L J Kruse

I am writing this review on behalf of my father who had a broken water boiler heater in his church mission home.  This heater is over 50 years old and I had a really hard time finding a service company that is able to fix the old heater.  I am so happy to find LJ Kruse who could actually service it.  The service tech Dave came in prepared with every tools and replacement parts in his company truck.  He was able to identify the issues with the heater and replaced some necessary parts.  Dave was honest, kind and professional and he was able to get the old heater running.  Now the tenants and church members in the mission home are all happy that the rooms are warm during the cold winter!

If this company can fix an old school heater like what my father had, they can definitely fix any of your heating problems.

Our furnace stopped working and we called Kruse (on the recommendation of another vendor!).  The technician advised that the furnace was too old to be repaired and the faulty part was no longer manufactured.  He advised replacing the furnace.  I was charged $184 for this visit/advice.

There are two problems with this situation:
1.  I called another vendor to get a second opinion and that vendor not only was able to source the part, but was able to fix the furnace and it is now functioning perfectly.  The cost to me was $200 total.  
2.  The quote which Kruse provided to replace the furnace was almost $5000 for the one furnace.  When I looked up the materials online, it was less than $1000.  This means that Kruse was quoting $4000 for labor.

I will not recommend this company due to the poor service, incorrect information, inflated bid, waste of my $184, and general incompetence.

Cannot recommend these folks enough. Greg was extremely communicative and helpful throughout the process of our boiler replacement (no small job!). He and the rest of the company handled everything smoothly and promptly, and they charged us very fairly. The estimates were clear and everything was explained to us in detail, and we asked a lot of questions! The work was done swiftly, and when something happened that was beyond their control, they were on it immediately and totally resolved the issue.

We will definitely be working with LJ Kruze again--they're the real deal!

We have been very happy with L.J. Kruse .... I work for a church in Oakland, and we have had many different issues in which we needed a plumbing company.  First we had several gas leaks both below and above ground.  They figured out where they were and fixed all of them.  Our water bill was extremely high, and L.J. Kruse determined we had over 14 toilets with leaks, they fixed all of them.  We have had them fix and replace garbage disposals and faucet leaks.  Also, they replaced waste lines under our rectory.  In addition to all of that, they also have replaced wall heaters for us and a gas furnace.  

Every person that they have sent to us has been extremely professional, and just great to work with during all of these different types of issues.  At first I was going to name names; however they are all great, so I don't want to leave anyone out!  

Finally, I have been so happy with their services at my place of work, that I have now just used them at my home .... again the service was excellent!  

I would completely recommend this company for all plumbing needs.

In my professional life ( HOA property manager) We always have plumbing issues somewhere. Kruse has been instrumental at one particular property and so helpful when situations happen. The office staff is great and so are the techs that go on site to resolve issues for my homeowners.

Only four stars because the first guy that came around did not correctly diagnose the problem with my wall gas heater: the whole thing needed to be replaced, not just the thermostat. But Jim, the second tech with 29 years experience, did. He came on a Saturday and gave me a thorough explanation that had as much to do with my own safety as comfort.

Overall, this seems like a well-run company with excellent customer service. Melinda is nice and competent and will call you and let you know when their people are going to show up.

Note: I am a renter, so I can't say whether $175 for a service call or $2k to replace the heater is reasonable or not.

We've been LJ Kruse customers for 40 years, and have been consistently happy with the quality of their work and their customer service.  Emergencies - they have come through for us every time, including this week.  We have one of those old original boilers in our 1920s house and love it for the clean radiant heat it gives, even though it is expensive.  

LJ Kruse has two technicians who know how to work on these boilers, and they are both great.  When something happens - pilot light or thermocouple, as happened this week - someone comes right away.  They are busy, but somehow found a way to squeeze us in.  We were so happy to get our heat back yesterday - much appreciated!

Fantastic customer service.  I talked to owner Will Kruse this time and, he is just so very nice.  Margie in the office too - so nice to talk to her!  

Highly recommended!

LJ Kruse has been our contractor of choice since 2007 for core and shell work, Tenant Improvement Projects and our annual Back-Flow testing services.   LJ Kruse offers fast and efficient service along with competitive pricing.  LJ Kruse is by far the best Plumbing outfit in the Bay Area.  Janell and Dave have always provided helpful and quick responses to all of our questions, service requests and requests for proposals.

