TESTIMONIALS
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65.
Dear Matt:

I don’t believe I have ever taken the time to write a letter such as this to anyone before. However, considering the “heating jam” I was in about 4 years back, and the wonderful “rescue operation” you performed, I thought you should know how appreciative I am!

As you know, my house is close to 100 years old and was a former officer’s quarters from a Military base that was picked up, loaded on a barge and reset on this hill in Sea Cliff after WW I. When we moved in, the steam boiler was already over 35 years old. Unbeknownst To me, this boiler-down-in-the-pit in the house-upon-the-hill had a reputation that preceded it with all the local plumbers and supply houses. So, when I started making calls for estimates, I met nothing but resistance and fear: The first plumber showed up and although he had been maintaining it for 10 years, said “Mike, this job is over my head and I don’t want to disappoint you.” Fair enough I thought, at least he was honest. The next guy came in, opened the otherwise harmless-looking, small and narrow door, looked down in to the eight foot deep pit and said: “….I’ve heard about this house before…….this job is nothing but trouble…I won’t touch it!” The third guy proposed to rip it ALL out…including all the steam piping and radiators in the place! And convert over to forced air. His price was “…at least $50,000.00…..and maybe as much as $60,000.00. Parenthetically, on his proposal, it stated that all the repairs to close up the damage and painting were extra. The forth and last man, that looked at it was the most humorous. When he opened the door and looked in the pit he simply shook his head, backed up and out the back door, all the while muttering : “…..Oh NO! NO! NO! NO!”

I decided at that point, that while I did need to replace the old boiler, I wasn’t prepared to buy my house all over again. I began an internet search and was fortunate to find Dan Holohan’s website, www.heatinghelp.com . I also spoke to Mr. Holohan and he explained that he no longer did consulting but that he could recommend just the right person for me. That is how I found you. Just before you came, I was starting to get really concerned, as we had no heat, it was getting very cold in late October, and no one seemed to be willing or able to do the right job. I had called two very large mechanical entities, which were willing to do the job but were puzzled as to what kind of system I had and what exactly the replacement should entail. When your office booked the appointment, they informed me of the consultation fee which I didn’t mind paying because you came so highly recommended. You spent about a ½ hour going over the whole system and informed me that I had a Marsh Steam Vapor System that was the Rolls-Royce of its day, but that it had been bastardized and reconfigured in a bad way. Also, to my amazement, you told me that the boiler that was in there was too SMALL for the house! That now explained why parts of the house never heated well and maybe why our gas bills were so high. You also recommended that we rebuild all the steam traps in the house.

After four years, I can happily report that you solved my problem with excellent workmanship, a command of steam fitting, and attention to detail. Although your quote was quite a bit higher than the other bidders, I knew I was going to get – AND DID! – a superior job. The other companies said it would be a 2-3 day job. You guys took about 6 hard-days, and when I saw that I knew that the quote was indeed reasonable. Aside from the fact that house is more even and comfortable, our fuel savings has gone down when you track the therms of gas used (price per therm of gas and price per gallon of oil always fluctuate) since the install. I really feel like you rescued me as this all happened in late October as the weather was ramping up, and my family was complaining bitterly about how cold they were and WHEN I was going to get this fixed. Thanks for everything.

Very Truly Yours,

Mike H. in Sea Cliff


66.
I perform professional building and home inspections and have seen plenty of questionable plumbing work in my day. I would like to take this opportunity to sing the praises of Matt Sweeney and Triple Crown plumbing. I am very familiar his with strong work ethic, gentlemanly personality, and his understanding of the importance of education/training. I never hesitate to recommend him for my clients in need because I know that they'll be taken care of. I have heard nothing back but high praise. I also have first-hand experience with his work and can say that Matt's the kind of guy who won't leave until the job is done right. If your heating system involves any kind of pipes and water, then look no further for a qualified plumbing / heating technician!!
- Matt Wynne
Owner, Aberdeen Building Consulting

Do you ever do work with National Grid rebate programs?

