HVAC reviews in Watertown, Massachusetts

March 2022 update;
Winters saw my review and Mike came back to take a look at the radiator cover. He was able to jimmy the radiator cover back on without having to touch the new valve or controller. He explained that he had installed the valve controller at an angle to make it more accessible for future repairs, and pointed out that the cover had never fitted quite right before the valve replacement, although the angle had certainly made it worse. He gave me some suggestions for how to modify the sheet metal to fit better, without having to pay for a plumber's time to do that job. Overall I'm satisfied -- I still wish it hadn't taken extra visits to fix issues but I'm very impressed with their responsiveness.

Feb. 2022 update:
I'm changing my rating to 3 stars now based on recent service calls. Our boiler is working well, and overall we are happy -- the folks at Winters are very responsive when we call; communication is great, and both the office and the technicians are respectful and professional. But we've had a couple of issues recently with their work. In December 2021 we paid $555 to replace a leaky air vent, but less than a month later it was leaking again and when another tech followed up, it became clear that no new part had actually been installed. That issue has been fixed now (at no additional charge) but a couple of weeks ago we found that one of the zone valves Winters replaced just a year and a half ago has failed already (the previous one lasted over 10 years), to the tune of another $743. The replacement was installed solidly but at a tilted angle so it no longer fits inside the metal sheathing around the radiator (photos attached). Overall everything seems to be working well now, for which we are very thankful. But it no longer feels like a 5-star experience.

2020 review (5 stars):
Zane wrote the estimate for the boiler and zone valve replacement project for our condo building. He was extremely responsive, answering all of my (many) followup questions over several phone calls. We got quotes from 5 different companies and Zane was the only one who pointed out that we had a lifetime warranty on our current stainless steel water tank so we did not need to replace that part of the system. He also carefully did the sizing calculation up front to determine that we could safely downsize from our previous system. Between these two items, he saved us thousands of dollars.
Brad did the installation for us. He took great care with every detail, keeping me fully informed of the status as the project progressed. He cheerfully answered all of my questions, explaining what he was doing and why. The whole project took a bit longer than we had expected but it was well worth it -- nothing was done in a rush and I feel very confident in the quality of the installation. (I might have slowed him down with my questions but thanks to this, I was able to get a good understanding of the new system so we can keep it properly maintained.)
All my interactions with the front office have been really positive as well. Everyone has been very courteous and they seem to be right on top of things. This is a huge factor for us since it removes any uncertainty about scheduling and billing. It seems to me that everyone we've interacted with at this company is in the loop and working together to make sure we are happy.
From start to finish, we had an excellent experience with Winters on this project. We're looking forward to working with them to keep the new system maintained (and maybe do some A/C work for us as well).

We scheduled a service call because our gas usage, not the price, has tripled since a repair last year done by this company, and we suspected our furnace was running inefficiently. When Lucas arrived, he refused to even look at the furnace or radiators, immediately brushing me off with a generic comment about winter bills being higher. I explained, multiple times, that our usage and inefficiency was the problem, not the cost, and he spoke to me like I didn’t understand the basics. We had even scheduled the appointment for maintenance specifically.

After I insisted he at least check the furnace, he went downstairs, snapped a single photo, and claimed he’d be right back. Instead, he walked out, got in his car, and left without a word.

The level of dismissiveness and unprofessional behavior was unacceptable. This appointment was a complete waste of time, and I left with zero confidence in the service provided.

Sean fixed my leaky shower. Sean is professional, knowledgeable and very tidy. Sean explained all aspects of the repair to me. He was by far the best plumber I have used in 20 years of owning my home. I plan to use Sean for all future plumbing needs. He claimed to not be a tile guy but he very carefully removed only the tiles necessary leaving the rest intact. If you are fortunate enough to have Sean come to your house you will not be disappointed.

