PHCC of Massachusetts Contractors Help Stoneham Homeowner Without Heat and Hot Water

BRAINTREE, Mass., March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Across the Baystate there are many families who struggle in silence during the winter months.  Many studies have been done on the dilemma of choosing to "heat or eat," or using the stove for household heat because the furnace went out, bundling kids up in added layers because the cost of oil is too much and it's not "that cold," living in darkness for as long as possible because the electric bill didn't make the cut this month, or just plain suffering in extreme weather.  Often, these kinds of energy concerns lead to health issues as well - chronic stress, exacerbated asthma, anxiety and depression.  The silent struggle is real. 

Unfortunately, professionals in the plumbing-heating-cooling trade see it all too often.  Many people decide that the cost of repair is too high and that since their heating system is limping past, they leave it rather than fix it.  They let the leak go, hoping it won't cause the next problem until next year, when they can save a little more or find a new rebate that will help offset some of the cost.

For a local family in Stoneham, they rolled the dice and didn't win this time.  The heating system that was barely making the house warm last year quit just as a January freeze sunk its teeth in.  As if that wasn't bad enough, their water heater sprang a leak the following day. A PHCC of Massachusetts contractor member, who is active in the Mystic Valley Chapter of the Association, was called to shut the water heater off and given an estimate of how much it would cost to replace it.  While at the house, he noticed the heat wasn't working either and asked what had happened.  The homeowner, a senior on a fixed income, told him that it had stopped working the day before and was told the heat exchanger was cracked and heater needed to be replaced. The homeowner also said she could not afford a new system. 

Understanding the dangers of an expected extreme cold winter, the contractor reached out to fellow Mystic Valley Chapter members about his customer.  A group of local contractors got together to help this woman in need:  AccuAire Inc. of Reading; Central Plumbing of Wakefield; and Unified Mechanical of Wakefield.  Ken Nielsen, who was president of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National Association in 2018-2019, was asked about the project and why he was helping - "When I heard what had happened and that it was someone one of our guys has serviced for years in need of help, I jumped in to lend a hand.  Isn't that what it's all about, helping a neighbor in need?"

Working with their local F.W. Webb distributor in Woburn, this team of independent PHCC contractors was able to pull together and donate a new water heater and furnace along with all the plumbing materials to provide heat and hot water for a customer, who was extremely grateful for the help.  On Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, the new systems were installed with the backing of PHCC of Massachusetts contractor members and the material donations of the associate members and the homeowner will be warm once more.

To learn more about this story or the solutions provided by members of the PHCC of Massachusetts Mystic Valley Master Plumbers Association Chapter, contact:

Ken Nielsen at AccuAire: 781-944-2211 www.accuaireinc.com
John Cersosimo at Central Plumbing: [email protected]
Sal DiCarlo at Unified Mechanical: [email protected]
F.W. Webb, Woburn Branch: [email protected]

The Mystic Valley Master Plumbers Association is a group of independent contractors who meet under the PHCC umbrella monthly in the area to discuss industry trends, business topics, learn new products and network with other tradesmen.  For more details on the PHCC of Massachusetts or the Mystic Valley Chapter, reach out to Executive Director Wayne Thomas, [email protected], or by phone at 781-834-8085 and follow the prompts. 

Media Contact:
Kate Tynan
617-448-6102
[email protected]

SOURCE Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors of Massachusetts