintained cast-iron sectional boiler (Weil-McLain WGO/WTGO, Burnham V-series, Buderus G115) can last 25-40 years. High-efficiency condensing boilers (Lochinvar Knight, Triangle Tube Prestige, Viessmann Vitodens, Navien NHB) typically run 15-20 years with proper maintenance. Tankless combi units run similar to condensing boilers. The biggest factors: water quality, annual maintenance, and proper near-boiler piping at install.

Depends on the age, the cost of the repair, what the rest of the system looks like, and whether the boiler is condensing or atmospheric. A 7-year-old condensing boiler with a failed circulator is almost always a repair. A 32-year-old atmospheric boiler with a cracked heat exchanger is almost always a replacement. Mountain Man Plumbing handles the repair side honestly — if your unit is genuinely past the point of repair making sense, you'll hear that straight, and I'll refer you to a trusted local specialist who handles boiler replacement every week.

Several common causes: water hammer (water moving suddenly through pipes that aren't properly secured), expansion noise (poorly designed near-boiler piping flexing as the system heats and cools), air in the system (trapped air at high points causing intermittent flow), kettling (mineral buildup or scale inside the heat exchanger flashing to steam), or a stuck check valve. Each one needs a different fix.

Several possibilities: air trapped in that zone (bleed the air at the highest point of the loop), a stuck zone valve (won't open electrically), a failed circulator for that zone, a closed isolation valve someone forgot to open, or a balancing issue (other zones taking all the flow). Diagnosis depends on whether the zone has zero flow or partial flow, and what the rest of the system is doing.

The expansion tank gives the boiler system somewhere for water to go when it heats up and expands (water expands roughly 4% from cold to hot). A working expansion tank keeps pressure stable. A failed expansion tank — water-logged because the rubber bladder ruptured, or lost its air pre-charge — causes pressure swings, relief valve dumping, and shortened boiler life. Easy fix when caught early; cause of all kinds of weird symptoms when left alone.

A low-water cutoff (LWCO) is a safety device that shuts the boiler down if water level drops below a safe threshold — without water, the boiler will overheat and could rupture. Boilers in occupied basements usually have a probe-style LWCO; some commercial and older residential systems use float-style. The LWCO needs annual testing — Mountain Man Plumbing tests yours every service visit, regardless of whether you asked.

Usually the thermocouple — the safety device that senses pilot flame and tells the gas valve to stay open. Cheap part, common repair. Sometimes the pilot orifice is partially blocked, sometimes the gas valve itself has failed. If your boiler is old enough to still have a standing pilot (versus electronic ignition), the thermocouple is the most likely answer.

Yes. Modern boilers (Lochinvar, Triangle Tube, Navien, Viessmann, Buderus newer models) log fault codes that tell you exactly what tripped — ignition lockout, flame failure, water pressure low, exhaust temp high, etc. Photo the display and send it along — the code tells the story before the truck pulls up. Most error codes are not "boiler is dead" — they're "this specific sensor or condition triggered shutdown."

No — Mountain Man Plumbing focuses on boiler repair and refers out for boiler replacement. Boiler replacement is a specialty job: proper sizing for the heat load, near-boiler piping done right (this is where most cheap installs fail), vent termination compliant with manufacturer spec, gas line correctly sized for the new BTU rating, and full combustion verification before commissioning. The plumbers who do this every week do it better than someone who'd do it occasionally. When a replacement is genuinely the right call, you get a referral to a trusted local specialist — not an upsell to a service Mountain Man Plumbing isn't best-positioned to deliver.

No — full condensing boiler installation goes to a specialist. Condensing boilers (Lochinvar Knight, Triangle Tube Prestige, Viessmann Vitodens, Navien NHB) hit 95%+ efficiency by extracting heat from the combustion exhaust until water vapor condenses out, but the install is unforgiving — wrong sizing, bad venting, or improper system design and a high-efficiency unit underperforms a basic one. Mountain Man Plumbing handles repairs on installed condensing units and refers out for new install work.

A boiler heats water for the home's heating system (radiators, baseboard, in-floor). A combi (combination) unit heats water for both the heating system AND domestic hot water (showers, sinks) — replacing both the boiler and the water heater with one appliance. Combis save space and can be the right answer for smaller homes; they're not always the right answer for larger homes with high simultaneous demand.

A leaking boiler usually doesn't directly cause CO, but related issues can: a cracked heat exchanger leaks combustion gases into the room instead of out the flue, a blocked or downdraft-prone vent can push exhaust back into the house, and a starved combustion air supply produces incomplete combustion that generates CO. Every boiler service visit includes a combustion analyzer check specifically because the consequences of getting this wrong are serious.

Yes — every home with any gas-fired appliance should have working CO detectors. Place one near the sleeping areas and one on the level with the boiler. CO detectors expire — most have a 7-10 year service life printed on the unit. If yours is older than that, replace it. This is non-negotiable safety equipment.

Most residential boilers in the Salt Lake area are hot-water (hydronic) — Mountain Man Plumbing handles all common hydronic systems. Steam boilers are rare in this region; for steam-specific work, a referral to a specialist who handles steam regularly is the honest answer rather than learning your system on the clock.

Mountain Man Plumbing can document the work and provide invoices, photos, combustion test results, and cause-of-loss notes for insurance claims (especially when a boiler leak or failure has caused water or freeze damage), but doesn't bill insurance directly. You pay for the work and submit to your carrier for reimbursement where covered.

Yes. Boiler replacement quotes vary wildly because the work itself varies wildly — sizing, near-boiler piping, vent routing, combustion air, and gas line work all change the scope. If you've been quoted a boiler replacement and want a real plumber to review it before signing, send the quote and photos of your existing setup. Worth the 10 minutes.

Clear access to the boiler and the area around it. If you have the original installation paperwork, prior service records, or any manufacturer documentation, set those aside. Note the symptoms — when did it start, does it happen at startup or mid-cycle, what does the pressure gauge read, what's the thermostat set at. If the boiler is leaking, shut off the water supply to it. If gas is escaping, shut off the gas at the valve and ventilate.

Yes — fully licensed and insured. Master Plumber License #12992295-5501. Homeowners who want to verify can use the public lookup at the Utah Division of Professional Licensing.

Mountain Man Plumbing serves Sandy, Draper, South Jordan, West Jordan, West Valley City, Murray, Cottonwood Heights, Millcreek, Taylorsville, Herriman, Riverton, Holladay, Midvale, and the broader Salt Lake County area. We also handle Park City (Summit County), Alta, and Lehi (Utah County). Boiler work is especially common in older east-side neighborhoods (Holladay, Millcreek, Cottonwood Heights) and bench/canyon homes (Alta, Park City).

Locally owned, residential-focused, and run without the scripted sales playbook the bigger outfits use. The chain HVAC shops sell boiler replacement as their default — anything wrong with the boiler becomes a quote for a new system, often financed at high interest. Mountain Man Plumbing diagnoses what's actually wrong and repairs what should be repaired. When a replacement is genuinely the right call, you get an honest referral to a trusted local specialist — not an upsell into a service Mountain Man Plumbing isn't best-positioned to deliver. You get a Master Plumber with combustion training on every call, not a "comfort advisor" working off a tablet.