Regards,
-Matthew Wynne
Aberdeen Building Consulting
877-492-9800
http://inspectbeforebuying.com




67.
Dear Matt,

Once again, my thanks go out to you and your guys (especially Albert) for the great job you did at my house. We had just moved into a new house and there were projects everywhere we looked. I could do most of the work myself, but the plumbing had to be done by professionals. Steam pipes had to be rerouted to make way for a new kitchen, gas pipes needed to be brought to a new dryer, venting had to be installed for the dryer, water supply lines had to be brought to a new refrigerator, two toilets had to be replaced, water and waste lines had to be brought to a new washing machine, and a utility sink had to be installed in the basement. All this work was done flawlessly. The workers were neat, considerate, dependable, and most importantly, highly skilled and professional. All my questions were patiently answered. I was also happy that you were able to work with me on the price. I would recommend Triple Crown without hesitation to anyone in need of plumbing work.

Ed Villani



68.

If you need a heating system, you go to a heating specialist. Matt Sweeney is a talented and reputable master plumber and a master at installing heating and radiant systems. He is intelligent, knows the heating business well, gave the best advice, did fine work and went the extra mile.

The job on our home was big, involving the removal of two existing gas boilers, a hot water heater, old steam pipes and radiators and the installation of a Buderus condensing system (hot water, gas fired) and indirect water heater. The installation was methodical, organized and executed on a superior level. The system saves money and is quieter.

Water Heater: We changed to an indirect water heater from the separate one we had. This has produced significant monthly savings and the sizing gives more than enough hot water.

Boiler: We opted to go "green" by choosing a condensing boiler. We chose Buderus over Veissman (considered technically the "better" of the two) since Matt works mostly with it, parts are easier and faster to get, should they be needed, and was a bit cheaper. Had we chosen Veissman, we still would have used Triple Crown. The new boiler, attached to the basement wall, is attractive and small, looking like a white plastic cabinet. Condensing boilers give off water vapor, not polluted air, so they are vented through a PVC pipe stack, not a chimney. Matt wisely placed the vent away from windows so the occasional, white vapor blows away unseen (all but one other plumbers we interviewed would have had the vapor blow by our den windows). This required considerable efforts and extra time to get it past various barriers.

Savings: The new system saves money, mostly from the indirect water heater and to some extent from the boiler. Condensing boilers, by how they function, give the most savings when temperatures are moderate and less so when winters are extra cold and we have found this to be true. They are always clean for the house and environment and quiet. You could wake up from the rumble of the steam boiler turning on. No more. Temperatures are cooler in the basement without the heat given off by the old boiler, a sign of how much heat was wasted.

Pipes: It is a pleasure to be rid of ugly steam pipes and the heavy pipes were removed with least disruption. Because of all the zones, bleeding the new radiators had to be done carefully to eliminate air bubbles created by the installation process.

Radiator type: Instead of the normal thin metal base board radiators like Slant-fin, we opted for Burnham's cast iron radiant "slenderized" radiators which resemble the old fashioned ones. We wanted even, strong heat and got it. Having previously put cast iron baseboard in another room we knew how well cast iron worked, heating up quickly and retaining heat to keep the room warm and producing an even temperature throughout the room, surpassed only by under the floor radiant heat. Cast iron radiators are heavy for plumbers to work with and cost more for the customer, but they are worth it. The comfort level is amazing, no cold spots. They had a mild, harmless protective coating that burned off gradually in the first season. In a hallway we decided to use a small Runtal baseboard for its thin profile and decorative looks; pricey but worth it.

Radiator Size and Location: Matt's recommendation on the size, style (upright vs baseboard) and placement of these radiators was superior to all of the several other plumbers we interviewed. The heat is even and strong and the style (upright) and placement choices are smart for room use.

Zoning: We wanted different rooms to be able to control their own temperature. That meant six zones, each with its own thermostat, check valves and piping. Matt selected the best quality and persisted with fine workmanship. We selected Honeywell digital thermostats that allow 7 day programming.

