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Joseph C Sand

Joseph C Sand

Plumbing Service
292 Church St, San Francisco, CA 94114

Description


Specializing in: - Water Heaters - Plumbers - Building Contractors-Commercial & Industrial - Plumbing Contractors-Commercial & Industrial

HISTORY


Established in 1895.
Sand plumbing was establised by my great grandfather. We were located on lower market near 3rd street. In 1906 the fire after the earthquake destroyed the building we used, so Sand plumbing was relocated to Hyde Street. To what I think might have been his home at the time. He soon passed away, my grandfather and my great grandmother took over the business. Some time in the 20's my great uncle Henry Sand started working as a plumber after having a brief carrer in major league baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Orioles. He was blacked balled from baseball for turning in people who were associated with the scandal back then. In the 30's we located to 15th and church, and still are today. In the fifties my dad and uncle became plumbers up until the late 90's where they retired and became happy retirees. I started plumbing in 1983, the year my grandfather passed away at 83. He came in everyday up to the end. I have almost 30 years of experience and intend to keep this rolling.

ABOUT BUSINESS OWNER


I was born at Childrens Hospital in San Francisco in 1963. My family moved from  San Francisco to San Bruno after I was born until I was 2 and then moved to Millbrae where I grew up. I have an older sister and a nephew and niece who are now in college. My parents still live in the house I grew up, and I purchased a house in San Bruno where I live today. I am married and have a 14 year old boy who is now in high school and twin boy and girl who are in middle school. Family is everything.

Reviews


Todd S.
Todd S.
3/21/2016
Amazing service. We had a problem with our kitchen sink and had recurring leaks over the past few years.  Several different plumbers have fixed this none have apparently done a complete job...which leads me to today.

I called at 9am and Bob said he'd come by at 2pm. He actually showed up early, assessed the problem and quickly finished the work.  He was communicative, willing to show me what he did and even helped with an unrelated problem while he was here.

I can't say that this fix will pass the test of time, but in looking at the quality of the work today, I'd guess it was last longer than all the other fixes!

Organic Or Non Gmo T.
Organic Or Non Gmo T.
11/28/2022
Bob is the only guy who seems to be working and no other helper so therefore if ANY job is too big like crawling in the crawl space to replace old pipes then he will not do it. This type of job is too big for him especially if you need a second opinion from him so do not tell him that or else he wont reply to your messages and straight up ignore you. Maybe he is a great guy but at least reply back lol.

Transgender E.
Transgender E.
03/10/2022 12:00:00 SA
Fantastic plumber. Great guy. Super nice, super fair pricing. Zero complaints.

Hiroshi F.
Hiroshi F.
08/11/2021 12:00:00 SA
Honest and reasonable pricing.  Fast and efficient work. My favorite plumber recently retired, and I didn't think  I would find someone as good. I am extremely happy with Bob and his work.

Bessie L.
Bessie L.
2/24/2022
Bob responded to our concern quickly and showed up on time to complete the job. Very happy with service and would recommend to friends. Keeping his number in my address book.

Mario H.
Mario H.
12/07/2020 12:00:00 SA
Bob Sand from Joseph C Sand Plumbing, very easy to work with, very professional. Explained my toilet leak issue, not only did he inspect mine but my upstair unit too. He repaired the leak with the replacement of the inlet hose. This is the second time I had Bob repair my plumbing issue. The Best!!!

Linda R.
Linda R.
5/22/2020
Mr. Sands has come to our apartment building many times over the year, providing excellent work and fabulous customer service.    He is prompt quick and very very reliable!

Martina P.
Martina P.
6/27/2019
Bob from Joseph C Sand is responsive, honest, hard working, and very good at his job. John goes the extra mile to make things right. When I call or write to him, he answered right away.
I had a plumbing problem that needed urgent assistance.  
Bob promptly assessed the problem and fixed it expeditiously.
Thanks again Bob.

Alan W.
Alan W.
12/16/2019
Bob has been our plumber for many years, and always shows up and does the job right. I confirm the other 5 star reviews that he has received.

