Palo Alto Plumbing And Dahl Plumbing

My furnace stopped working.  Called and spoke to Charlotte.  She sent Junior out to the house to inspect the furnace.  Super nice folks.  Knowledgeable, professional and friendly.  Jacob & Carlos showed up to remove the old furnace and install the new one.  They showed up on time, worked their butt's off and were very professional & courteous.

I am very pleased with every part of my experience with PA Plumbing & Heating. Great value & service.  

I also like the Hawaiian muzak.

Part of my work is managing numerous properties scattered around Silicon Bay. I search for companies to work with for those properties. I called this company because we have worked with them in the past.

I originally called this company yesterday for a quote on a water heater replacement. I was told to take a picture of the water heater information and I can find information regarding the water heater. I called again this morning to discuss the information I have. Unfortunately the lady who answers the phone is rude, she asked if I know how many gallons and as I was explaining it doesn't see it but I might have missed it, she cut me off and stated it does say it. If she would have let me finish speaking she would have known I have an image and I can email. Once she cut me off and told me it does it state it, I let her know thank you and hung up.

I decided to work with Caccia Plumbing instead, and the lady there was more helpful & polite.

Once again, they came to our rescue! Joe came out to fix our tricky garbage disposal. He's a great guy -- personable, responsible, competent like all the PA Plumbing folks. They always do great work for us.

Chris from Palo Alto Plumbing (our go-to-plumbers for 30 years) proved to be Yoda for the whole home!  We suspected that our bathroom plumbing was emitting volatile chemicals detected by our Air Quality Monitor. He explained that P-traps in the plumbing prevent gas leakage so that probably wasn't the issue; but he saw small rings of mold in the ceiling. His advice: Kill the mold ASAP and use the exhaust fan during and after showers. He was totally knowledgeable about the plumbing, AND tutored us on a non-plumbing issue that would improve our health!

We were SAVED by Charlotte & Moe for the SECOND TIME in two years! Last christmas we had a septic nightmare on boxing day morning,  (pipes busting, septic overflow, the works) and the Palo Alto Plumbing & Dahl Plumbing team were able to help us same day which SAVED our foundation. Now, one year later, we had a leak from a refrigerator down our walls and into the basement. Even though they were booked full for the next week they ended up being able to make a last minute stop and within 15 minutes fixed our problem and got water running to the house again. Not only are they always so kind over the phone but they genuinely care about what is happening. Their service is fast and extremely respectful and they will do whatever it takes to help us in our time of need even on holidays or during busy seasons like the current rainy weather season. We will never not rely on them and their service! Thank you so much again, can't recommend enough!!

I finally bit the bullet and decided to install an air conditioner.  I called several companies and all were very slow in responding.  But not Palo Alto Plumbing.

Max, the owner of the company, came within a few days of my call and provided a general estimate on the spot. He arrived on time, was professional and friendly, spent time educating me about his recommendation, and was finished within 15 minutes.

He informed me that my HVAC system was the incorrect size for my home and advised I upgrade a size to improve the performance of my existing heater and to ensure an air conditioner would be able to push enough air into my home.

Years ago, I had been advised by several HVAC advisors that my initial heater was too small a size for my home and also advised upgrading to the correct size.

I received the estimate within 1 business day and decided to proceed forward.  Again, they were able to schedule my job quickly.

On the day of the installation, the team arrived 15 minutes early but waited in their trucks until the scheduled time.  Amazing!

The two staffers were professional, friendly, and cleaned up my house and yard so you would never know they had been on site.

Highlights:

- RESPONSIVENESS:  They returned my calls immediately when looking for an estimate.  And, they were able to schedule an estimator within a few days.  

- TIMELINESS:  The estimator, Max, who is the owner of the company, came a few minutes early!  On the day of the installation, the team arrived 15 mins early but waited until the scheduled time to start.  And, they finished within the time frame they committed to. Unbelievable!

- ESTIMATE: Max is a straight shooter and his on the spot estimate was very close to the actual estimate.  Years ago, I had an estimate that was actually 2X the estimate that Max's team provided.

- CLEAN:  Both Max and the team doing the installation wore booties, put down coverings on my hardwood floors and carpet and returned my house to the state it was prior to their install.

- RATING:  AAA or 5 Stars!

We needed to change out two bathroom faucets that had failed. Palo Alto Plumbing sent Phillip to put in the new fixtures that we had bought. We were so pleased with his work! He was quick, professional, double checked all of his work and cleaned up after himself. We highly recommend PA Plumbing and will use them in the future for all of our plumbing needs.

LF and EF

These guys are great to call. We had an emergency and they came right out to help fix the issue. Very respectful, honest and kind! Definitely would recommend.

Charlotte is simply amazing. She went out of her way to help us in an emergency. Cannot say how much I appreciate her kindness and efficiency!!!!

We were paving the driveway and during demolition, the crew found a gas pipe that the utility company didn't mark for us and it was pointing at a direction not leading to anything. We had no idea if it's abandoned or added by the previous owner; and if it's live, it could've been damaged during demolition. We immediately called around for a plumber. Palo Alto Plumbing was very responsive. As soon as they heard our issue, they immediately sent someone out. Phil arrived in 15 mins!

Phil was very professional and pleasant to work with. Unlike most other plumbers, electricians and construction people I've worked with before, he didn't have that I-know-better-than-you attitude. He wouldn't jump to conclusion. Instead, he would patiently listen to our situation and assess by gathering evidences first. He would go above and beyond to get everything checked and tested. He also explained to us what he's doing throughout the process. In the end, he confirmed that the gas line was live and intact. What's most impressive was that he was able to confirm that the pipe leads to the pool equipment all the way in the backyard and explained why it made some strange turns in our front yard and driveway. We had two other plumbers in the past who would simply guess where the pool equipment gas line went. Phil proved them wrong by doing his due diligence. 5 stars to Phil!

Our neighbors recommended this group after a failed roter rooter visit (4 hours) leaving more drains clogged than we started with AND knocking out both showers.  Imagine a bunch of people sitting confined at home in hot weather...not good.

Today, I called Palo Alto Plumbing and begged for an appointment even one in off hours with overtime hours. At 2 today, our hero, Dustin from Palo Alto Plumbing came to visit our house.  At 2:18 he left with all shower drains clear.  Dustin is a snake master -- able to handle tricky shared pipe situation.  If you don't have the touch, like Dustin does, your snake goes to the other bathtub drain instead of down into the pipes.

I am so thrilled. We are going to be able shower tonight --  all thanks to Dustin's amazing skills.

Need a GREAT, FABULOUS, MASTERFUL plumber?  Pick up the phone and call Palo Alto Plumbing.

Had an issue with our furnace turning off.  Called several places and left voice mail messages and not one return call.  Found Palo Alto Plumbing in Yelp and called and a real live person answered my call and set me up with an appointment the next day.  Max was our technician and not only did he show up but called and said he was running ahead of schedule and would it be ok to come early.  He quickly diagnosed the problem and replaced the sensor.  Max was very pleasant and professional.  Will definitely use their services again.