I have been an LJ Kruse Company customer for almost 8 years.  I have stuck with them because they are good, they are dependable, and they stand by their work.

They have replaced my furnace, installed a toilet, installed a seismic gas shutoff valve, and diagnosed and fixed various plumbing problems I have had.  In all cases, I have been happy with their work.
Most recently, I had them come by the house when I had a plumbing backflow issue.   I called them at 8:15 am to report my plumbing emergency and they dispatched a technician to my house by 10 am.  Jeremy immediately diagnosed the issue (tree root balls) and had all the equipment in his truck to get the issue fixed.

Also, this past year, my old furnace died just before Thanksgiving.  I really needed a new furnace installed in a short time window (before Thanksgiving day).  Kruse immediately dispatched an estimator.  They gave me a quote that was reasonable and had my furnace installed on the day before Thanksgiving.  This was no easy feat since they were out of stock on the furnace that I wanted.  They went out of their way to locate one in San Jose and shipped it down immediately.  They dispatched their technician Joel who worked all day to get the furnace installed (on Thanksgiving eve when most people don't work past noon).  I really appreciated Joel's effort and dedication on this one!  I had heat for Thanksgiving dinner!

Finally, in addition to having great technicians in the field, their back office is great.  I have alway found that their scheduling and dispatcher are friendly and accomodating.  
I have never had any billing issues with Kruse.  The bills are done accurately and timely.  I especially appreciated their help with the paperwork for my furnace.  they provided all the documentation I needed to get my Federal tax credit, PG&E rebate, and union rebate.
I had a similar experience a few years back when they installed a new toilet and they provided all the paperwork I needed to get my EBMUD rebate.
The only knock on these guys is that they are not cheap.  Their billing rates are standard market rates for union technicians.  In my books, however, they're worth it.  They get the job done right everytime.   I  highly recommend them for plumbing and HVAC work.

We had a new boiler installed in our old house.  LJ Kruse did a very neat job of installing the equipment and organizing the pipe work.  Clean installation and excellent service.

We have used Kruse plumbing extensively for minor and major plumbing for a rental property in the El Cerrito Hills.  Every technician that has serviced our needs have been extremely knowledgeable and friendly.  They really enjoy their work.  Our last experience, the 30 year + hot water and heater combo unit had gone out.  We expected to hear that we would need to replace the entire unit.  Instead, oil and cleaning, and we are up and running.  Greg, one of the principals at Kruse plumbing, is my go to guy!  He has a great memory and his knowledge and integrity is the combination a layman could only hope for.

We have a wonderful 1933 older home with original plumbing that needed a sink replacement with a modern vanity. Thanks to Jeremy with LJ Kruse Company we were able to navigate a very complicated removal and retrofit situation. Jeremy anticipated all angles of the project and we talked about the pros and possible cons of each step.
I felt informed and consulted all along the way. The outcome is terrific.

I hired LJ Kruse to help with plumbing work on my new house because the guys who came out to provide quotes were so punctual, professional, and conscientious.  But when it actually came to doing the work, the guy who came out was just okay.  He charged A LOT ($170 per hour, which he rounded up to the next full hour, and to which he tacked on his travel time to my house), he wasn't particularly speedy, and he could have done a better job anticipating problems I would have after he left and doing little things to avoid damage to the floors, walls, and brand new appliances in my beautiful new house.  I don't plan to hire them again.

I have a special heater and Kruse is the only company in the area who knows how to work on it.   They came out to fix it, were pleasant but expensive, refused to give me the warrenty, and did unauthorized work, which made it impossible for me to change the filter.  I asked them to undo the unauthorized work when I later found I could not access the filter.  They would come again only if I would pay them for another service call.
  Also, when I called to set up an appointment, on a Wednesday, they told me to call back on Saturday.  I called Saturday and they were closed for the holiday weekend.  I called on Monday and they gave me nothing but hassles and were rude to boot.  
  They take advantage of the fact that they are the only servicer of my special heater in the area.  I got a friend to undo their work.

Whenever I have plumbing issues that I cant fix myself at work, I call on LJ Kruse. They are very professional and all of their plumbers are very experienced and good at what they do. The turn around time is usually pretty fast.

Had Joe out this morning to take a look at our water heater and other appliances in our old apartment, make sure nothing was out of sorts. He was super friendly, showed up shortly after the start of the window we were given, taught us a lot, and could not have been more gracious and knowledgeable.

