Q. We are trying to decide what to do about our boiler, which is ancient. Our plumber, whom we’ve used for years, says he won’t work with our steam system. more

Q. My house had a fire, and everything is being replaced. While doing all this, we were told that the boiler, which partially blocks our basement stairs, could be replaced with a much smaller one . . . more

With temperatures plummeting into the single digits over the weekend, the North Merrick Public Library’s 60-year old boiler gave out late Saturday, which caused a pipe to freeze and rupture on Tuesday morning, flooding the reference room with more than a half inch of water, according to Tom Witt, the library director. more

Q. I want to ask you about my boiler. You did a permit for me, and one of the things I needed was a new boiler, so I had a plumber install one a few weeks after Hurricane Sandy . . . more

Ambulances rushed one teacher and 14 students Thursday afternoon from Camp Avenue School in North Merrick to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow due to possible carbon monoxide poisoning. All 15 were evaluated at the hospital and released, according to NUMC spokeswoman Shelly Lotenberg. more

Q. We have a turn-of-the-(last)-century front-porch colonial. It needs substantial modernization, and I've found that problems that seem unrelated in fact do contribute to one another, leading to bigger costs than expected. For example, we need a new boiler, new wiring, a rebuilt chimney and insulation in the walls. Further, the house has a lead water main and a sewer line that has been penetrated by tree roots. The boiler connects to the chimney, which has never been lined and doesn’t have a rain cap. To replace the boiler, we have to line the chimney with a liner that fits the new boiler, and we have to rebuild at least part of the chimney above the roof. more