Our plumbing began backing up Saturday morning. I called Palo Alto Plumbing and Max sent Phil out to work on our problem. Max stopped by to see how things were going as it seemed like a two man job. They were here most of the day and finally determined we needed to check with the City to see if the blockage was out by the street. It was determined that we needed more to find the blockage and get the plumbing back in working order. Monday morning first thing Carlos, Edgar and Mo were at the house to determine what needed to be done. They all worked together to get us back in  the house as quickly as possible. From Charlotte , their receptionist to all the guys that were here they were couteous, and so helpful and did a wonderful job! They are the only company I will use for all my plumbing needs.

I have called Palo Alto Plumbing for jobs big and small for the past 15 years and my most recent visit was just as awesome as my first! The team at PAP helped me set up a bar sink in my family room. They plumbed in the water and plumbed out the waste and set me up for finishing steps. The job looks super snappy and clean--high quality through and through--solid bid, professional attitudes, on time and efficient. A special shout out to Moe, Ricco, Dustin, Charlotte, and Joe. Each member of this team made me feel like a valued customer. Many thanks! these are tough times and your hard work and dedication is valued!

I'll put up photos once the countertops are in!

Our garbage disposal was leaking. Mo was easily available by phone, great customer service, even arrived a bit early for the time window. Polite, clean, cheerful, and highly competent. The disposal was corroded and had died. He had the exact right kind of new disposal in his truck and it was a quick fix, good price.  He stayed to make sure it was working well. He also noted that a couple of the pipes would need replacing soon, and he knew exactly what was required and said he would order it. A+++! I love supporting a local family business.

We've had several ongoing plumbing concerns at our home and at least one of them has scared off two other plumbers prior to calling Palo Alto Plumbing. They sent Joe to our house because they said he was a great problem solver. Joe was on time, courteous and professional. In 2 hours he had addressed the issues he could and diagnosed one remaining concern that requires a part. One of the fixtures works so well now that my husband and I keep commenting on how amazing it is - for a plumbing fixture!!

We will surely be calling Palo Alto Plumbing back once we have the part and for any future plumbing concerns.

Phenomenal. Thank you, Joe.

Stay safe and healthy!

We are very pleased with same day replacement of a leaking water heater after calling Palo Alto Plumbing. We found Joe to be efficient, professional and willingly to answer and explain details of the job. He offered advice on setting temperature, maintenance tips to extend the life of the new heater and stayed to make sure all was working well before leaving.

In the past two weeks, we have had Max, Junior and Joe out for various furnace, thermostat and plumbing issues.  Palo Alto Plumbing is THE BEST!  We have been using them for many years, and have always been happy with the work.  They are friendly, competent, always on time, and their prices are extremely reasonable.  I would heartily recommend them to anyone - they are great!  I would also add that Charlotte who answers the phone and Mark are very helpful - they found me appointments even though they are always very busy.

These guys replaced my furnace and installed a new air conditioner.   While performing the installation, they ran into unforeseen issues that needed fixing.   They were very professional and helped me sort though mess to get on with the work.   This was also in the beginning of COVID, so it was an interesting time.  
I am confident in saying, if I ever have issues with my plumbing or air conditioning or want any work done of the sort, these will be the first guys I call.

Joe came with a mask on, shoe cover and a mat to protect us from the virus and our floor. He has a bucket for the water and clean up after he finished. Great work on finding the problem and helped changed our faucet!  Referred from nextdoor app and I am so grateful ! Will call them back for our restroom project soon. Very professional and honest billing

Wish I could give more than 5 stars!! This time, I needed to have a water line installed for my  new refrigerator. Jacob came over and did great work with all safety protocols in place. I'm so appreciative of this company. They always come through. I couldn't be more happy. Thank you!!!

Palo Alto Plumbing has worked inside our home on our heaters and AC units, and now has replaced our main sewer line.  Their work is always good, Charlotte does a great job with scheduling, Max has kept us warm with his work on our heaters, and Moe, Ben and Rico were terrific with replacing the sewer line.  They were very careful in working inside our landscaping, including putting our landscape lights back properly.  They even finished a day early!  Their prices are very fair, especially when I consider how reliable and trustworthy they are.  I will continue to use them as needs arise.

Our family has relied on Palo Alto Plumbing for all our heating and plumbing needs for fifteen years.  The owner, Max, is friendly, competent, and trustworthy.  He used to come over himself, but now we mostly see his sons and the other excellent employees.  They always show up at the scheduled time, explain the problem thoroughly, fix it reliably, and clean up everything.  We have had a myriad of plumbing issues over the years, and Palo Alto Plumbing has always come through - everything from replacing faucets and clearing clogged pipes, to major issues such as this week when they had to dig up and replace an outdoor sewer line.  They have also repaired my heaters several times.  It is such a blessing to have a plumber I can trust!!

I have used PA Plumbing before for my heating needs but this time was for a couple of plumbing problems inside and outside my house.  
I was fortunate enough to be assigned Dustin as my technician.  He immediately assesed the conditions and began to work.  
I was extremely impressed by his kind, polite and professional demeanor.  I also would add that his knowledge on his methods to proceed with the repairs was very reassuring.  In addition, his subsequent follow ups ( waiting for parts) were handled efficiently.  I was truly impressed with his craftsmanship!
Although there can be a bit of a wait for appointments, I would not hesitate to call on them once again and request Dustin if available.

If you can have a favorite plumber, Dahl is my favorite plumber by far. I have an old Eichler with very fragile pipes. My main hot water line runs under the house. To get at it you have to drill into concrete. Most plumbers won't even try to fix an Eichler, but for Dahl it's no problem.

Moe came out today and did a great job getting to the leak we had. We fixed it no time with no mess. And this was with a pipe that ran through concrete into the ground.

I've tried a bunch of plumbers, but there is no comparison, Dahl is the best by far.

I had an outstanding experience this afternoon with one of the plumbers from this company - Jake. My 94 year old great grandma is one of the pestiest and most stubborn people to work with, and he nicely dealt with her questions and criticisms as he worked on our 2 plumbing issues. Every 10 minutes, she questioned what he was doing and why. He not only fixed our plumbing issues, but made her happy! A truly impossible thing to do, so thank you. Keep up the great work!

I have a fairly complex A/C installation at my house (some specialty cooling and some general-purpose heat-pumps). Three separate systems. Palo Alto Plumbing stayed on top of what ultimately turned out to be a manufacturing defect in one of the outdoor units, not giving up until it was fixed (by replacing it under warranty). I am deeply impressed by their level of commitment and the amount of effort and thought that they put into finding and fixing a very difficult and unusual problem. At this point I would never even consider calling any other company for A/C or plumbing work. Also they are nice people.