I'm taking a star off my review, though, because the ultimate cost of our service call included travel time, which was not mentioned to us upfront. All in all, these guys are great, and certainly more professional than other options offered in the Bay Area.

Last year they worked on our central AC system. It cost over $1,000 for the labor but I was happy to have it working again. I have a health condition which makes me sensitive to heat so AC is a necessity for me. Early last week we had problems again and they were scheduled to come on Friday. Friday morning they called to cancel; apparently their only employee that could repair our AC had an emergency. He was able to come today (Monday). After 2 hours ($408) he said there was nothing he could do; they discontinued servicing Carrier AC systems. WTF? Last year we had the same system! Why come to our house and not tell us this news beforehand? I regret we paid...so my only recourse now is to share my experience with others.

August 28th edit: I appreciate that Kruse management checks Yelp reviews and wants to repair customer relationships. The situation has been handled appropriately now but it's unfortunate that the technician was not able to communicate the variety of options available to us. We were successful in finding another company and they are currently doing the work. Kruse was able to refund me so I am satisfied. As I originally said, they did good work last year.

DO NOT USE this firm. We have an inspection at 11:30AM on Nov 4th. Manager Margie phoned me at my work at 3PM same day (Nov 4th) demanding a credit card numbers when I have my clients sitting in front of me. I asked her if it is okay to wait till I get home and communicate with my husband. This Margie starts to speak offensively.

We have no intention not paying what we owe( I believe is less than $160). Can you at least let me chat with my husband before a charge go through on our credit card? It seems our hot water boiler needs to be replaced. We will not use L J Kruse after this intense confrontation over a small bill. We will certainly mail out the check before Monday and run as far as we can. Mission accomplish Margie! You successful scare away a $2150 work assignment.

The property management company I work for just used Kruse Plumbing for a sewer problem we were having at one of our properties.  I found the office dispatch workers to be helpful and responsive and the plumbers did a great job.  I recommend them and will use them again in the future.

I run a very old commercial building in Berkeley, and we have used Kruse exclusively for all of our plumbing needs for many years. They are so awesome! In projects both big and small, they always provide professional and excellent service. From fixing leaking faucets to making emergency repairs to large pipes that spontaneously cracked open, they will take care of it.

Ramon just finished with the guts of our ancient kitchen sink.  He was efficient, friendly, and fast.  Great guy, great service.  
Oh, and we called at 2:00, Ramon was available, and we were done at 3:45.  Time to cook dinner.

Sean came by and found a way to get electrical to the roof.  He's smart and was the only one to find this solution of any of the bidders who looked at the job in a multi-story building.  However, I asked for two bids, got one and still waiting for the other after three weeks and a follow up.  No responses.   Because he spent the time to find a path I'm a fan of Sean.  But not the way bids it's processed.

This company has great customer service. The technician who came to repair a heating system systematically tested the electrical connections. That led him to the source of the problem. He wasn't familiar with the particular heater but he understood the way it worked. That's what I like to see.

He was able to fix it and even installed a new thermostat I bought. Again, he'd never worked with that brand of thermostat but he installed it quickly. It would have taken me days to figure out how to install that.

The service is very expensive but I didn't care this time. It was the coldest time of the year. No one wants to go without heat. Not many companies are willing to work on the unusual heating system we have. That made it much easier to pay the high rates.

Their tagline is a century of service.  Notice that there is nothing good about that.  We had some work done by this company to replace a sump pump.  They then charged us almost $200 per hour for work which seems extraordinarily high based on other plumbers we've worked with.  And, they charged us $270 for the sump pump.  They provided all the product info for the sump pump so we looked it up and it was $144 on Amazon.  I called them and asked for a receipt for the sump pump so we could confirm that they were not overcharging us and they said they did not provide receipts and that they charged a normal markup.  I'm not sure what kept them from charging me $1000 for this (how do they just randomly decide what a normal markup is??) and I've not seen this sort of way of managing a business where prices are haphazardly set for goods that are readily available.  We will never work with them again and would suggest that you look elsewhere if you want to be reasonably charged.