Yasi S.
Yasi S.
12/24/2011
?

After reading all the positive reviews on yelp, I thought I'd give them a try.

I left a vm midday: I got a call back by the end of the day, confirming my requested time:2 days later for a drippy kitchen sink.

Confirmed date & time comes: nothing. I had already taken time off to have PGE come out for another issue, so I wasn't too stressed. But when I didn't get a return call or anything within 4 hours of our scheduled service call, I was bummed.

I left a message for him at 45 mins late.

Then I left another message for him 5 hours later, requesting a rescheduled appointment.

nothing.

Now, days later, no courtesy: Sorry I messed up, let's reschedule call.

Bizarre.

tracy J.
tracy J.
3/28/2011
*** I am upgrading Bob to the full five starts.  I had him out for more plumbing issues and well he earned it. ** June 2011

Previous message: Pretty happy with my Joseph C Sand plumbing experience.  Worked with Bob Sand - Seemed like a fair guy.  Gave me a fair quote, told me he thought that we didn't need the more aggressive and expensive fix that I was quoted by another plumber. AND so far so good!  I would TOTALLY call Joseph C Sand Co. again.

Its hard to find a someone you think is fair and that counts for a lot with me.

Emit S.
Emit S.
10/12/2010 12:00:00 SA
Finding an honest and qualified service or maintenance professional is hard to come by.  It's the one thing I count on Yelp helping me find.  

My gas fireplace stopped working.  And Bob Sand came through to fix it.  He was thorough in his analysis (and presentation of options), worked efficiently to fix the problem (w/o unnecessary add-ons or up-sells), and gave a really reasonable rate.  

Five stars.

Quyen N.
Quyen N.
08/09/2011 12:00:00 SA
I lived in a flat for 7 years with a toilet that clogged a couple of times a month. I got a new toilet, same problem. After I moved out, some friends moved in and the toilet clogged at least once a week. We all became expert plungers. We had numerous plumbers come out to snake the toilet over the years.

Finally, I called Bob and he was the only person in 9 years that fixed the toilet. I've been back in the flat for 3 months and not a single clogged toilet! He's done other jobs for me like installing a dishwasher, fixing leaky sinks, etc, but I am most impressed that it took him 20 minutes to fix a problem that that no one else bothered to figure out.

He's honest, efficient and I highly recommend his work.

Sean C.
Sean C.
07/08/2011 12:00:00 SA
I found Joseph C Sand Company because of the high reviews and used his services a few months ago.  We called him to clear a very slow shower drain that became completely blocked once I tried to clear it myself.

I made an appointment for the next day, since I didn't consider this an emergency and we had another shower to use in the meantime.  Bob was courteous and punctual and had the drain cleared in short order.

Unfortunately, two days later, the shower drain blocked again.  I called Bob to ask him to return to re-clear the drain.  He was there punctually again and cleared my drain again (at no additional charge) and it has stayed clear since.

I found Bob to be extremely competent and his rate seemed reasonable.

Tonya M.
Tonya M.
3/13/2012
Joseph C Sand Company does sub-par work, and patently unprofessional.
The plummer managed to leave my sink worse off after working on it, and over-charged me for the privilege.

Joseph Sand never corrected the problem (he didn't even return my calls).
Save yourself a real headache: go elsewhere.

Mark D.
Mark D.
9/14/2015
The service could not have been better. Bob is a great texter/communicator and the quality of his work and prices could not be beat. I am more than satisfied and would not hesitate to recommend him.

mickey M.
mickey M.
07/01/2011 12:00:00 SA
For decades the property owner in my rental has been using Bob for all the plumbing needs in our building.  He has always been prompt and has done a good job in a short period of time.  If he needs additional parts, he gets them and returns quickly.  He is polite and clear in his communication.  I often know what the bill was and it has been very reasonable.  He does not leave a terrible mess either, which is nice.

