A boiler with no heat during a Minnesota cold snap is an urgent problem, and boiler repair in Eden Prairie runs through our 24/7 dispatch. While you wait, keep the thermostat calling for heat, open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls, let a faucet drip, and do not use an oven or unvented heater to warm the house.
This page covers hot-water and steam boilers, the parts that usually fail, and what frozen pipes can do once the heat stays off. It also states where a plumber's work stops, because a forced-air furnace is a different trade.
When no heat becomes an emergency
A boiler outage turns into an emergency when the house cools toward freezing, a pressure relief valve is discharging steadily, or water is leaking from the unit. Minnesota winters regularly bring below-zero cold, which is why exterior-wall pipes freeze.
If your carbon monoxide alarm sounds, get everyone outside and call 911. Do not go back in to troubleshoot. For a gas smell, leave first and call the gas utility or 911 from outdoors.
After-hours and weekend calls go to the same dispatch line, and same-day visits are possible when available.
Hydronic versus steam
Hot-water (hydronic) boilers heat water and send it through baseboard, radiators or in-floor tubing with a circulator pump. They run under moderate pressure, usually a few pounds when cold, and rely on an expansion tank to absorb heat-driven volume changes.
Steam boilers boil water into vapor that rises through radiators and returns as condensate. They hold less pressure but need correct water level, a working low-water cutoff and clean gauge glass. Many older systems here are still hydronic, and the fixes differ, so identifying yours is the first diagnostic step.
Symptoms and common causes
What you may notice
Cold radiators or baseboard
A stuck circulator, an air lock or a failed zone valve keeps heat from moving.
Banging or kettling
Scale and sludge cause steam pockets and a loud rumble in the heat exchanger.
Pressure gauge climbing
A failed expansion tank or a leaking fill valve pushes pressure up.
Water around the unit
Leaks at fittings, the circulator flange or the relief valve need prompt attention.
Boiler cycling on and off
Short cycling from a dirty flame sensor, bad aquastat or oversized setup.
What we check and repair
| Symptom | Likely cause | Usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| Relief valve dripping | High pressure or worn valve | Test expansion tank, replace valve |
| No hot water to loops | Failed circulator pump | Replace pump or flange |
| Hissing or gurgling in baseboards | Air in the loop | Bleed and purge |
| Boiler locks out | Low-water cutoff or flame fault | Clean sensor, test controls |
| Rusty water and leaks | Corroded fittings | Replace joints, flush system |
We start by reading the pressure and temperature gauges, listening for pump noise, checking the expansion tank's air charge, and testing the low-water cutoff and aquastat. A combustion analyzer verifies burner health on gas models.
Talk to a dispatcher about boiler repair
Dispatch answers 24/7 and books same-day appointments when one is open.
Air in baseboard loops and noises
Air trapped in a loop stops water from reaching the far rooms. Bleed valves on radiators and a purge at the boiler release it, but constant air points to a leak, a bad air separator or a failing fill valve.
Banging and kettling usually trace back to mineral buildup. Cleaning the heat exchanger or flushing the loop solves many cases, while a cracked section means replacement. The City softens tap water to about 5 grains per gallon, which slows scale, but sludge from old iron piping still collects.
Pressure relief, expansion tank and leaks
A pressure relief valve discharging means the system has exceeded its limit. Never cap or plug it. Common causes are a waterlogged expansion tank, a stuck fill valve or an overheating boiler.
Leaks at fittings, unions and the circulator flange are repairable when caught early. A leak from the boiler's heat exchanger is not. If the leak is hard to trace, our leak detection service can pinpoint hidden seepage under floors or behind walls.
Combination boilers and domestic hot water
Combination boilers heat both the house and the tap water, so a failure can mean no heat and no hot showers together. The diverter valve, plate heat exchanger and flow sensor are common culprits, and the same scale issues from a tank heater apply.
If the boiler feeds a separate indirect tank, the fault may sit in the tank's sensor or the zone valve. For stand-alone units, see water heater repair.
Frozen pipes after the heat goes out
If a boiler stays off during subzero weather, exposed and exterior-wall pipes can freeze and split. The City Utilities Division gives frozen-pipe advice on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and after hours and on weekends the City directs leak or frozen-pipe reports to the Police Department.
Know where your shutoffs are. Most meters have two valves, one on each side, and closing the one on the house side stops water from spilling if a pipe lets go. If one has burst, our burst pipe repair crew handles the damage.
Limits of this service
We repair the water side of the system: boiler, pump, piping, radiators, valves and expansion tanks. A forced-air furnace, its heat exchanger, blower and ductwork belong to a heating and cooling contractor, and we will say so rather than guess.
Commercial boilers in shops and offices follow the same principles at larger scale, and our commercial plumbing team can help. New boiler installs and piping changes are handled under plumbing installation.
Boiler repair costs
Homeowner policies often cover sudden, accidental water damage and burst pipes after a freeze, but usually not wear or neglect, so ask your insurer. Want your real number for your house? Call (952) 866-9120 and we will quote the job before work starts.
Coverage
We repair boilers in the Eden Prairie ZIP codes 55344, 55346 and 55347, and in nearby Minnetonka and Hopkins homes.
Questions about boiler repair
Boiler repairs follow the manufacturer's instructions, and the piping around a boiler falls under the standards of the Minnesota Plumbing Code, Minnesota Rules chapter 4714.
Boiler Repair questions in Eden Prairie
Yes. Dispatch is 24/7, including overnight and weekend calls. Keep the thermostat calling for heat and protect exterior-wall pipes while you wait.
A waterlogged expansion tank, a stuck fill valve or overheating are the usual causes. A relief valve that opens is a warning, not a nuisance.
Air is likely trapped. Bleeding the radiator or purging the loop restores flow, but recurring air points to a leak or bad separator.
Kettling means scale or sludge and can damage the heat exchanger. It is not an emergency but should be fixed before it gets worse.
The Utilities Division gives frozen-pipe advice on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the Police Department takes reports after hours.
No. Forced-air furnaces are a different trade. We handle boilers, hydronic piping and the plumbing that connects them.
What to check first before you call
Look at the pressure gauge, note the number and whether the pump is humming. Check that the thermostat is calling for heat, the power switch is on and the gas valve is open.
Find the main water shutoff, and keep it where you can reach it quickly.