When my water went out 5 1/2 years ago, I called Kruse as they are a Berkeley institution - what a mistake!  They talked me into a Baxi Lunar which they claimed is an up-and-coming brand.  Five years later, it went out just after the warranty expired due to a diaphragm problem.  Now, 4 months after replacing the diaphragm, it has gone out again - in the middle of winter, of course.  When I called Kruse (on a Saturday), the voicemail stated that if the call was prior to 4 p.m., they would call back the same day.  You guessed it - no call back.  When I called on Monday, I was told by the Service Dept. that they close at noon on Saturdays - so why didn't the voicemail message say that (no answer about that from Kruse).  Of course, it was going to take a while to get a service person out so I went with another water heater repair service that was more responsive.  Don't ever get a Baxi as no one carries parts for it; it is a Canadian company and it takes 3-4 days to get parts.

I was very impressed with this company.  Curteous, professional, prompt and great work.  The technician was outstanding and we will use them again.  He fixed our boiler and it is working better than ever.

This company has been a life saver for us. From maintaining our elderly furnace, to fixing a leaky pipe, to finding a way to come and replace our suddenly no- functioning gas shut off with a last minute cancellation so we could turn our heat back on, this winter. They have always had our back. Fair prices. Great customer service. Highly recommend!

Justin came by and made a very thorough visit of all the improvements that needed to be made in terms of tankless heater and moving our hydronic boiler. Could not have been more thorough and competent in his assessment. Also recommended a lower cost solution than I had considered, which added to his credibility. A real pro.

Shortly after this review, I was contacted by Kruse to apologize for the poor service call. Apparently there was an internal miscommunication about the fact that this unit (and the maker) was discontinued, and the contractor on site wasn't clear about his charge.

I offered that I had asked for a service call, and that the plumber had at least shown up for that call. Kruse reimbursed the second hour of the service call. I appreciated that they apologized and were interested in making sure I was satisfied.

Called Kruse yesterday - had used them once before.  They told us we needed to be available today between 9am and noon. Took time off work to be available - no one contacted us. Noon rolls around so we called dispatch to make inquiries. They claim their plumber called our number and kept getting a busy signal. Only contact number we provided was a cell phone with voice mail.  No voice mails; no missed calls.  Someone is either lying on their end, or is too stupid to operate a telephone in this day & age, and our problem remains. After they floated the idea of a reschedule, told them, I'd prefer to share my experience on Yelp.

If you expect some minimum respect for your time, professionalism, and think it not too much for an outfit successfully to execute on their required 3-hour window, do not use Kruse.

I'm the tenant of another reviewer of this company, and my landlord had a quarrel with the price he paid for the work (which I believe is based on a misunderstanding), so I wanted to say a couple of things about this company:

1. My heater was not working and it was COOOLLLLD out; I know they were working their tails off, but they went out of their way to squeeze us in for our initial site visit as quickly as they could.

2. When Paul came out, it was clear he was a very hard worker, but he took the time to explain the issue to me, was polite and professional, and got the evaluation done quickly. Unfortunately a part was needed, so he couldn't fix it that day.

3. The part came in the day before Christmas, and Paul called my cell phone and said there weren't any appointments available for a week, but he'd be happy to come at the end of his scheduled calls and do it for me. ON CHRISTMAS EVE. Unfortunately, I was on a train and there was no one there to let him in, so we couldn't take advantage of this beyond-the-call-of-duty offer.

4. This company cares about service, and they did their job efficiently and well and, contrary to my landlord's misunderstanding, at the estimated rate and with a low mark-up.

I would call them again in a heartbeat.

The folks from LJ Kruse are 100% the most professional, knowledgeable and incredibly hardworking. Greg Stewart and his colleague David were especially outstanding. I had a 100 year old boiler in my house. They came by, removed it, spent weekends installing the new one, and Greg  got it working. They spent days made sure to get the system up to speed. I can't tell you how grateful I am for their work. I'd recommend them to anyone.

Vickie from Berkeley

We were able to get an appointment quickly and Ramon came on time. He was friendly and fixed our kitchen sink problem, and sketched out what would be involved for some other work that we are considering. As a bonus he performed a quick repair on our shower for free.

I have been a customer of L J Kruse for over 25 years.   They have replaced a 60 year old boiler,
two toilets, fixed leaking faucets and replaced drain
pipes.  All was done to the highest professionalism.
I have not have a better contractor.

