Guides by Lois Cavanaugh
Heating and cooling answers for Philadelphia homes
Read it before the tech gets there. Short, practical guides on the problems we see most in older rowhomes and South Jersey houses, from banging steam pipes to a top floor that will not cool.
Updated October 2026
What these guides are for
Most of the questions we get on the phone have a useful first answer that does not need a visit: what to check when the heat stops, why a radiator stays cold, whether an older AC is worth fixing. These guides write those answers down.
They are written for the houses we work in, which means a lot of steam and hot-water heat, flat roofs over hot top floors, and basements that were never planned for modern equipment. When a guide reaches the point where a technician is the safer choice, it says so.
Heating
Heating guides
Steam or Hot Water Heat: Which Does Your House Have?
How to tell steam heat from hot water by looking at the boiler, the radiators and the pipes.
No Heat in Philadelphia: What to Check First
The safe checks to make when the heat stops, in order, and the point where you should call.
Do Heat Pumps Keep Up in Philadelphia Winters?
What decides whether a heat pump can heat an older Philadelphia house through winter, and what backs it up.
Cooling
Cooling guides
Why the Third Floor Stays Hot in a Philadelphia Rowhome
Why the top floor of a rowhome runs hot, what you can check, and which fixes actually work.
Repair or Replace an Older Central AC in Philadelphia
How to weigh a repair against replacement on an aging central air system, part by part.
Ductless or High-Velocity AC for a House With No Ducts
How ductless mini-splits and high-velocity systems compare for older homes that heat with radiators.
The 2025 Refrigerant Change and Your Older AC
What the 2025 refrigerant mandate means for an existing AC, leak repairs, coil swaps and replacement timing.
Around the house
Around the house guides
Water Heater Warning Signs Before It Leaks
How to read rust, rumbling, drips and pilot trouble on a tank water heater before it floods the basement.
Why Rowhome Dryer Vents Clog and How to Tell
Why long rowhome dryer vent runs clog, the warning signs, and what to clean yourself versus call about.
Choosing an HVAC Contractor in Philadelphia
The questions that separate HVAC quotes in Philadelphia: permits, load calculations, written scope and who does the work.
Lois Cavanaugh, our HVAC guides editor, writes them from the questions that come up on service calls in Philadelphia and South Jersey.
Some checks, like the thermostat, the filter and the switch, are safe for anyone. The guides say clearly where that stops and a technician should take over.
Yes. They assume the kinds of systems common in older Philadelphia homes, like steam, hot water and retrofitted ductwork, as well as newer forced-air systems.
Call. The phone is answered 24/7, and a quick question often gets a quick answer.
When something changes that affects the advice, such as refrigerant rules for new equipment, the guide is updated and the date at the top changes.
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