Outstanding service!  They replaced my old water heater within 24 hours of my call.  I was referred to Palo Alto Plumbing by a HVAC company I've used for years. They don't replace water heaters and suggested I call Palo Alto Plumbing. The young man who replaced the old water heater (I didn't get his name) was polite, witty, and efficient. He came earlier than originally promised (called first to check we were available).  He explained everything, got the closet cleaned up better than before he was there, and was gone before we knew it.

Our furnace went out in the middle of the night.    When we woke the house was freezing.      I called Palo Alto Plumbing at 7:00am and spoke with Mya.     She said they were booked but she would try.    And she did.    Max arrived at 2:00pm same day and heat was back on in 30 minutes.    They really came through for us and I am very very happy not to mention warm.    

As a side note, we have used Dahl/Palo Alto Plumbing for over 30 years and never  had any issues.

Carbon Monoxide leak and Good Responses
Our Carbon Monoxide alarms went off early Tuesday morning.
Palo Alto Utilities responded to our call -- with a staff member here in less than 15 minutes, who confirmed presence of the gas, was thorough in locating the source of the problem in an in-wall heater, and turned it off for us.
PALO ALTO PLUMBING made a next-day appointment for us, and, on Wednesday, Junior was here, he found the broken part of the heater, and they replaced the heater for us ... same day.  
REALLY GREAT help, service, and support from both our Utilities folks and from Junior and Jacob at this a long-time local HVAC company.  

[And an added note of encouragement, to be sure you've conformed with building regulations of having CO as well as smoke alarms.]

On a Saturday afternoon, we called Palo Alto Plumbing and were given a 2 hour window. They arrived EARLY and completed the furnace repair in 5 minutes tops. Max was cordial, competent and wonderful with my 91 year old Mother.  We were so grateful that they were there for us and got her heat back on. Thank you Max and Palo Alto Plumbing!!!

Max came out and took care of my furnace problem.  A very knowledgeable gentleman.
Knows his business and is very professional.
Showed up when he said he would, returned my call promptly.  Charged a very fair price.  I was totally satisfied.  I give him 5+ stars.

Mark and Jake at Palo Alto Plumbing are great! My 10 year old water heater leaked all over my garage and I wanted to replace it as quickly as possible (cold showers suck!). They were quick, knowledgeable and cleaned up after themselves. They even helped with my low water pressure on my kitchen sink. I highly recommend this company and will definitely use them again.

Don't trust them! I called because of the good reviews online and their proximity to Los Altos. They also promised me one of their most experienced plumber for the job which was a backed up bathtub-toilet. Instead, a barely prepubescent boy/man showed up. He spent 1.5 hour (1 to take off the toilet and failed miserably at snaking it and another half hour to slowly clear out of the house) then billed 2 hours for the job--oh, a new 30-minute commute for traffic was added because the business has recently moved to East Palo Alto. WTF!! Bait and switch, incompetent, and lies. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THIS BUSINESS.  (Btw called a different plumber who did the job in one quick go.)

We've had these guys come out to look at our heating system twice already. They claimed to have fixed it both times, charging for different things, and the heater has stopped working again. To be clear, the heat was working both times when they left, but started malfunctioning again around 2 months after. They also said they had a 3 month warranty, which turns out not to be exactly true, because if the malfunctioning isn't due to the exact same part as they replaced last time they will still charge for a service call ($125/hr, 1 hr minimum) and the repair, even if it is the same issue (malfunctioning heat). This strikes me as unsatisfactory because it should be their responsibility to identify the root cause and repair the system on the first call. Instead, their repairs seem to have fixed the problem only temporarily.

Their customer service on the phone also leaves much to be desired -- their agent berated me for not calling them sooner for letting them know our heat was malfunctioning, as I was explaining that the heat stopped working again after two months. The service technicians were nice and on time, and the heater did work for a short period of time after they came, which is why I'm giving two stars.

Palo Alto Plumbing team, Mo and Rico, did an excellent and efficient job of installing a gas line to our fireplace. They showed up on time, had an appreciation for the aesthetics relative to the hardware and did well in completing the job on time. I would recommend highly. Thanks.

We have used Palo Alto Plumbing for years. I recently called for a furnace problem and was told we would have to pay time and a half for overtime as they were booked for the whole week. I said I had to check with my husband for the additional charges. When I called back to confirm, Charlotte said there was a cancellation the next day and we didn't need to pay the additional charge. Charlotte always goes above and beyond. Thank you, Charlotte! Max came and made the repair.
Helen

These guys are GREAT!!!

I contacted Palo Alto Plumbing after I was given a whopping quote of $528 for 1-1.5 hr labor to replace the thermocouple on my GE gas water heater.  I told the guy, are you kidding me?!?  Then he lowered it to $295.  I told him to go on his merry way. By the way, they said they would come between 12-4pm, they never arrived until after 4:30pm.

That's when I contacted Palo Alto Plumbing.  I can't say enough good things about them.

They arrived expeditiously, very friendly and professional.  

He came with a smile on his face and had a really good attitude about life when I asked him how he was doing as I was leading him to my garage.

The part that GE sent me was wrong (not long enough) and the replacement part that he told me I needed was $24.  Heck that was reasonable.

All in all ($187.50 - that's overtime rate for the weekend + the part) came out to less than $214 and he did it in 30 minutes (WAY LESS than the other crook quoted me).  

To boot, I really enjoyed conversing with this young man.  He really had a great disposition and very friendly; we had a mutual liking of dogs ( he met my 2 labs and I got to experience his funny French bulldog honking the horn to get his Daddy to hurry up - it was hilarious).

Thank you for the wonderful service.  I will DEFINITELY recommend you to all of my friends and clients in the neighborhood.  I have hot water again!  YAY!

Thanks Max, please extend my thanks to your staff for me too.

I cannot believe I didn't know to call these guys first.  

Sadly, I called another highly rated company first.

Phil came out to troubleshoot our dysfunctional sump pump and was able to identify the problem, gave clear reasons for it, and charged me a very reasonable $187 for his time. It is now fixed.  In comparison, the other company charged me $500, sent 4 guys, never figured out the problem, and after taking my money, left me with a sump pump that soon after malfunctioned again, causing sewage once again to back up into my home.  I'll note that I received no warranty on that work since they didn't replace anything.  (the reason I'm not naming them is because they ultimately made right by me and refunded me the money plus the amount I paid Palo Alto Plumbing for the correct diagnosis, they were professional and responsive to my criticism and I believe that they try their best).  

Palo Alto Plumbing gave me a 30-day warranty (they didn't need to replace anything, but the warranty is just in case they didn't fully help to resolve the problem).

I don't know why Palo Alto Plumbing didn't come up in my online search, but I am glad to have found out about them through neighbors in NextDoor.

Palo Alto Plumbing is a wonderful responsive company that came out in a pinch on the weekend when we had an emergency. I highly recommend them.