Absolutely ridiculous. I cannot explain how unprofessional my experience was with their receptionist. I called asking for winter service, and instead of providing help, she immediately tried to push me into buying a $180 membership. I asked a very simple question: “What is the earliest available service time?” She refused to answer until I gave my credit card and committed to the membership.

After insisting several times, she finally checked and told me the earliest appointment was November 13th—over 40 days away from the day I called (October 3rd). They expected me to pay upfront and wait more than a month just to have someone come out and look at my system.

This kind of service is unacceptable, and I cannot recommend a company that values upselling memberships over providing honest, timely support to customers in need.

Hamza was polite, very well informed and efficient with my repair. He was patient with my questions and respected my time. I highly recommend him.

Winter Home Services truly saved the day! On the coldest day of the year, they pulled off a Christmas miracle by coming out quickly to diagnose an issue with my gas boiler. They worked efficiently to put together a solution, ensuring my parents had heat when we needed it most. Their professionalism, expertise, and kindness were unmatched. I can’t recommend them enough – they’re the ones you can count on in a pinch. Five stars!

Lucas Villandry was thorough in the review and preparation of our steam and hot water base board boiler for the winter. He was pleasant and patient in explaining to us all he did and the condition of the boiler. We are very pleased with such good service.

I reached out to Winters on a Sunday night and they showed up first thing Monday morning. The response time was amazing. John Cavallaro was awesome. He really knew his stuff, explained everything clearly, and had the issue fixed right away. He also took extra time to look at a few other things on my list, gave me quotes, and walked me through what each job would involve. Great experience all around and I definitely recommend John and the Winters team.

Manny and crew were extremely professional. Manny was a wealth of knowledge to help understand the process of an HVAC system. Thank you for the extremely well done job

Great experience with Winters servicing our furnace burner. They were on time, communicated clearly and reliable. The technician, Mr. Stephen Brown, was knowledgeable, efficient, and friendly. Thank you Winters Home Service!

I wish I could give Winters Home Services six stars! I’ve been a homeowner for 16 years, and a landlord for five, and I’ve never experienced more attentive, competent plumbing service before in my life.

I’m a remote landlord, living on the West Coast. My tenant in Massachusetts contacted me Wednesday afternoon to let me know that the hot water tank was leaking and flooding our shared basement. My usual plumber couldn’t make it out until Friday.

Initially, the only reason I went with Winter’s Home Services was that they had good reviews and said could send someone out that afternoon. True to their word, Winter’s had one of their plumbers, Sean Clancy, at the property in a couple of hours—impressive on such short notice.

Sean cleared the tank and stopped the leak right away, the called me to discuss options for replacing the tank. Sean answered all my questions patiently, professionally and clearly, and we agreed on an estimate within an hour of his arrival.

The equipment supplier was closed by then, otherwise he would have had a new water heating system installed that evening. But Sean showed up promptly at eight the next morning, as agreed, to install a new tankless water heater and an upgraded, code-compliant gas exhaust system. The estimate even included twice-yearly maintenance for the next three years!

In less than a day, Winter’s Home Services and Sean Clancy turned what started as a disaster into just one night without hot water. The service was attentive and extremely competent, with proactive, clear communication throughout the entire experience. My tenants and I could not be happier with the results.

I will be working with Winter’s Home Services from now on, not only for my plumbing, but also HVAC. These guys are the real deal.

I’ve attached before and after pics.

Lucas who analyzed and spear headed the repair was a gentleman with care, concern, promptness, service, and personality. I am in the dark about pricing, hourly charge, and materials. I did not do comparative shopping. Thank you for the service.

Goran Peulic is terrific to work with. I'm sure he has bad days, but you'd never know it. He's always friendly, up-beat and eager to help. He is also a total professional and solved our heating problem quickly. I have asked about additional services that Winters might provide and I hope he would be the one to provide them.

