Boilers & Radiators
Why Steam Radiators Bang and How to Quiet Them
Banging steam pipes usually come down to trapped water, high pressure or failed vents. Here is what causes the noise and what fixes it.
Read the noteHeating, cooling and air quality in Providence, RI
Steam, hot water, ductless or forced air, we keep Providence homes comfortable
When the radiators go cold or the top floor turns into an oven, you need someone who knows these old houses. Our technicians repair and replace boilers, furnaces, heat pumps and central air across the city and nearby Rhode Island and Massachusetts towns.
- Phones answered 24/7
- Office on Westminster Street
- Steam and hot-water specialists
Symptom: No heatThe house is getting colder
Check the thermostat, the boiler or furnace switch and the breaker, then call. Most no-heat calls are one failed part: an ignitor, a circulator, a sensor or a fuel problem.
Emergency heating repair- 24/7 lineNights, weekends and holidays, every day of the year
- Old-house heatOne-pipe and two-pipe steam, gravity and hot-water systems
- Modern systemsCold-climate heat pumps, ductless, small-duct central air
- RI and nearby MA61 areas from Woonsocket to Newport and Fall River
Quick answer
High-Tech Engineering, Inc. is a heating and cooling contractor based at 100 Westminster Street, Suite 800 in downtown Providence. We repair, service and install boilers, steam systems, furnaces, oil burners, central air, heat pumps and ductless mini-splits, and the phone is answered 24 hours a day at (401) 598-2964.
What we work on
Every kind of heat Providence houses run on
Six groups, 48 services. If it heats, cools or moves air in a Rhode Island home or business, it is on this board.
9 servicesBoilers & Radiators
Steam and hot-water heat, the system most older Providence homes still run on.
6 servicesFurnaces & Oil Heat
Gas and oil warm-air systems, tune-ups and fuel conversions.
8 servicesAir Conditioning
Central air, small-duct systems and summer breakdowns.
8 servicesHeat Pumps & Ductless
Cold-climate heat pumps and mini-splits for homes with or without ducts.
10 servicesAir Quality & Ductwork
Ducts, ventilation, humidity, filtration and controls.
7 servicesCommercial & Plans
Business systems, maintenance plans and pre-purchase checks.
Worth a call
Six signs your heating or cooling needs a look
None of these mean the system is finished. Most are small repairs when they are caught early.
Cold rooms on one floor
Usually air in the loop, a stuck zone valve or a closed radiator valve, not a dead boiler.
Banging or whistling
Steam hammer, a failing circulator or ducts that are too small for the air they carry.
Bills climbing
Soot on an oil burner, a short-cycling furnace or leaky ducts quietly burn fuel.
Water where it should not be
Relief valves, condensate pumps and clogged drains, all worth a call before the ceiling stains.
Smells at startup
A little dust on the first cold day is normal. Oil, gas or a musty smell from a ductless head is not.
Short cycling
On, off, on again every few minutes means a sensor, airflow or sizing problem.
How a visit works
From the first ring to a warm house, floor by floor
- You call, a person answers
Day or night, you reach our team, not a voicemail. We ask about the system, the symptoms and who is at home.
- Safe checks over the phone
Thermostat, switches, breakers, fuel and resets. Sometimes that is all it takes, and we tell you so.
- A technician is scheduled
No-heat calls with elderly, very young or unwell occupants move to the front of the line.
- Diagnosis on site
We test the system in order and show you what failed, with photos when it helps.
- A price before the work
You approve the repair or replacement before anything is done. No surprises on the invoice.
- Checked before we leave
Combustion, carbon monoxide, temperatures and airflow are confirmed, and you get a written summary.
Built for these winters
Providence heats for most of the year
From October to April, Providence homes lean hard on their heating, and the city's housing is older than most. Cast iron boilers from the 1950s sit next to new condensing units, oil tanks sit next to heat pump line sets, and one basement can hold three systems for three apartments.
That mix is exactly what our technicians work on every week. We size every replacement from a room-by-room heat-loss count, plan venting and line set routes around plaster and trim, and explain repair and replacement options with real numbers.
Winter design day: single digits in Providence, the temperature every heating system here should be sized for.
Why homeowners call us back
Straightforward heating and cooling work
High-Tech Engineering was set up to handle the systems older Providence homes actually have, alongside the heat pumps and ductless units now going into them.
Old systems, real repairs
Steam vents, low-water cutoffs, gravity conversions and cast iron boilers are everyday work for our own technicians.
Sized, not guessed
Every replacement starts with a heat-loss or cooling-load count, so equipment fits the house.
Clear prices first
You see the price before work starts, and the price list on this site shows typical ranges up front.
One line, day and night
The same number reaches us at 3 a.m. in January and 3 p.m. in July.
Where we work
Providence neighborhoods, Rhode Island towns and nearby Massachusetts
Our office is downtown on Westminster Street, a short drive from every Providence neighborhood and most of the towns around the city.
Providence
Rhode Island
Typical price ranges
What heating and cooling work usually costs here
Ranges cover most jobs we see in Providence homes. Your exact price comes after we see the system, and you approve it before any work starts.
| Service | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Boiler Repair | $189 to $1,240 |
| Furnace Repair | $179 to $1,150 |
| AC Repair | $169 to $1,380 |
| Ductless Mini-Split Installation | $4,350 to $18,900 |
| Boiler Replacement | $7,850 to $16,400 |
| Cold-Climate Heat Pumps | $11,400 to $26,800 |
Questions we hear most
Heating and cooling questions from Providence homeowners
Do you answer the phone at night and on weekends?
Yes. The line at (401) 598-2964 is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. No-heat and no-cooling calls with vulnerable occupants are handled first.
Which Providence neighborhoods and towns do you cover?
All of Providence, including Elmhurst, Blackstone, College Hill, Elmwood and Federal Hill, plus Cranston, Warwick, Pawtucket, East Providence and 51 more areas in Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts.
Do you work on steam heat?
Yes. One-pipe and two-pipe steam is a large part of our winter work, from vents and low-water cutoffs to skimming, re-pitching mains and full boiler replacements.
Can you add air conditioning to a house with radiators?
Yes. The usual routes are ductless mini-splits, which also heat, or a small-duct high-velocity system that runs through closets and the attic with very little wall damage.
Will you tell me the price before starting work?
Always. We diagnose first, explain what we found and give you the price. Nothing is repaired or replaced until you approve it.
Comfort Notes
Short reads for the system in your basement
Planning & Upgrades
Heating a Providence Triple-Decker, Floor by Floor
Triple-deckers have their own heating quirks. Separate systems, shared boilers and top-floor heat all call for a plan.
Read the note
Heat Pumps
Do Heat Pumps Work in a Rhode Island Winter?
Cold-climate heat pumps keep heating well below freezing. Here is how they handle Rhode Island winters and when backup heat matters.
Read the noteReach us
Call the Westminster Street office
- Phone
- (401) 598-2964
- Hours
- Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Office
- 100 Westminster Street, Suite 800
Providence, RI 02903 - Coverage
- Providence, 33 nearby towns and 6 counties in RI and MA
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