We have been using LJ Kruse for our plumbing and heating repairs for over 20 years and have never been disappointed. We replaced our faucets with the Chicago brand in 1990. Although they are great, they do need maintenance now and again which is where LJ Kruse comes in. They know exactly what they're doing and even have Chicago faucet replacement parts in stock. Last week a fantastic plumber named Ramon came over and replaced the leaking stem. Ramon was knowledgeable and efficient and everything works great. Thank you LJ Kruse.

If I can do 0 Star for service, I would. This company was Referred by The Bond, but to my surprise, they have the worst customer service experience I've experienced. After numerous confirmation from my end that week (I called on Monday) that they were going to have a technician out on Friday between 7:30am thru 8:30am, not only did they send out a technician on the wrong date/time for a different problem, but after waiting the day of the actual appointment at 8:30, I had to call to the company and the service rep, Kim, said that the tech is coming in an hour!! This is after waiting an hour from 7:30-8:30am already! Then Kim said that it was Their mistake, but then gets defensive over the phone with me. I've been waiting for an hour and this rep doesn't even see the frustration of their mistake. Then it gets better...I asked to be transferred to the manager, and after talking with Christian, he defends Kim and doesn't see the problem!!! They don't know what listening means..

It's in my experience with my own business, that when you make a mistake, you OWN up to it and do what you can to salvage the relationship. After being very defensive, all Kim can offer was another Monday appointment from 7:30am-8:30am!! Also, when asked if they do Saturday calls, she says they will add an extra fee if that was to happen. Talk about conveniencing the customer for their mistake! Do I risk the chance of waiting again for another hour? I don't think so....there is no trust anymore. Bad business practice!!!

We have radiant heating. Ben, from L J Kruse, came out to inspect it for us.  Super nice, knowledgeable guy. He moved everything out of the way, then back again when he was finished and showed us how to clean out the trap. We have peace of mind now and it was well worth it.

LJ Kruse is our go-to plumbers for our business. We are a converted warehouse with 38,000 square feet, and they have tackled each plumbing issue we've had with ease, quality work, and professionalism.

Specifically, Ramon was so wonderful. He worked extremely efficiently, was very kind and communicative, and we felt great about having him in the space.

Highly recommended!

My property manager unfortunately sent a respresentative of Kruse to my rental property.  I have a go-to plumber and I was not consulted (a separate review).  The tech unclogged three drains and somehow managed to bill me for $938.82,  somehow charging for the first item  Quantity 1 - unclog blockage in bathtub drain $340. I think this is unscrupous and I can't understand how any Bay Area company could behave this way and survive.

I'd give JIm from Kruse TEN stars.  Did the job, suggested an improvement,  cleaned up, did it all in record time, and he was cheerful and efficient.  One of the best guys around.  THANKS!!

Good work, but pricey ($170/hour and they include 15 min travel time). I wish I had googled around for coupons because I found one just now for $50 off any plumbing, heating or cooling repair. And they have several more restrictive coupons on their website.

LJ Kruse rocks!  My family has been using Kruse for 50+ years on our apartment building.  They have the best customer service and are incredibly skilled both in plumbing and HVAC.  They are respectful of the tenants and do their best to accommodate their needs. Thank you for the years of service.

Very prompt and professional , also pleasant and took pride in his work..may i add very very fair price.Thank you again Joseph for awesome customer service.

The story on CBS news about what Will and his team do to give rescued animals a little love and attention by bringing a dog into their business office each week really touched my heart. Thanks for your caring and giving and helping rescued dogs a chance for a forever home.

We noticed some seeping along the joint that Mike repaired.  Ramon came over right after calling to let me know when he would arrive.  He fixed the leak right away and then noticed that the water was emptying out of the sink very slowly.  I told him that both the bathroom and kitchen sink were slow and that I had been using Drano.  He let me know that you should never use Drano in the old metal pipes, only in clay and plastic pipes.  It eats away if it stands!!!  Luckily my pipes were intact but now I have a bottle of Drano to get rid of... d'oh!  He used his snake and cleared out the kitchen pipe and fixed the bathroom pipe in no time, AND being the pro he is, he showed me how to fix it should it need it again.  There is a long plastic tool with teeth at one end and a ring at the other.  You poke it down the bathroom sink drain and grab the gunk and unplug your slow drain.  I think it will be a while before we have to call the plumber again, but when I do, you can bet it will be LJ Kruse!  Yes, they are expensive but worth every single dollar.  They stand behind their work, they are fast, clean, consummate professionals and in the case of Ramon, easy on the eyes.  Best Friday ever!