Thomas Morrissey was a Godsend! Our Heating System was malfunctioning and he diagnosed the problem and expertly and persistently purged a significant amount of air from our relatively new Heat Exchanger. He then diagnosed a parallel problem with a series of air dampers that had also been confounding efficient and effective heating/cooling throughout a substantial portion of the house.

Best HVAC service professional we’ve ever had the good fortune to have worked with!!

Hamza Moustati did a wonderful job. I rarely saw such a professionalism, speed and attention to the details. I would recommend him for any future plumbing, repair and maintenance task. Well done!

James arrived in a very timely manner. He was very professional and explained everything very clearly, we needed an inspection of our current furnace. James is a model example of how to be a top-notch service tech! Scheduling was also very straightforward with the office, and you received texts updating the service providers ETA. We highly recommend Winters to anyone who needs service! Thank you, James!

The work was the replacement of a multizone, full house, gas-fired hot water boiler. Mike was friendly and a good worker. At every turn, he was eager to do the best job that he could. The job was very well done. We appreciated being kept informed of progress and the implications for the timing of completion of the work.

We’ve been using Winters since 2017 and have had nothing but wonderful experiences. Everything from repairs to routine maintenance has been excellent. Hamza did out boiler and water heater maintenance yesterday was polite, engaging, thorough and knowledgeable.

I had an absolutely terrible experience with Winters.

My wife and I are in the process of purchasing a home. The home inspector we hired (who has exceptional reviews and was extremely knowledgeable and professional) advised that the furnace and HVAC system looked great, but that we should have the hot water heater descaled, and probably replaced soon.

I contacted Winters to descale the hot water heater. When the tech (Timothy Whalen) arrived, he examined the hot water heater and recommended moving ahead with just replacing it, since it was 10 years old. Not an unreasonable suggestion by any means.

HOWEVER that is when things went south.

He then walked over to the furnace/HVAC setup, which I had NOT asked him to look at, since the home inspector had said it looked great.

The tech said that the unit was "compromised" and recommended that the ENTIRE SYSTEM (furnace, AC, condenser outside, etc.) should be replaced immediately, at a cost of over $20,000. He said that whoever did the work didn't know what they were doing, and that the sellers probably "cheaped out."

I replied that was surprising because the sellers just replaced the entire heating/HVAC system one year ago, AND they had WINTERS do the work!

He called the office. The office rep said that according to his records, Winters had done an estimate on the job, but hadn't done the work.

I then showed him the copy of the city permit that was in Winters' name. He had no answer for that.

Today, the city inspector came by to do the final inspection for the gas permit which Winters opened last year to do the job. The inspector said that everything is totally fine.

I learned that Winters was purchased/merged with H.L. Bowman some time in the last year. I suspect that either the new management is telling the techs to push unnecessary work, or this individual tech was trying to upsell so he could get a cut of the sale.

Either way, this is absolutely unacceptable behavior. I would never work with Winters or H.L. Bowman ever again.

Joe Colon was the technician assigned dto do the maintenance of my heating system. He was really professional, came in on time, and addressed my concerns immediately. The maintenance went smoothly and quick. He provided a detailed description of the possible issues I may have with the heating system and provided an honest estimate of the repairment/replacement costs.

I had a very old toilet that was slowly leaking. I could not see the leak, but could hear it. Because our water bill was unusually high, I called Winter Home Services and got a timely appointment. John Mack came and found the leak in the tank, but as he worked on the toilet, more of the toilet features failed during the repair. Eventually, it became apparent that the whole toilet and the discharge funnel had to be replaced. This was accomplished in a very timely way. I give John Mack 5 stars, but Winter Home Services only 4 stars as the invoice was not accurate and $70 for just coming out was not applied to the bill as I think it should if the work goes forward. The final bill was $3,288 which seems high, but I have never replaced a toilet, and John Mack's keeping up with the job as each problem with the toilet was revealed was great. I can imagine circumstances where there would have been awful delays as each new problem surfaced. John Mack, I thank you. Robert Bill