Nstar response time

[everose.livejournal.com]

This is more of a general question, but how responsive is Nstar usually when your heat stops working? Our gas heat just stopped for some reason today, and my landlord is calling Nstar. I'm wondering if they'll get someone out here soon, or if people have had problems with them taking a long time to respond.

Comments

[myselftheliar.livejournal.com]

unfortunately I have 2 different answers. But hopefully good news, because it was good here.

In the North End, NStar took 3 days to fix my heat when it went out. Here, it took them a few hours.

I'm assuming...

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

... he called the emergency number?

Our stove started making an ominous clicking noise on NYE a few years back, and we called the emergency line and they had someone out there fairly quickly.

[turil.livejournal.com]

Are you sure that the problem is something NStar can fix? Usually it's the furnace that is the problem, not the gas line.

[georgy.livejournal.com]

I remember from having gas heat (in an apartment with radiators) that sometimes the water level in the furnace needed to be increased or else it would just stop working. Could that be it?

[artic-monkeys.livejournal.com]

it depends on if he has the nstar plan or wants to pay extra for somebody to come out, NSTAR has a heating plan you can pay extra for, if you get the plan it warranties your appliances and is suppose to give you faster responce times:

http://www.nstaronline.com/residential/account_services/gas_heating/hhpp/hhpp.asp


I would nstar myself and ask them.

[lonelyholiday.livejournal.com]

We had no heat when I got up one day last week. I talked to my landlord, who gave me his account number for the NStar heating plan mentioned above. So I called NStar before I left for work and it was fixed by the time I got home.

However, like I said, he has the plan. So if your landlord doesn't have this plan, response time may be different. Either way, I was pleased.

[everose.livejournal.com]

It turns out...yes! My landlord just called me a few miinutes ago and asked me to go downstairs and turn the orange thingey that makes the water in the tubey thing rise, and now the heat is on!

Sorry for the unnecessary Nstar post, everyone. Problem solved. But now we all know about the furnace, the emergency number, and the extra service plan. :)

[everose.livejournal.com]

My landlord is a first time homeowner, and she just signed up for this today when I called her about the heat at first. Turns out it wasn't an Nstar issue, but at least we have this plan now.

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

For future reference, if you tell them you think you smell gas, they come quite quickly.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

Depending on your landlord, NSTAR should be there within 24 hours. Our heat went last week and NSTAR was there by the end of the day (our landlord sent his own guy to check the situation first).

[csbermack.livejournal.com]

You should also make sure the landlord makes the furnace clean. The water leaves rust buildup; there's probably a drain of some kind. Periodically, you stick a bucket under the drain, let water out until it stops being dirty water, and then refill the furnace. But check with them before you do this.

My plumber landlord has me do that to the furnace once a month when it's cold.

[csbermack.livejournal.com]

Just to confirm the NSTAR subscription thing.

You (your landlord) can buy an annual NSTAR plan that covers routine maintenance. NSTAR services these people first. When few people have broken furnaces, NSTAR has pretty good response times; when everyone has broken furnaces, you *really* want that subscription. It could save you several days of misery.

[everose.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

draining furnaces and hot water heaters

[lentower.livejournal.com]

older furnaces, especially steam furnaces usually have at least two places that need draining to remove rust from the furnace and solids that settle out of the water. one at the low point in the water feed, and the other at the float shutoff that detects that the water is too low, and shuts the furnace off. i do both of mine monthly in the heating season.

hot water heaters also need to be drain of solids that settle out of the water. i do mine twice a year when the time changes between daylight and standard time.

check with your landlord on how to do it, and if he wants you to do either.

best -len