The property owner usually tries to pass the plumbing costs on to me, saying it was my fault.  Due to this, I make a point of asking Bob if I have done anything to cause the problem, and except for one time when there was a hair issue due to no catch in the drain, our use has had no impact on the problems.  I have told him why I ask this question and since I am not the one paying him, it would not have surprised me if he hedged his answer.  He never does though.  This causes me to believe that in addition to doing good work at good prices, he values his own word over the dollar, making him highly credible.

R R.
R R.
05/04/2016 12:00:00 SA
I can never get this guy to call me back.  My husband insists on soliciting this company because of previous history but I can never get return phone calls in a timely manner.  I'm glad plumbers are busy in San Francisco but a voicemail that warns customers that there may be a lag of several days in return calls. would be appreciated.

Miguel T.
Miguel T.
4/13/2011
Bob has been our buildings plumber for years now and I can't think of using anyone else. This guy is the real deal. I say no more.

Patrick B.
Patrick B.
2/26/2010
One of the properties I manage has twenty-three sinks, two of which began overflowing into the second-floor roof one day.  One plumbing company came and told us we had to address the pipes on the outside of our building before the problem would be solved.  Instead, Bob Sands showed up the next day and had the problem solved in a half hour.  He arrived on time, finished quickly, and called to give me the appropriate update.  Five stars.  We'll be using him in the future.

Judy G.
Judy G.
07/10/2016 12:00:00 SA
We have called him several times.  Each time he completely solved our problems and did it for a reasonable cost.  He communicates well and has returned calls promptly when we call (except on the weekend which is reasonable).  Highly recommend him.

Christine H.
Christine H.
9/24/2009
A couple of months ago we had a small gas leak in our living room fireplace, it was an old valve that we had been told had been capped.  Well, it wasn't and it had a small leak that was noticeable.  We called PG&E, but they never came by.  Bob Sands was recommended to us by another plumber who wasn't able to come out to us.  Bob showed up early the next morning, and fixed the leak with minimal disruption to our wall and day.  His rate was more than reasonable.  He was a great plumber if you ever need one.

Brian M.
Brian M.
11/12/2011 12:00:00 SA
We found Bob Sand when we moved into the neighborhood ...years ago. Every time we've called we've had prompt, reliable, high quality and reasonably priced service. It's a few years since we needed plumbing help, but when we do Joseph C Sand ( and Bob) will be at the top of our list.

Brandulfr H.
Brandulfr H.
7/20/2016
I have known Joe Sand and son Bob for over twenty years as a renter in a large apartment building.  He has come to fix my two year Thanksgiving sink clog and other building plumbing problems and is always fast and thorough.  Bob has taken over and is as great as his dad so feel safe and sane with a phone call to this go to plumber in San Francisco.

Howard N.
Howard N.
02/11/2011 12:00:00 SA
This company has been in business for 115 years.  I wonder why ...

Okay, I actually have a couple of observations.  As far as I can tell, it's a one-man operation:  his whole business depends on his reputation.  His reputation is very, VERY good.

I hired Bob for the first time recently.  I had saved up a few problems that were beginning to become too annoying to ignore.  Not only did he address all the problems I asked him too, he addressed a couple more.  I was in a different room so I didn't even know.  When was the last time you hired someone who did MORE than you asked?  And didn't charge extra?  Actually, I know the answer: sometime in the 1950s.

Timothy A.
Timothy A.
11/02/2011 12:00:00 SA
I searched Yelp for a plumber, found Mr. Sand and contacted him to install an earthquake gas shut-off valve.  He responded promptly to my call, was polite, answered all my questions thoroughly, quoted a fair price and installed the valve as promised on the agreed-upon day.  

When I had a follow-up question a few months later -- unrelated to his work -- he called me back and told me what I needed to know.  

Can't get much better than that, I don't think!  I'll call him first if I need additional plumbing work.

Sherry V.
Sherry V.
7/15/2012
I had problems with my water heater and thought it needed to be replaced.   I called Joseph C. Sand and left a message. Bob Sand called me back soon, asked me what the problem was, and said he thought it probably just needed a repair. He repaired it for much less cost than I had anticipated - and far less cost than a new water heater.  The next day he called to make sure it was working well, as he would be out of town for a few days, and wanted to make sure it was okay.  I have never had better service, and highly recommend this company.