We have used PA Plumbing in the past and this time Mo was amazing and most efficient again.

Extremely kind, polite and professional demeanor.  Good knowledge and craftsmanship as well.

We had wait a week because they are very popular, but the day of our appointment they called and were able to come early.  Thank you again for taking care of us!

We have used Palo Alto Plumbing for several jobs, to install new bathroom fixtures, diagnose a water heater problem, and later install a new water heater. Service is responsive and pricing is fair. Plumbing problems can be tricky and they didn't give up until a solution was found.

We've met 5-6 of their technicians and they are all experienced, efficient, and great communicators. I have asked several of them if they enjoy working for this company and they have all said this is a great company to work for - the owner is fair and honest and smart to both the customers and the employees. It shows!

Palo Alto Plumbing is AMAZING!!! Our home in Boulder Creek, was in the CZU complex fire zone. We had heavy smoke & soot damage & needed to have our HVAC system cleaned thoroughly. We tried several local companies & we were repeatedly told that it would be 3-4 weeks before someone could come out. We had already been out of our house for 24 days & were very anxious to get back. We called Palo Alto Plumbing & explained the situation. They said they really wanted to help, even though they don't normally work in Boulder Creek! Charlotte & Max told us they'd send someone out the very next day, which was a SATURDAY!!!  We were stunned! Talk about a company going above & beyond! Not only did they do my house, but they agreed to do my neighbors at the same time as well! That next morning, Ramone showed up exactly at the designated time, worked hard all day, all by himself & was super conscientious & thorough! Max, Charlotte & Ramone you guys are absolutely phenomenal & we cannot thank you enough!!!!

I left two messages on their website expressing interest in getting an HVAC quote. I heard nothing. Four days later I followed up again and left a phone message expressing interest in receiving a quote. I never heard back!  If you had a service issue, I'm not sure they would respond.... keep looking. These folks are terrrible!

Our neighbors recommended we call Palo Alto Plumbing when our house was red tagged for a gas leak.  They came out the same day, pulled a city permit and quickly estimated the work.  It was a pretty big job and everyone we met with was professional, wore masks and were careful to ensure the work was done well.  Jakob, Zack, Roman, Junior and Mark all came by at different times to redo our home's gas lines.  Their excellent work passed the city inspection on the first visit.  Charlotte has also been very helpful every time I call with questions.  Thank you Palo Alto Plumbing Team for getting our gas working safely again!

Palo Alto Plumbing was recommended to me by a friend whose family has literally used them for decades.  They've helped me with a number of plumbing issues over the last few years and I finally decided to give them a plug here.  Yesterday, Joe came out to fix a few things for us.  He was terrific - extremely professional and pleasant, taking the time to explain everything to me, and taking care of it all quickly and efficiently.  It's so nice to have someone to call when things break, and to feel confident that they will know what they are doing and will be nice and professional in the process.

They are amazingly good and honest. I am a landlord with multiple properties. I had used my fair share of plumbers. I worked with three of their technicians with different jobs. I found out they are all very knowledgeable and experienced at their assigned jobs. The owner must selected and trained his crew carefully and care about his business reputation very much. The only thing is they are very busy. Typically, you have to wait for a couple of days for an appointment. But I will say, it definitely worth the wait if your issue is not urgent.

Unexpected plumbing issues during a pandemic can be concerning. But Palo Alto Plumbing exemplifies exceptional service and skill. Kitchen sink was backing up and the guest shower needed some triage, so my property manager setup a visit on Monday 8/10/2020. Originally, we were scheduled for a potential 4p - 6p arrival time, but this team was able to move us up so our tech arrived closer to 3p. Christine called me around 2:40p to ensure someone would be home and, as expected, our tech Joe showed up. He'd been at our house previously for a similar issue, so we welcomed him in like an old friend. Considerate, courteous, and friendly, Joe excels at his occupation. He not only fixed our sink issue but even spent the extra time to confirm the shower was running as well. I called to leave a rave review and Charlotte let me know that she was pleased to hear from us. All around, this team puts in the effort to make it happen for their customers. Thank you, Palo Alto Plumbing, for all that you did today to resolve our issues. Big respect to Christine, Joe, and Charlotte!

Realizing we had no hot water after hours, I called Palo Alto Plumbing.   I was willing to accept the overtime charge, and someone came immediately and showed up wearing a mask during Covid and standing at a safe distance, which I really appreciated for starters.  Turns out the problem could not be fixed that night, so I was not charged the overtime and the problem was fixed the next day.  24 hours later we had no hot water.  Turns out we needed to replace the water heater - again, PA Plumbing was super prompt, responsive and courteous.  In the end we were only charged for one visit, no overtime and a very fair price on the water heater.  It was clear PA Plumbing wanted to resolve our issue in the most fair and efficient way possible.  I would definitely call on PA Plumbing in the future.

Good job by Joe and Dustin! The heater room space was very tight, so they had to be inventive in order to pull the old water heater out and fit the new heat pump water heater in. Thanks!

Max and his team are equal parts personable, professional and thoughtful. From scheduling to on-site assessment (and discussion of options) to follow up estimate, the experience has been very positive.  The only reason I'm holding back one star is because the HVAC project -- replacing the existing, oversized furnace with a right sized heating and cooling unit, has yet to begin.  I'll be back to Yelp that critical production, next.

Highly recommended:  I had a great experience this week with Palo Alto Plumbing, from scheduling the work to getting the sewer line fixed.  Everyone, Charlotte, Mark and Jake were highly professional, insuring that everything got done quickly.

I would definitely steer clear of this company. I had just recently bought a house and was told I had an air conditioning unit.  With the heat during the summer, I noted that unit was not cooling my house.  On the unit, was this company's number so I called them to come by and take a took.  The representative came by, took a second to look at the unit, and tells me I don't have air conditioning.  That all made sense.

Then 2 months later I get a bill for $130!  For what?!?  It's absurd that a company would charge someone for a service they didn't provide.  There's plenty of better company's out there who won't charge you a service fee and have far better customer service too.

Palo Alto Plumbing did a great job replacing my parents water heater. They offered a reasonable quote and finished the job in about a couple hours. The technician we were assigned, Rico, was very friendly, knowledgable, and tidy.

I had an issue with my water heater.  One of its plastic tubes succumbed to years of steam and heat, and it has started to crack and leak.

I called Palo Alto Plumbing Heating & Air, whose phone rep scheduled an initial visit to assess the situation.  So I worked from home that Friday afternoon.  The service guy showed up late for the 2-hour window.  He took three pictures of the device, and wrote a brief note in his car.  He told me he would need to call the manufacturer on Monday to order the part, and then schedule a follow-up visit later.  The entire process lasted 11 minutes (4:05 PM to 4:16 PM).

