Veteran-Owned · MA Master Plumber PL17071-M · 24/7 No-Heat Service

Hanson has no meaningful natural gas service, which removes the option most South Shore towns default to. That is not a disadvantage — it just means the real decision here is between a new oil or propane system and going electric with a cold-climate heat pump. We will give you both sets of numbers instead of steering you.

Two real options, honestly compared

Replace like for like. A high-efficiency oil boiler or propane furnace is the lower up-front cost and the familiar choice. If your existing distribution is good and you are not planning to stay long, it is often the right call. We install Laars, Lochinvar, Navien and Viessmann hydronics and pipe them properly, which matters more for longevity than the badge on the front.

Go electric. Hanson is on an investor-owned utility, so the full Mass Save incentives apply — and a house currently paying for delivered oil or propane is the exact scenario those incentives were built for. Between the rebates and the fuel cost difference, this is the strongest heat pump case in our service area. Run your own numbers with the rebate calculator.

And a third answer we give often: repair it. A boiler in its teens with a bad circulator or zone valve is a repair, not a replacement, and we would rather fix it now and earn the replacement when it is genuinely time.

Propane specifics

A lot of Hanson runs on propane, which brings its own considerations — tank ownership versus lease, whether your supplier holds you to their equipment, and gas piping that has to be permitted and pressure tested like any other fuel gas work. We do the piping under a Massachusetts Master Plumber license, permitted and inspected. If you are locked into a supplier arrangement you are unhappy with, that is worth factoring into the electric-versus-fuel decision.

Converted camps heat unevenly

Pond-area homes that grew from seasonal camps often have heat that was added a room at a time — one oversized zone, an addition on electric baseboard, and a thermostat in the worst possible location. Before quoting equipment we look at how heat actually moves through the house, because a bigger boiler will not fix a distribution problem. Sometimes the fix is zoning and controls, not a new appliance.

What we handle in Hanson

• Heating repair and no-heat service — oil, propane and heat pumps, 24/7.
• Boiler repair and service — circulators, zone valves, leaks, kettling and controls.
• Boiler replacement and furnace replacement — sized to a heat loss calculation, not to the old nameplate.
• Annual maintenance — combustion testing and safety checks, which matter more on oil than anything else you can do.
• Heat pump conversions with Mass Save incentives processed up front.
• Propane piping — permitted, pressure tested and inspected.

Hanson questions we hear

Will a heat pump really work with no gas backup? Yes — properly sized cold-climate equipment carries the house through a New England winter, and thousands of Massachusetts homes now run heat-pump-only. The systems that disappoint people were undersized or badly commissioned. Our owner’s guide explains how they are meant to be operated.

What happens to my oil tank if I switch? We handle removal as part of the project. An abandoned tank is a liability you do not want to leave in a basement or a yard.

My oil boiler is 30 years old and runs fine — why replace it? Because it will not fail in October. It will fail at 2am in January, and you will make a rushed five-figure decision on the worst possible night. Planning it in the fall costs the same money and gets you a better outcome.

---

Also in Hanson: plumbing · cooling and heat pumps · all Hanson services

Heating nearby: Pembroke · Halifax · Hanover · Duxbury

3R Plumbing & Mechanical LLC · 77 Accord Park Drive, Suite D6, Norwell, MA · MA Master Plumber PL17071-M