Laura M.
Laura M.
8/22/2014
I've used this company for over 20 years, including when Joseph himself still ran the business with two of his sons, one being Bob, who has has taken over in recent years. I take no issue with Bob's skilled work, but have been very disappointed with his lack of interest, energy, professionalism, and last time, his neglecting to answer my calls regarding a very clogged drain in my bathtub with standing water.
I called on a Monday to schedule a visit for any day that week but Thursday. He called back Monday eve saying to call him again. And I did, repeatedly, for 5 more days. No response. I asked in my messages if he was unable to schedule a visit this week to please let me know as soon as possible so I could resolve this disgusting, dirty, germy situation and be able to use my shower and bath again. NO RESPONSE at all.
I now read the reviews and see he has pulled this with other jobs. I think he is very low energy and is simply burnt out. Doersn;t seem to care about his customers, even myself, after 20 years of using only his business and having referred hom to numerous others.I called 4 of the people I referred his busoness, to, and one of them was horribly disappointed with his poor work and very high charge for what was less than 15 minutes on the job. She has since gotten a new plumber, as will the other three after hearing our tales.
It is too bad that he seems to care so little for long term customers. He could have at least shown the courtesy to return my call, especially since I described in detail the situation and need for immediate attention.
I miss his father, a much more professional demeanor and prompt responses. But this kind of behavior and lack of accountability will not fly.
Find yourself another more responsible and energetic plumber.

Sari S.
Sari S.
4/15/2013
All the units in our condo complex had to be brought up to code and some repairs had to be made to the plumbing. Joseph C Sand Co did the work and very well. Professional and efficient service.

Barbara M.
Barbara M.
8/13/2010
Bob has been my plumber for 16 years and he is the best. Honest, reliable, fast, reasonable. I almost hate to recommend him out of selfishness. You cannot find better.

S B.
S B.
6/20/2011
We are a property management company and ONLY use Bob Sand for our plumbing needs.  We have NEVER been disappointed.  I believe our company used them when his dad was there so it's been a LOOOOOONG time.  He is fair, honest, reliable and my favorite - ON TIME!

Daniel S.
Daniel S.
7/19/2010
My shower drain got the stops.  A little DIY (OK, a lot) improved it from no flow to extremely slow flow.  Still couldn't take a shower.  Called for help.  Bob came over in an hour (if he is this free, we aren't giving him enough business.  Then again, it is great to get someone on the same day, so don't everyone call).  He worked on it for about an hour (I don't feel so DIY-challenged) because my pipes are old and have tight bends.  Got it all running, then cleaned up.  Guess who I am calling again.

ryan h.
ryan h.
11/01/2012 12:00:00 SA
Bob returned my call within 30 minutes and was on our doorstep within another 10!  He was professional, friendly, and efficient and our leaky sink is a thing of the past!

Karen S.
Karen S.
05/01/2014 12:00:00 SA
I own several properties and have to say plumbers are the worst. My experience with Jos. C Sands plumbing spans 14 years. First time I called it was to replace a water heater, and he was $100 under other quotes. (That heater still going strong). So I called him when a tenants water heater went out. Me Please come out and replace my water heater He fixed the thing for some $2 part and it is also still going! THE VAST MAJORITY of plumbers would have put in a new water heater and charged me thru the nose to do it. I blew a wax gasket plunging and he removed the toilet, snaked the line, reset toilet with new wax and cleaned up in under an hour. I had the wax ring so it was his hourly minimum. I had several quotes for 3x that. Sometimes my husband uses another cheaper by the hour handyman and that guy is running back and forth to get the right parts. In the end he takes so long he costs us more than if we had called Sands in the first place. My husband has told me Sands didn't return his phone call, but from my point of view they still get all 5 stars.  I have so many plumber nightmare stories, I wish I could get Sands to travel out of town when I need a plumber at my other place.

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