Considering the simplicity of the initial visit and the service guy's tardiness, I wrote a polite email later that day, asking Palo Alto Plumbing Heating & Air to consider waiving its $122 hourly rate for this visit.

I did not hear from them for 10 days, so I called again.  I was told very politely that my email was replied to on the same day.  The phone rep also said Palo Alto Plumbing Heating & Air decided to pass on the job.  Immediately after we got off the phone, she forwarded to me the reply email, which was indeed sent only 40 minutes after my initial email, as shown below.

Hello Sir, We will go ahead and cancel the one hour minimum. There will be no fee for the visit this evening. We will also pass this job, in it's entirety. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to work with you, however brief.

I realized the initial reply email probably landed in my mailbox's junk mail folder, and hence escaped my attention.

For me as a consumer, the experience was less than pleasant.  Here are some of my thoughts and comments to share.

(1) As a business, Palo Alto Plumbing Heating & Air has every right to decide NOT to take on a particular job.

(2) It was not Palo Alto Plumbing Heating & Air's fault that I did not receive the original reply email in time, and that I had to find out about it 10 days later.

(3) In every phone interaction, their phone reps were polite and professional.

(4) However, the lack of appreciation for business, and for their customers, was astounding.  I don't ever recall a US business responding to a customer request saying, We don't want to deal with you any more, with such calmness and decidedness.

So I am taking my business elsewhere, this time and every time.  At least this is something Palo Alto Plumbing Heating & Air and I can agree on.

We needed to replace our furnace & A/C unit. After searching out a few contractors we decided to go with Palo Alto Plumbing - Dahl Plumbing.  They worked with us on the systems to install and options. We went with Honeywell wireless thermostats with wifi control down to the smartphone. They were great on removing the old units, installing the new systems, and their follow up. The installers were very professional; cleaned up along the way. The new furnace and A/C unit work great. Very happy with the end product. I highly recommend Palo Alto Plumbing - Dahl Plumbing.

j p kennedy

Had a great experience with Max today, for a call to check-out a furnace that needed repair/troubleshooting. Max let me help out (I love learning how things work so that was great), and he was able to quickly figure out & resolve the issue.

After fixing our furnace, he also showed me how to resolve another issue with our hot water system -- that his team can easily come back to fix, or I can do on my own. I really appreciate him offering service, but also sharing knowledge how I can fix things on my own. I can't recall a better experience with anyone working on our home in the past, and really appreciate the help today!

For the last two days, Tony and Zack installed a new heating and air conditioning unit in my home in Palo Alto. They worked diligently, quietly and neatly (covered all the floors and wore covers for their shoes inside the house). They were polite, and very pleasant. At the end, they showed me how to use the new system and gave me tips on its maintenance. Everything was installed well and the job seems to be very well done.
I have used Palo Alto Plumbing/AC several times in the past couple of years with Max as my go to person (he is great) and I have been very pleased each and every time, so I would highly recommend this company

We've been using Palo Alto Plumbing for just under three years now, and have had great experiences each time. They've fixed small problems in our bathrooms and kitchen. They installed our new furnace and air conditioning unit. Great work, every time. Great people, too, especially Moe, who has a straightforward and warm manner, and an easy sense of humor, as well as clear expertise. He has really tackled some challenging issues for us. This review is long overdue, but definitely worth giving.

Just had our HVAC system replaced in our home in Los Altos. The work was completed in two days and was expertly done. The crew was very experienced and professional and the work was done on time and for a very fair price. I would recommend this company any time for residential HVAC work.

ES

We've had good experiences with this company!  Our furnace was really old when we bought the house, and has had repeated issues.  They've always been prompt in coming... And one time, when the issue had appeared to fix itself, they strongly suggested that they come out anyway and quickly found the problem.  Nicole also extended our warranty for one day extra, since our furnace broke the day after the warranty expired.  Really nice!

They're currently working on a quote to replace our furnace... They said they'd have competitive prices, and hopefully it comes out that way-- haven't minded working with them so far!

I highly recommend Palo Alto Plumbing for both competence and courtesy. We realized we had a water leak somewhere on our property. Living in an Eichler on a slab, the possibilities of where it was were numerous. Max, the owner, came to the house and within 5-10 minutes and no special equipment other than experience, diagnosed the problem as a broken water pipe from the meter to our house.  His crew worked for 2 days to clear a trench and replace the water main and some additional time to repair an old sprinkler line which was collateral damage to all the necessary digging. Max's bid was not cheap, but was quite fair given the difficulty of the job. His crew was always polite and hard working. They did great work without cutting corners that others may have been tempted to do. We have used Palo Alto Plumbing before and will continue to use them in the future.

We woke up with no hot water on a Sunday.
Called Palo Alto Plumbing. They answered on the 1st ring, and said they could come by within a couple hours.

It turned out to be less than 1 hr; Max Jr came to our door, took a look at our pilot light, which wasn't lighting, couldn't get it to light either, and replaced a thermocouple that got us going again.

$180 for the hour labor on the weekend, $22 for the part, and we have hot water for showers and dishes and civilized life again.

Too bad the part failed on the weekend (weekdays would be cheaper), but we are very impressed such prompt and courteous service.

We have an upstairs shower that's leaking through our ceiling! We talked to a handyman and 2 contractors, and they were not helpful. Someone recommended Palo Alto Plumbing for this problem. They responded and came to our house promptly. They were highly competent and were able to diagnose our problem (unlike the others). We HIGHLY recommend and will use again!

Excellent customer & onsite service!  Have worked with them several times & have been extremely please with the quality of their work, friendly & professional nature of their technicians along with the cost effective pricing.

I would definitely steer clear of this company for the following reasons:

1) Customer support/office staff: Rather than getting to speak with the plumbing person who is working on your home, you have to speak with the office staff who seem to not know anything about your problem and are impatient and short. They tell you they will get back to you with an answer and then never do.
2) Plumbing personnel: Plumber I dealt with was very nice person but did not actually seem to entirely know his stuff or follow up with me about matters. He seems very overworked and overwhelmed. He ordered a part which took six weeks to arrive and when it finally arrived and I had paid 125 dollars for it, he couldn't get it to work but I still had to pay for his time and for the part, only to have to hire a different plumber to actually do the work.
3) Bad advice: Was given the suggestion to replace a toilet at the cost of more than 600 dollars when the second more competent plumber was able to easily fix the toilet. In general just lack of experience and incompetence requiring hiring a second plumber to do the job correctly at a much lower price.
4) Really avoid this company if you want to get competent work done in a timely manner on your home. On the other hand if you want to wait months to be told they can't fix your problem but they still plan to charge you for expensive parts they can't make work and if you want to deal with rude and impatient but clueless office staff by all means hire these folks.

