EAST DIXFIELD — Nick Santora, owner of NJS Property Services is in his second heating season in this area but has decades of experience with heating and air conditioning systems elsewhere, having started in 1980.

“My main thing is I want to help people out,” he recently told The Franklin Journal. “I once had my journeyman plumbing license, my liquid propane license [all but delivery and tank]. I did installations and service. I let them all lapse. I couldn’t drive a truck for a while.”

Santora is a 20-year retired volunteer firefighter with his last five years for Waterford. “I am a big time supporter of police and fire rescue,” he said. “I haven’t seen it all but I have seen the worst.”

While in New Jersey Santora also had asbestos, lead and stationary engineer high pressure boiler licenses. He currently has master oil burner and home inspector licenses.

Santora said he has no set hours, is available 24/7 and will take emergency calls. He will work within a 35 mile radius.

He also performs camp openings and closings to winterize them. “I do all the jobs nobody else wants to do,” he noted. “If something is out of my realm or licensing, I do have guys that I fall back on. They are all local people.”

Santora uses a licensed electrician in Wilton and a licensed plumber in Farmington.

Previously Santora worked for ServiceMasters Industries, which is no longer in business. “I used to manage hospital power plants, maintenance departments for 300 bed hospitals when in New Jersey,” he noted.

Big companies in the area are very good at what they do, Santora said. “You want somebody who is not just going to come in, bang you for a part and then leave,” he stated. “I have gone on too many service calls where I can’t believe how the company has left the boiler or heating system.”

Santora said he cares about the concerns of the homeowner, is not looking to get rich.

When asked, he said he got into this line of work “because No. 1 the demand and there is so much of it out there that a person can make  great living. Mainly, I just want to pay my bills. I am retired.”

Santora knows how tough some people’s financial situations can be, he doesn’t always get paid the day he does a job. If parts are not too expensive he will consider payment arrangements. “I am for the people,” he noted. “I don’t want to see anybody get hurt, be cold.”

When asked for tips to make heating systems work better or be more efficient Santora said, “Every annual inspection, service call you have got to have your nozzle, filter and strainer efficiency test taken. If you have been having issues where you have to hit the reset button every other month, you have got a problem because that is going to soot you up bad.”

With an eighth of an inch of soot 20% of the boiler’s efficiency is lost, Santora said. More oil is used and the home doesn’t heat up, he noted.

“Your boiler no matter what only gives 80% when tuned up perfectly so you are down to 60%,” Santora stated. “It doesn’t take much to soot up a boiler.”

“I just want to make sure the homeowner is getting a fair deal,” Santora added.

For more information call Santora at 207-461-5836.