HVAC & Heating in Kingston, NY

Kingston heats with radiators. Much of the city was plumbed for cast iron and a boiler rather than ductwork, which changes what a heating upgrade actually looks like here compared with a house built in 1985.

Replacing a boiler without ripping out the radiators

Cast iron radiators are one of the best heat emitters ever made, and there's no reason to remove them. When the boiler behind them fails, a modern high-efficiency unit can usually feed the same radiators at lower water temperature, provided the system is balanced and the near-boiler piping is right. Done properly, that's a comfort gain and a fuel saving without touching the rooms.

Cooling a house that was never ducted

Pre-war Kingston homes generally have no ductwork and no space to hide it without boxing out ceilings. That's why ductless mini-splits are usually the best fit: one head per zone, a line set on an exterior wall, and no demolition. If a house does have ducts, we'll tell you, but we won't sell you a ducted system that means tearing up a century-old plaster job to install.

What's different about homes in Kingston

• Much of Kingston's housing stock dates to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, especially in Midtown and along the Rondout.
• The Stockade is the site of the original 1658 Dutch settlement and holds some of the state's oldest continuously occupied homes.
• City water comes from a protected Catskill watershed, so the supply is soft surface water, but aging interior plumbing still causes trouble.
• Uptown, Midtown, and the Rondout sit at different elevations, so water pressure and drainage behave differently block to block.
• Frost depth in the mid-Hudson Valley runs roughly 42 to 48 inches, deep enough to reach buried water and sewer lines.
• Many older homes still heat with cast-iron radiators and older boilers rather than modern forced-air systems.

Areas we cover: Uptown / Stockade Midtown Rondout Ponckhockie Wilbur East Kingston Eddyville Sawkill Town of Kingston Kingston Waterfront