PA Plumbing is amazing and fantastic! Late in the day and *very* unexpectedly, our old hot water heater sprang a leak and flooded our garage. Oh my - what to do now?? PA Plumbing has saved the day. Moe arrived early this morning and sprang into action. I can be the pickiest OCD client ever when it comes to our house, but Moe was personable, clear in his explanations, and to my old eyes, was everything a craftsman at his trade should be.  Efficient, workman-like, clean and precise! A true Craftsman indeed!  Mark, the scheduler, gave us exact times and quotes which true to his word were actually followed, a rare thing these days. PA Plumbing is a local family-owned business and they have every reason to be proud of what they have achieved!

Kudos to Maurice for excellent customer service! Maurice came to repair the garbage disposal and was done in no time. Was very knowledgeable and professional. Highly recommend them for your plumbing needs.

On a recommendation from our realtor, we had Max come out to service our 2 furnaces today.  I have seen their trucks everywhere, but had never contacted them before.  Max did a great job - checked both furnaces, cleaned, repaired filters, tested for carbon monoxide.  Super nice guy - very knowledgeable.  And, very fair pricing.  I will definitely be calling them again for future heating and plumbing issues!

Came right out and replaced water heater perfectly for less than Home Depot wanted... Home Depot had a series of upsales.  

Job done by 3PM after 10 Am call.... Wow!

They did come out right away and cleared out our clogged sewer line, but I was told that this type of work isn't warrantied.  Sure enough, the line clogged within two days and they were going to charge us to come back to clear the line.  I would think they should at least warranty this type of work for 30 or 60 days.  I ended up calling Kratzer Plumbing, who cleared the line and warrantied the work.

I had an old furnace replaced by Moe from Palo Alto Plumbing. He was very friendly and explained what he was doing clearly when he ran into unexpected issues with my apartment's really old setup. He seemed very knowledgeable and experienced in what he was doing and also avoided additional construction work.

I had a great experience working with this company, from scheduling the appointment to finally having a heater that works!

Extremely professional, effective, and kind.  
They fixed the furnace, cleaned all the Filter and made sure I was happy.

Prompt, courteous - but for a fireplace that was ultimately fixed in less than 20 minutes by Behr Plumbing, we were about to spend $450 more with Palo Alto heating.

Hard to recommend when you experience something like this - but good service overall, even if they take a replace vs understand and fix approach. Every case is different but for ours, a CO2 cartridge for $5 was the only real expense needed to fix the issue (spiders in gas line). But we were quoted a new gas valve, labor.

Can't imagine what we would have been quoted to fix our water heater that just needed a tuning on the dial and the tub's water pressure issue diagnosed for free by Behr...

We have had a lot of plumbing work done in the past 5 years with a major renovation and flood damage.  I have been using this company for several years and really like the team but I have had enough with the miserable attitude when I call.  Even though I always try to hear a smile on the phone, there is only miserable, sorry not at the desk, we can't come until a week from Sunday.  
I have been putting up with this and and the attitude for several years now because I really like Max, Joe and the rest of the guys that actually come to the house and do the work.  I have had it.  While the guys do excellent work and are great to have around.....one has to go through the office and the miserable, please hold (for 5-10 minutes) sorry we cannot possibly get you in for a week - no matter what the issue.
Very sad but I cannot continue to deal with the hassle.

Easy to work with and fair pricing.  They did some minor plumbing work on a rental as well as replaced a wall heater and water heater. On time and efficient.

I think this is the fifth time I've called Palo Alto Plumbing and Heating.

Joe came us this time.  Very professional, polite, clean, explained everything, answered all my questions, and knows what he's doing.

Long story short, I needed my kitchen faucet replaced and some minor work done on a bathroom sink.

I highly recommend that you call Palo Alto Plumbing and Heating!
They're the best!

My fiance's parents' home was having issues with the water temperature and pressure. Within the same day Max came and tweaked the water heater a bit to see if that solved the issue. But it turned out that we needed a new water heater! Max confirmed that that was the case, and then Matt came not too much later to install a new one for us! He was quick and friendly and I am very happy with the service. Christine was also a pleasure to speak with over the phone. Will be calling again if anything else is needed! Thank you!

We had an awful experience beginning with an after hour service call and quote ($199) where little was accomplished. A written quote was not provided, only a verbal estimate range. We scheduled the repair to my Father's home one week later, generating another service call. The day before the scheduled service we called to confirm the appointment, only to be told we would be scheduled for the following week. Christine, the office manager was unpleasant when she was unable to answer questions about the repair or delay. She passed the phone to a service tech, who was a bit more helpful. We canceled the service call as my Father couldn't wait two weeks for heat.

They tried to charge me $7240 for a $500 repair. They claimed my existing heating system was improperly installed, leaking carbon monoxide into my house, needed $2000 in repairs, and had fundamental design flaws that would continue to give me problems. They recommended complete replacement and wrote up a $7240 quote on the spot.

I called in William Lipp Hydronics (Redwood City) for a second opinion. Lipp fixed my system for $500 (I highly recommend them!) and said NOTHING Palo Alto Plumbing told me was true. After I filed a Better Business Bureau claim, Palo Alto Plumbing refunded the service call charge. I can only conclude from my experience that they are totally incompetent and corrupt.

Our old heater broke in our old house.

One neighbor suggested I call the city, and they'll relight the pilot for free. The city guy said it was broken & couldn't be re-lit & he didn't have the piece needed to fix it.

Another neighbor recommended Reliable Service - that guy said that the necessary part wasn't available anymore, and we'd need a new heater for $4000. The charge was $49 to tell me that.

Today John from paloaltoplumbheatandair.… came - he went in the crawl space under the house, re-lit the pilot & it works again! Charge for this $125 - John is my new best friend! Highly recommend! :-)

I hired Palo Alto Plumbing to fix my heater and they did great.  JAIME was amazing; he ordered the part then came back to install it.  Heater works great now.

Used to be good, and now they seem very confused. They made a plumbing error in the shower (made things worse), did not finish the work for months on end (almost 6 months now) despite polite requests, and then harassed for payment via phone declaring that the work had been completed, while sending bills via snail mail and email. It is a cyclical process of getting billed, my proving that the work has not been completed (including pictures, calls to the manufacturer), no one coming to finish the job. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. I did pay for a separate completed project on that same bill (which they denied until they figured out that I was not lying). They also sent someone out to check that the work had not been completed (that person agreed with me). This resulted in my being billed and called by the company with an insistence that the plumber took the time to visit me again to complete the work (nope, just a check to confirm that I was telling the truth about the shower not being fixed). I am trying to be gracious, but my shower is still not working, and at this point feel I cannot have someone else fix the situation, as then I won't be able to prove again that Palo Alto Plumbing did not complete the work. I feel held hostage with a ransom of paying for a fix that was never made. Help!

Needed a faucet replaced and toilet tune-ups. Tech, Joe, was here spot on time; very pleasant;  and worked quickly/neatly.  He's helped us before. We'll call them again any time we have plumbing or HVAC issues.

Absolutely the best HVAC company I have worked with in years.  Max the owner, will tell you he wanted to build the best company he could and he did!!