I'm very happy with the service I received! Fixing my home heating ended up being a third of what they first estimated. They always answer the phone and provide great service. I have a lot of respect for LJ Kruse and will gladly give them my 5 stars. **Margie is hilarious and great.

Are these reviews for real?

LJ Kruse charged us more than $260/hour in labor plus a $67 travel fee to fix a leak. We are local in Berkeley. They cut through sheet rock and left a gaping hole. Also they never did a water test stating the tenant wasn't home, which could have been easily coordinated.

I've never liked calling a plumber until I met the L.J. Kruse Company. Had a leaky toilet and they jumped in to fix everything quickly.

Gabe was great, he was professional and easy to work with. He explained the issue very clearly, told me how to look for issues in the future. Additionally, he even went into the kitchen to see if there were any issues and just tightened the faucet. I really appreciate him going above and beyond with something so difficult and nuanced like plumbing.

Loved supporting local businesses and unionized as well!

Thank you to Joe Perry!  He was great.  Very professional ... patiently explaining to me exactly what he was doing every step of the way.  We finally have water pressure thanks to the new faucet Joe installed.  Although there was a little snafu regarding Kruse's arrival time, they more than made up for it by sending Joe!

And Andy (the owner's son) was incredibly kind and helpful.  We spoke a few times on the phone and he couldn't have been more professional and patient.  I will definitely recommend Kruse to others with plumbing issues.

THANK YOU, KRUSE PLUMBING!!!!!!

Kelly M.

We needed the Dr. House of plumbers .. diagnose a moving target of a plumbing problem. They checked out all the usual suspects and more .. Jose R. was great in resolving a problem we had chased for months with other plumbers.

Very impressed with the response from owner Ben Kruse.  After posting the review, he did what he said, was very quick to reply and tore up the bill we were sent.  I just hope the next worker they send out is conscientious like Ben.

I would give them a ZERO if I could. They rescheduled THREE times then tried to reschedule a FOURTH! My landlady set this up. They told me EACH time they didn't have my contact number. I gave it to them EACH time!

Not only that, but the woman I talked to the last time was not apologetic about this insanity. Very cold. And then they billed my landlady $184 which she paid, not realizing what was going on. Shame on them. The worst business attitude ever. Worst business practice ever.

Christian helped me book a last minute plumber for an odd scenario for my tenants, while I'm out of state. The logistics are mind boggling. Seriously though, these guys are consummate professionals. They were fast, on-time, and nailed the issue. They were also very easy to get a hold of, talk with, ask questions, and schedule everything.

I will definitely be using them in the future for all my plumbing needs.

Ask for Ramon!  He solved my problem without spending any money and then proceeded to diagnose and fix something else I didn't even notice that was about to become a problem.  

Family owned and been in the east bay for three generations!

My boiler stopped working last night, and when I saw that the digital display was blacked out, I knew we had to call in the professionals.

I also had a 3 year old with croup (which sounds like Darth Vader dying) who had wet his bed and was shivering in the freezing house, so I called Kruse first thing in the morning begging for an appointment today.

Kim at the office did then some sort of superhuman scheduling since rain + cold is their peak season, and she wrangled a same day appointment for us.

Mike, who clearly knew his stuff, came and was like a laser, honing in on the problem and driving like the wind to Richmond and back with some obscure display part. He was in and out in under 2 hours with his initial assessment, the rush hour part purchase and the actual repair.

I can't recommend Kruse enough for any and all boiler issues.

I needed my shower valve replaced and relocated to a higher spot, due to a tub to shower renovation, plus the old valve leaked. Jeremy was sent out to do the work. The work was completed in half day. The shower valve was properly measured out and mounted.  Pipework was very clean. Jeremy was very informative, cautious, detailed oriented and wanted to be sure the install was done right. It appear he had fun also, despite the tight conditions. Overall, a little pricey, but it's good to know this done right and it won't be a worry for many many years.

This company charged me $236.70 for the same part that is listed on Amazon for $40.99. I cannot tell if this included $35.00 shipping cost for an item that weighed a few ounces but I do know that Amazon Prime members
have free shipping. I do not mind a 200% markup but this needs further investigation. I also paid $400.00 for labor and I was able to replace a similar part on another furnace in 10 minutes. Never call this company for service if others are available.

