TESTIMONIALS
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16. "We own a 100 year-old home with steam heat. When we bought the home, we knew we would be putting some money in to the heating system, but we never knew what was involved with finding the right partner. In our first year of ownership, we had initially signed up for an oil contract that included 24/7 service on the boiler. The service was consistent.....clean the burner, change the nozzle, fire more oil in to the chamber, with the explanation being '...the heat will get up to the radiators....eventually.' All of the advice and adjustments did nothing to improve the performance of the system. The only thing we did notice is increase of our yearly oil usage. I had had enough and set out on a mission to find SOMEONE who really knew the art Art of Steam Heat...someone who had studied the craft and employed it with a Modern-Day mindeset. After searching online and speaking to countless others in the heating and A/C industry, and trying out a few independent specialists, I found Matt Sweeney and Triple Crown Plumbing & Heating.

When Matt came over, he immediately started to analyse the system in a way NONE of the dozens who preceded him - and failed - did. He spent two days just watching and listening to the system before he even gave us his input on what was needed. He informed us that our system was actually a quite unique type of a two pipe vapor sytem that not only had traps on the radiators, but also had Loop Seals in the basement as well. He then began to explain - in great detail - that the main reason that the heat was not getting out to the radiators efficiently was that there had been many different manipulations, changes, and alterations that had been made to the system over the years. Furthermore, he told us how these changes along with some other issues had taken the system far away from its original design and functionality. Matt gave us a price, a plan of action, and a satisfaction guarantee and then went to work. His seld-assuredness of the system and the changes he was about to undertake stood out head-and-shoulders above anyone else who had tried to solve the problems in the past. As a matter of fact, Triple Crown had inherited our job after a previous "steam specialist" had abandoned his efforts, left us with a gaping hole in our living room, and was no longer returning our calls.

The first job Triple Crown performed was the one that brought our steam vapor system back to its former glory....when Mr Jones (of Long Island's Jones Beach fame...first owner of the home.) had it installed in the Early years of the Twentieth Century. Matt and his crew not only brought back the system to its intended design, giving us ample heat in ALL rooms, but we immediately saw a 15% reduction in oil usage as well. Now, the whole system was hot in ten minutes versus 40 minutes. The next job we wanted was a full boiler replacement. Matt suggested that we wait a another year or two as the boiler had a some life left in it. He also wanted the system to settle in to the new adjustments for atleast a season. Two seasons later, we were ready and Matt returned to take measurements again to make sure the right sized boiler would be installed. In fact, we were able to drop several sizes with the New Burnham small commercial oil/steam boiler and Carlin Burner. The result ANOTHER 20% savings in oil consumption. That is a 35% reduction overall!
For a large home like this, the savings are significant.

The most recent jobs Triple Crown performed were that of a staple up radiant heat job for our previously-cold kitchen (When we remodeled no one thought to do a heatloss and see what heat load was required for the area. We had one small recessed radiator that just wasn't cutting it.) AND extensive, underground, outdoor gas piping to our new open air patio & woodburning fireplace and gas cooking BBQ. Triple Crown installed an indirect hot water storage tank piped off of the new steam boiler that serves the radiant for the kitchen and an air handler for our finished attic. The custom kitchen and butler's pantry encompassed 1000 square feet of Beautiful, tumbled - yet cold - marble. The outcome was even, consistent heat in a critical room where my family spends a great deal of time. The radiant job is so efficient in every regard: We can't get the family OUT of the kitchen anymore! It was another perfectly-designed and executed job by Triple Crown.

There have been many impressive jobs performed by Matt Sweeney and his crew at our home, and through all of them, Triple Crown has stood up to their guarantee of ultimate satisfaction. They have never hesistated to come back and tweak things if things get out of whack ( as old systems can do). In our estimation, there is no one comparable that can offer the type of service, level of professionalism and true understanding of the dying Art of Steam Heating than Matt Sweeney and his team at from Triple Crown. They truly are The Thoroughbred of The Industry!

The Paternosters
Laurel Hollow, NY

17. "Last year, I had a problem with my steam heating system: No heat to the second floor unless I raised the thermostat to 80. I have tenants and this arrangement was not only not efficient, but costing me an arm and a leg! Consulting with two seperate local companies, both of whom are in business for close to a hundred years with excellent reputations, I might add, came in to assess the situation. I was appalled at their recommendations. The first company told me I needed to add a seperate boiler and zone of heat for the second floor at a cost of $9700.00! The other company said the same thing but about $1000.00 less. I am almost 93 years' old and worked as a Registered Nurse for almost 60 years. I am not a fool. I remember when the system worked well and I knew I just had to find a knowledgeable person on the system. I spoke to my daughter who lives down South and asked her to please get on the computer and find me someone to help. She got on the internet and found a great website called Heatinghelp.com. After a search on the Find A Professional section, she was astonished to discover that indeed we had a steam heating expert only two towns away in Floral Park. When Matt came to the door I couldn't help but tease him that he couldn't be a steam expert because he was too young! Anyway, within ten minutes Matt found my problem and Viola! His repairs cost me around $500.00. The second floor get nice and toasty now. I recently had Triple Crown back to install a new water heater and replace a sump pump - no problems there. Very happy. Thank you Triple Crown."