Educated staff who will share cost saving approaches to meeting your expectations.  Hyme (he was our technician) is fabulous, knowledgeable and cares that the work is done right.  The office staff maintains timely communication, calls you back, gives you accurate estimates and books the right amount of time to be sure your work is completed before they leave your home.  They are tops in our book!

We have used Palo Alto Plumbing 2 times.  Once was for a service call for changing the turn off valves to the clothes washer which had gotten rusted over the years.  Another time we had a new sink installed in one of the bathrooms and they did the installation.
They do a good job and Max, the owner is easily contactable.  They are somewhat on the pricy side, however, they show up on time and seem to do a decent  job.  No leaks so far.

Great service and comes with a guarantee, they've come out three times now to deal with our tree root issues and have been very helpful.

Max Jr came out for a gas leak that the city had identified and red tagged and I needed extensive tests and repairs. He spent hours identifying & fixing the problem and when he had to wait around for the city to show up, he made himself busy doing other repairs.  What a great plumbing business.  I won't ever call anyone else.  The office staff was helpful and efficient and walked me through the red tag process, which many other companies will not even bother to address. Thank you, Palo Alto Plumbing. Young Max is wonderful. Next time I have any maintenance issues I will be calling Palo Alto PHA first.

We use this company for all our plumbing heating and air conditioning needs. Today Moe Weisbarth worked his magic on our clogged sink. He's on time, professional and reasonably priced.

My hot water heater died on a Friday afternoon. I then started calling plumbers, and gathering phone numbers from plumbers who could not do the job themselves, but who could send me to another business that they recommended. Then, I found PA Plumbing on Yelp. When I called, I was told that Palo Alto Plumbing could not replace my water heater on Friday evening, but that they would give me a scheduled appointment on Saturday morning, even though weekend service visits are not usually scheduled, but reserved for emergency callers. Saturday morning, Dustin showed up, ready to rock. He had the water heater and all parts in his truck, he was polite, neat and did a very tidy installation. He was quick, but not to the point of rushing the job; there was a very tight squeeze removing my old fatboy hot water heater, he was careful and methodical removing it, and he made very sure that nothing was damaged in the removal. He left our utility closet, and our house cleaner than he found it. He also answered some questions I had about tankless  water heaters, and about my plumbing. I will use Palo Alto Plumbing again, and when I do, I will ask for Dustin. I'd also like to point out that some of the one-star reviews are complaining about being charged for a service visit. Almost every service company of this type charges for a service visit, whether the plumber was able to repair the problem or not. Someone has to pay for the time of a trained plumber to travel to the worksite. Customary charges might be one hour, which could be up to $220 (for weekend nights). I do not understand why someone would give a terrible review to a company just because it charged for a service visit. Also beware, if a company says that they do not charge for a service visit, the charge is built in to the charges elsewhere. I my view, I would rather the company just charge me honestly for the visit, rather than hide it in the form of  extra markups on material and parts. I would also point out that another reputable plumbing shop gave me a firm, fixed price estimate of $2,200 for the 50 gallon hot water heater. Palo Alto Plumbing charged me $1,570 (also fixed price) ! That was Saturday morning, (time and a half for labor)! I am very pleased with PA Plumbing! And I have absolutely no connection with the company I promise, cross my heart.

I'm a long-time customer of Palo Alto Plumbing. I don't bother calling anyone else because I've learned from experience that you get what you pay for. I want customer service and quality (and pride) in workmanship. Joe, who quite personable, just fixed a running toilet and replaced the rusted valve. In a previous visit he installed a faucet in a difficult space. Great service.

We needed a thermostat replacement.  I just want to give a good review for our technician Jamie.  He was very patient, friendly, and got the job done.  Thanks Palo Alto Plumbing for your great customer service!  -Granada Apartments/Maria Lane Townhomes.

Excellent service. Prompt, professional and just a pleasant serviceman.
Jaime managed to save our old Atlas heater. Fantastic service!! would use them again.

I just wanted to update that Palo Alto Plumbing later contacted me and helped fix the faucet leaks and the water damage via another company. The process was not easy though. I am adding stars as I know it's not easy for both sides.

I'm so thankful to Christine and Joe at Palo Alto Plumbing for the fantastic service for our bathtub repair! The first plumber we had called to take a look at our repairs was very nice but did not have a clear sense of what was needed and so once we obtained the parts needed, we were in search of someone more reliable. I had heard great things about their administrator, Christine, from the person who referred me to Palo Alto Plumbing and indeed Christine was responsive and prompt and she was even kind enough to do some advance research by reviewing photos I sent to make sure that Joe would be able to access the diverter valve through the tile to do the job. In turn, Joe arrived promptly and did a fantastic job with our repairs. He was thoughtful and detail oriented and I really appreciated his expertise. Many thanks to both of them for taking the time to help me out and for making the whole process so easy!

Palo Alto Plumbing did an excellent job including the  removal of the old system and the installation of the new HVAC components, from quote to the final inspection. No complaints.

Yes, I have stuck with Palo Alto Plumbing now for 4 years. They have been so good, and reliable. They have done A/C work, furnace, pipes, fixtures and all the work has been good and I do not think I have ever been overcharged except when I called them on Thanksgiving (they came in 30 minutes!) but they told me how much it would cost - and it was worth it. Highly recommend.

I've been working with PA Plumbing, Heating & Air for 6+ years.  I manage multiple homes in the Bay Area (not to mention my own home) and I've received nothing but excellent service from these guys.  Max Sr, the owner,. is fantastic and all of his team members all go above and beyond to help out my employer and me.  I definitely give this company 5 stars!!!

These guys have been my go-to plumbers for the last 10 years and every time I'm impressed. I've had some really sticky drain problems, but with Palo Alto Plumbing and Heating, they show up on time, they're finished in under an hour, and my problems stay gone. Moe in particular has given me impressive service on multiple occasions (he's been with the company for at least several years). He came fully equipped and prepared for the job, and was clean, courteous, and very professional. He double-checked my lines even after finishing with the clog I called him for because,as he put it, I'm paying for the full hour anyways, and gave me some DIY tips for addressing smaller drain issues. They also do emergency overtime/weekend service that is not that much more expensive than their usual, reasonable rates.

When I called the office to find out about an appointment (this would have been the third time this week Max would have come out to fix the air conditioner which still wasn't working) the office manager was extremely rude and totally unprofessional and told me she owned the company and there wasn't anyone else I could talk to but her and then hung up on me.

We recently had Palo Alto Plumbing replace both our main sewer line and our main water line.  Both lines were old and have caused us many, many problems over the years, usually at the worst possible time.  Before we put in new landscaping, we wanted to make sure these lines weren't going to cause more problems that would require us to dig up whatever new landscaping we will be putting in.

