Engineering first, equipment second
A hydronic system is only as good as its design. Whether it's radiant floors, a boiler, snow melt, or all of them tied together, the difference between a system that quietly delivers comfort for decades and one that never quite works comes down to the engineering behind it. At Phillips Hydronics we design every system from the ground up — and because we install what we design, the plan on paper actually matches what gets built.
Custom hydronic design
Our design process starts with the numbers. We run a room-by-room heat-loss calculation for your specific home, then design the distribution — radiant loops, baseboard, panel radiators, or a combination — to deliver exactly the right amount of heat to each space. From there we size the boiler and heat source, lay out the near-boiler piping and zoning, select circulators and controls, and integrate any extras like snow melt, indirect domestic hot water, solar thermal, or geothermal. You get a system that's balanced, efficient, and built to work as one.
Heat-loss calculations
Every design is sized to your home's real load, room by room — never rules of thumb.
Whole-system integration
Radiant, boilers, snow melt, solar, and domestic hot water designed to work together.
Smart zoning & controls
Independent control of each area for comfort where you want it and savings everywhere else.
Contractor-ready plans
Clear designs builders and GCs can build to, with one specialist owning the hydronic scope.
Professional Boiler Maintenance
A modern high-efficiency boiler is one of the most efficient heating appliances in your home — but like any mechanical system, it performs best with routine maintenance.
At Phillips Hydronics, our maintenance visits are designed to improve reliability, efficiency, and safety while helping identify small issues before they become expensive repairs.
Why Annual Boiler Maintenance Matters
Routine maintenance can help:
- Improve operating efficiency
- Reduce unexpected breakdowns
- Extend equipment life
- Verify safe combustion
- Ensure proper venting
- Identify worn components before they fail
- Keep your heating system operating at peak performance
Many manufacturers also recommend regular maintenance as part of normal ownership.
What We Inspect
Every system is different, but a typical maintenance visit may include inspection of:
Boiler
- Heat exchanger condition
- Burner assembly
- Ignition system
- Flame sensing components
- Condensate trap and drain
- Venting system
- Air intake
- Gas piping
- Safety controls
Hydronic System
- Expansion tank
- Air eliminator
- System pressure
- Circulators
- Isolation valves
- Pressure relief valve
- System leaks
- Water quality
- Glycol concentration (where applicable)
Controls
- Outdoor reset settings
- Thermostat operation
- Zone controls
- DHW priority
- Pump operation
- Error history (when available)
Combustion Analysis
One of the most important parts of professional boiler maintenance is combustion testing.
Using calibrated combustion analysis equipment, we verify that the boiler is operating within manufacturer specifications. This helps ensure:
- Safe combustion
- Proper efficiency
- Correct air-to-fuel ratio
- Reliable ignition
- Proper vent performance
A visual inspection alone cannot confirm proper combustion.
We Don't Just Clean Boilers
Many service companies focus only on cleaning. Our goal is to understand how the entire hydronic system is performing. That includes evaluating:
- Flow
- Pressure
- Air removal
- Pump operation
- Control strategy
- Overall system performance
Because the boiler is only one part of a properly functioning hydronic system.
Recommended Maintenance Frequency
Most residential boilers should be professionally inspected once each year, ideally before the heating season begins.
Homes with snow melt systems, multiple heating zones, or glycol systems may benefit from additional inspections depending on system complexity and operating conditions.
Schedule Preventative Maintenance
Preventative maintenance is almost always less expensive — and less disruptive — than an emergency repair in the middle of winter.
If your boiler hasn't been professionally serviced within the past year, we'd be happy to help.
Service for systems we didn't install
You don't have to be an existing customer. We service and troubleshoot hydronic systems throughout Utah no matter who installed them — including older or poorly designed systems that need to be diagnosed, corrected, or modernized. If a previous installer left you with a system that never worked right, we can often re-engineer the problem areas rather than starting over.
Frequently asked questions
How often should a boiler be maintained?
Most residential boilers should be professionally inspected once each year, ideally before the heating season begins. Homes with snow melt systems, multiple heating zones, or glycol systems may benefit from additional inspections.
Why does system design matter so much?
Because comfort and efficiency are designed in, not added later. A correctly sized boiler, properly zoned loops, and balanced distribution mean even heat and low bills. An undersized, oversized, or poorly zoned system never quite works no matter how good the equipment is.
Will you service a system another company installed?
Yes. We service, troubleshoot, and re-engineer hydronic systems across Utah regardless of who installed them, including older systems that need to be corrected or modernized.
What does a maintenance visit include?
A typical visit includes inspection of the heat exchanger, burner, ignition, venting, condensate, gas piping, safety controls, expansion tank, circulators, system pressure, water quality, controls, and a calibrated combustion analysis. We tailor it to your specific system.
Why is combustion analysis important?
Combustion testing verifies safe combustion, proper efficiency, correct air-to-fuel ratio, reliable ignition, and proper vent performance. A visual inspection alone cannot confirm these — calibrated equipment is required.