Sincerely,
Nan Smith
Garden City Park, New York

18. "Matt Sweeney and his guys at Triple Crown really care about what they do and it shows.

After years of enduring problems with the steam heating system in our 130-year-old National Historic Register home, we had nearly given up on ever feeling warm during the cold winter months. The home overlooks The Sound from a bluff and it can get really fridgid. At first, I was hesistant to pay another person anything to come look at our system, but after checking around, seeing the Triple Crown website, and seeing the time Matt spent diagnosing the system, I knew we had finally found The Guy who could fix this. I wrote the check for the consultation fee that day with confidence. Matt spent several hours assessing the system and then explained, and put in writing his presription in terms that I could understand. He not only found that our system no longer had proper vents, but also discovered that the boiler was very under-fired and producing dangerous levels of Carbon Monoxide. Next, he found that the gas meter was drastically undersized as additional boilers and equipment were added over the years without permits and haphazardly as well.

This was the middle of winter with the weather in the single digits, so we needed help fast. Matt got right on it especially since, Eleanor, our 95 Year Old companion was really cold. The first thing they did was rebuild our boiler's firebox and replace the gas conversion burner with a proper-sized unit from Riello and then he added vents in strategic locations. This got the heat working 85-90% better. Next, they repiped the gas meter header with the proper-sized meter and brought the gas utility in to hang the new meter. This brought the system 100% full circle. Triple Crown completed the work for the exact cost and in the timeframe they promised. They worked closley with our Building Dept, (Whcih is very strict in an Historic Town like ours) and Plumbing inspector and made sure all permits were secured and even that the non-permitted work was finally put through. We not only stayed warm, but we also spent a lot less on our gas bill since then due to the efficiency of the upgraded system! "

Paul Bianchi
Sea Cliff, New York

19. "Mr Sweeney,
I am writing this letter to let you know how impressed I was dealing with your company. Your workmanship was even more than I had hoped for: taking the time to explain the workings of my new boiler; cleaning up after the job was done; and, finishing the job on time. I will tell anyone looking for a great plumbing and heating concern, that they could do no better than your company."

Robert Barhold
Stewart Manor , New York

20. "Dear Matt:

I just wanted to say thank you all your efforts in fixing my single-pipe steam system in this 75 year-old Multi-family building I recently purchased. I knew the steam wasn't getting to the far side of the building because it was condensing too soon. The problem was trying to figure out why. The building has a good 30 year-old cast iron Slant Fin boiler that appeared to be operating normally, but I have to admit.....this one had even me puzzled.

Being a professional engineer with some knowledge of steam systems, I checked all the usual problems (i.e., boiler sizing, radiator valves, pipe pitch, and so on.) I also contacted several local plumbers, so called experts in steam systems who basically wanted to do what I had already done. It was a pleasure to meet someone who actually took the time to troubleshoot the system-as-a-whole, think "outside-the-box" instead of just randomly changing parts.

Your methodical approach to diagnosing the system was fantastic and should be the industry standard for trouble shooting steam problems. First, you noted that there were plugs were there were once main vents. You built a manifold with a half-dozen vents on each main that looked like giant copper lollipops. After doing this, the system's heat distribution improved dramatically, but you continued. You then had me reinsulate the large mains with a high-quality white fiberglass insulation, giving me your discount so as to save me money. After determining that the boiler sizing was correct, based on the amount of radiation in the building, and that all the usual items were ok such as piping, radiators, and air valves, you then focused in on the fuel gas side of the system. By first clocking the gas meter, you determined that the boiler was only getting about 50% of the volume of fuel that it needed. I have never seen anyone do that before and was also very impressed when you discovered that the gas valve was the wrong size for this boiler. The previous season another plumber had replaced it without any thought. I have to admit that I thought changing the valve would solve all the problems, and was very surprised when it didn't! I think at that point, 99.9% of all plumbing and heating personell would have given up.....but not you. By putting a manometer on the gas line, you then discovered that the gas main was not delivering adequate volume of gas to the building. Then, you truly went above-and-beyond the call by waiting at the building for some 12 hours (In freezing weather) for the gas company to arrive. Sure enough, the gas company's regulator coming in to the building was bad and needed to be replaced. You stayed on for several more hours to make sure the man from the gas company did not leave my tenants without heat, although he was called away several times by his supervisor. Upon re-firing the boiler, the difference was immediate: The boiler was finally able to generate enough steam to heat all those previously cold areas in a very short time. The system was now 100% again.

Be assured, I will be referring your company whenever I can. It was a pleasure to meet a true professional who takes pride in his work and is not just concerned about the money. Please also feel free to use this letter in all your promotional activities. Thank you."

Professionally yours,
Joseph A. Pasaturo PE
Principal

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