Everything works well but things happen. There was, remarkably, only one problem due to installation, a gas pipe in an awkward spot needed to be tightened. They came within a half hour of being called. There were two problems caused by defective products. One was the leakage of shut off knobs attached to three radiators. Matt came right away on his weekend and "repacked" them. When that didn't help, he replaced these defective ones immediately with better designed ones. The other problem was serious. The blower on the boiler stopped working so we had no heat on a bitter cold day with a snow storm approaching. It was a Sunday. Supply houses were shut. Matt's helper immediately brought some space heaters to our home and with considerable persuasive efforts Matt got a supplier to open up to give the helper a new blower. A few hours later Matt replaced the blower. The heat was on.

The job took less than 20 minutes due to the simplified nature of repairing condensing boilers. The response time and follow through in all these situations was outstanding. Also, when the heating was installed, Matt saw that a pipe put in when this old house was built was undersized for the high end gas cooktop we bought a few years ago. After Triple Crown installed the new pipe, the gas burners functioned more efficiently, all blue flame, and the pipe is now up to code.

The materials and workmanship have been of the finest quality and the system functions exceptionally well. Matt did the bulk of the installation of the boiler and intricate piping required for the seven zones. His knowledgeable, kind assistant, Albert, helped with mostly everything and was easy to work with as was another man who helped at times. We appreciate the superior efforts. Matt knows heating and does it extremely well.

We are happy we chose Triple Crown for our heating system. You can't do better.

Hey Matt,

I know this has been a long time coming, but I wanted to wait a full year before I wrote a testimonial on how the new Buderus burner unit is working for my home. I think this way I can give a truly accurate assessment to the value the burner has given to me.

My home was built in the 1950 and had the original oil burner in it along with a gas water heater. My oil bills were getting ridiculously high as oil prices rose in 2006 to 2007 and the oil companies were accurately predicting huge increases into 2008. My oil bill in the 2007 winter season (October through end of March) was about $3500 plus I was paying about $80-$100 per month for my gas heated hot water.

After a lengthy research process and multiple quotes from plumbers, Matt made a very good pitch for the Buderus. He basically said the Buderus would pay itself off in 5-7 years. We agreed on a fair price and Matt and Albert were diligent in their installation….sometimes even working until 10 pm at night to ensure the job was completed on schedule. My once dirty, sooty boiler room now looks like a computer room with the neat Buderus hanging on the wall. I can now use that room for some storage where I couldn’t before because my oil burner was so big and dirty.

I write this at the end of March 2009 and the unit has been installed for a full year. Since October, my gas bills have been about $2000 for this season….a drastic drop from my oil bill last season AND it includes the hot water as I opted for the Buderus hot water tank.

I know that the gas bill can be even lower. I have a two zone home and I do NOT have programmable thermostats. I almost always forget to lower my heat on one zone at night, so essentially I have been heating my whole house at the same 68 degrees 24 hours a day for the whole winter season. I can only imagine the savings I will achieve when I install programmable thermostats. With my current projection, the Buderus will pay itself off in 4-5 years….probably closer to 4 if I ever get around to putting the thermostats in.

Matt and Albert were very professional. As a parent, I was very comfortable having these two family men in my home. I also have not had a single problem with the Buderus in the year in which it has been installed. I recommend this burner and Matt’s service to everyone.

We met Matt Sweeney of Triple Crown on January 6th of 2002. It was a very cold Sunday and our steam Boiler had dry-fired…we had no heat! Triple Crown was the ONLY company that even returned our many Phone calls to several different companies on that Sunday. Matt came out, assessed the situation, managed To get his loyal supply house, Christ Plumbing Supply in New Hyde Park to open up for him, got a boiler and Worked all day and night to get us heat late that night. On another occasion, they replaced our water heater and Set it in a pan with a WAGS valve (emergency shut off device that prevents a leaking water heater from doing a lot of Water damage). I also have them come once a year to service everything. Another time, we had a bad Carbon Monoxide situation that was caught by state-of-the-art detectors that Triple Crown sells. They were not Cheap, but they are much more sensitive and reliable than the plug in brands. Matt came out with his detection equipment and isolated the problem for us. Matt and Triple Crown are always Just a phone call away for emergency situations. In short, you usually get what you pay for…and Triple Crown Is worth every penny.

Pat and Paul O’Leary – Floral Park