Stay Away!

These guys are terrible. They are considered a premium plumber, meaning more expensive and therefore presumably better. They did a moderate-sized job for me and were nothing but trouble. Too much of the work was done incorrectly and it took many return visits for them to get it from half-right to mostly-right. They damaged some tile work in the house far from where they we ostensibly working, then refused to fix it. When their fixtures made noise and ultimately broke down, they were nearly impossible to get back to the house to make things right. What an ordeal.

Their sales guy Steve Bergendahl was courteous and professional, until he got paid. Then he became hard to reach and difficult to rely on.

In 2011, Kruse came to fix the ignition of my heater which was slow to ignite.  Heater came on, I paid, he left and within hours--same problem.  Their next guy diagnosed a different problem, a pilot issue, fixed it by cleaning burner and electrode, charged me 223. and left.  Within hours, problem was the same.  Each technician was very nice and carefully explained the problem, but the diagnosis was wrong both times and the repair NOT EFFECTIVE so over 500. spent with nothing for it--live and learn.  Won't call again.

Excellent and professional service, estimate, and quality products. Thank you for taking on such a large project and competing the job on time.

So who do you call when a boiler blows in December? L.J. Kruse.

Willing to work with a pretty wild existing, closed water radiator system.

Even talked me into loving such heat over the dry kind provided by electric and forced-air systems as well as replaced 100 year old radiators and added an energy-efficient programmable thermostat and sensors.

LJ Kruse is the best!  I have used their services on many occasions and have always been very happy with their prompt and professional expertise. Most recently, Joe saved me when I thought I was in store for a new furnace. He came within 2 hours of my call, on a very cold and rainy day, and was able to replace the needed part within 20 minutes. I was so happy and relieved!
Thank you LJ Kruse for being my go to company for all my plumbing needs. I have your number listed as #1 for  my emergency contacts for home repair.

Ramon and Ben N. are great. I have used Kruse for over ten years--put in furnace, and many other plumbing trips between two homes. Although Kruse is higher priced, the technicians are very professional and are worth the investment. Responsive, on time, explain things well, and excellent at their trade. I always use Kruse. -- Roberta

We use LJ Kruse at our building for interior plumbing services.  Great communication from Will and their techs as well.  We have had Matt and Ben at our site for various work orders and they have been so wonderful.  On time, reliable service and they really do take the time to explain things so you understand the issues and know exactly what steps they're taking to fix it.  I don't ever feel like I'm in the dark with them.  Great team to work with!  I highly recommend.

I hired/sent a plumber from LJ kruse to fix a drain in my elderly mother's kitchen. He not only expertly fixed the drain, but since he had time left in the hour, he went around and inspected a couple of other problem areas for her.  One area he said there was no problem, but in another area we wound up fixing her toilet.  She said that toilet has never worked better now!  
In addition, he was very respectful of the house and was neat and clean.  He showed up on time and did not overcharge her.  Very satisfied with the work they did for my mom!  They were able to please my very picky elderly mom...a big plus.  Definitely recommend them.

I had a recent occasion to need some serious work done with  no notice as I had a main line sewer stoppage to my home.  It was a soft stoppage which are most difficult to clear and resulted in no sewerage going down from any of my toilets, tubs, sinks, etc and also it allows sewage to back up into the tub, etc.  I called Kruse and worked with a most efficient dispatcher (Melinda).  It was about 10:00am and they had a man out by noon the same day.  The Technician they sent out (Mike Miller) was fantastic!!  He was most competent, did superior quality work and left all areas extremely clean even through he had to remove a toilet etc.  The stoppage resulted in need to go after it via a larger machine and my house had no exterior clean out.  He broke through a concrete sidewalk to access the main line, and cleared the stoppage after much difficulty.  It took until 9:00pm to finish the job but I had a clear, running sewer line when he was all done.  My many years of working with Kruse has always resulted in honest, Top Quality work done in a most efficient manner as well as leaving the premises in a most clean fashion.  This time was no exception!!  If you need experts, the highest quality work and parts/materials, call Kruse!  They have been in the business for many many years and there is a reason for this:  They do an excellent job at a competitive price.  Thanks to Mike Miller and Melinda!!  Great Job!  None better!!

I've been using Kruse for almost seven years and appreciate the great customer service from Greg.