When the owner of Palo Alto Plumbing came out to do the inspection, I saw on the monitor the tree roots and dislocations in our old sewer line.  It was clear we should replace it.

The new sewer line included a 30 foot main line to our front house & about a 90 foot section to our duplex.  This was a difficult, exacting job with strict tolerances for the slope over so long a line (120 feet from the back duplex to the street).  I was impressed with how professional the plumbers from Palo Alto Plumbing were & how they tried to minimize the impact on us (minimizing time that the sewer or water were out of commission).  They also handled the entire permitting process.

The 90 foot section of the sewer (trenchless, going under an existing shed, trees) was a particularly ambitious task.  It was amazing to hear the pipe break apart & feel it rumbling the ground during the trenchless replacement.  Palo Alto Plumbing knew what they were doing.

Two weeks ago when we had an earthquake at 3am, I came out of the house at 6:30 to go running & found water gushing out from under our house.  We don't know for certain the earthquake caused our old water main to break, but the timing is suspicious, isn't it?  In any case, Palo Alto Plumbing was out in a jiffy to help with the repair.

Both the sewer line replacement and the water line replacement were large, multi-day activities, so I got to know the owner, the job lead, and many of the workers.  They know what they are doing & work hard.  

Over the years, with our problematic plumbing, we've hired many different plumbers.  But now that I've found Palo Alto Plumbing I wouldn't call anyone else.

I have had 2 bad experiences with them one after another and while I really wanted to let this go, looking back it still irked me enough that I decided I would write a review with the lowest rating. .
Last winter, based on these guys ratings on Yelp, I called them up to come and install a return line to my newly installed tankless water heater.  The office manager is a very nice lady and she scheduled the appointment.  Max, the owner showed up a week or so later.  He walked inside and outside the house and told me that he needed to do a major job in running a return line for hot water heater, including drilling holes through the roof, the newly installed closet system and my bathroom cabinet on the second floor and so on.  Also found fault with everything related to plumbing that he came acros! Before he left, he said he would send me a quote in 24 hours. After 4 weeks of  calls/emails, I finally gave up and decided we needed hot water badly during the cold winter days.  So I called another plumbing company. They showed up a few days later and told me that this was an easy job, no demolishing of walls of holes in the roof was needed, just a nice return line to the kitchen using the crawl space. I received a reasonably priced proposal the next day. I called /emailed Max's office one last time and was given the same run around, so a day later,  I decided if they were so busy that couldn't give me a bid after 5 weeks, I should just go ahead with the other bid, which I did. Now, here is when it got really bad.  The $550 thermostat to our high efficiency furnace just stopped working and left us with no heat during really cold (low 40sF) days/nights. This is no ordinary thermostat, you can only buy it from the authorized dealer and they can order the replacement for it. Palo Alto Plumbing and HEATING is on the list of authorized vendors for this furnace.  So, again, really wanting to give this to a local business, I called them up and asked for a replacement unit under warranty.  The office manager took the info, said that they would order it but they could only install it in 10 days and I had to pay for the installation which was $120/hr or so. I accepted all these terms. I emailed them once or twice and was told all was on track. On the day that the hot water return line was being installed, MAX showed up with a regular thermostat that I could have bought myself from Home Depot. He looked very crossed when he saw the other plumber's truck in front of the house. He came in to install the thermostat, when I noticed he had the wrong thermostat which wouldn't work with the wiring. He told me he had it at the office and would go get it.  I called and talked to the office manager to see what happened and when he would bring in the replacement thermostat that they had ordered 10 days ago.  She said he had decided not to come back.  I was shocked.  How was that possible? Don't they have an obligation to their customers?  What were they going to do with a $550 thermostat that nobody could use? She explained that he was the owner and could do whatever he wanted! Right then, I got the feeling that this was theri M.O. Well, I had a happy ending to my thermostat saga and got it from another company the next day. I ended up finding a better plumbing company and a much better heating company for much cheaper prices and better customer service and professional experiences. I can be more uncharitable toward this guy, but suffice to say, after dealing with him twice I found him to be very unprofessional and unreliable. He lacked personal or professional skills, seemed to have no pride in what he did and believed in zero customer service.

Be warned, for this company free estimate means $135/hr! I needed someone to come check out my wall furnace which wasn't functioning. Came on Yelp to find a reputable provider and found these guys. I called to see how much it would cost to have them come out and provide an estimate and was told that there was no charge for estimates. Max came out, inspected the furnace, and let me know the furnace was fine but there would some modifications to the flute needed. I had another issue at my place of business and asked him if he had time to go by there and give me an estimate for that work. Max provided an estimate on that job and I let him know that the price he quoted was above my budget. He indicated he had already ordered the parts, despite the fact that I didn't authorize the work. Today I received a bill in the mail for $270 which was a shock as no work was completed. I called and spoke to Madison who put Max on the line. When I asked Max what the charges were for,BeB he indicated they were for the time spent diagnosing the issues with my furnace and heater. When I pointed out that I had been told that estimates were free (which is also what is written on his work truck) he said that an estimate was different than a diagnosis. What I'd like to know is how do you provide an estimate without a diagnosis? When I asked him to explain this he proceeded to use profanity and hung up on me. Take this as a warning that there is no such thing as a free estimate for this business.

Had kitchen sink back up and Mo from PA Plumbing fixed it in 30 minutes with proper equipment and 100' snake. Had another local plumber with high Yelp ratings come out and they showed up with 25' snake and they wasted my time and money. Go with PA plumbing!!!

Our renter's water heater went out at 6:00 pm Saturday night.  We try to be prompt with repairs, but often contractors are just not available on weekends or holidays.  I called Palo Alto Plumbing at about 6:30 pm on Saturday, and much to my surprise, Max from San Jose Plumbing called me right back.  They came out and fixed the water heater by 8:00 pm Saturday night!  Absolutely amazing service!

I've used Palo Alto Plumbing for some 5 years now with good success.  They have repaired 2 plumbing problems over the years and installed a hot water heater at my home.
I had to call them back on one of the plumbing problems since the water pressure had to be also adjusted which they kind of missed.  They returned promptly to solve the problem.
I understand that they have acquired Dahl plumbing's old phone number.  I hope that they will continue with good service.

Had them put in a hot water heater which was fine. Then sched 2 other jobs and they called to cancel right when they were to be here, Once maybe, but 2x NO WAY. Done.

Palo Alto Plumbing (PAP) did a trenchless sewer repair for us recently, and a previous heater repair. Great service and results.

The trenchless repair was a major undertaking. They dug down to the sewer line at 2 points and ran a new pipe between the two points using a clever technology to bore through the old pipe. (It is cheaper than digging up the entire sewer line.)

To figure out who to choose for this repair, I filtered companies by Checkbook magazine ratings and neighborly recommendations, and got appointments for estimates from 5 companies for trenchless repair.

PAP wrote up the 2nd lowest estimate at $4500.  Previously, they had done a heating repair for me (also a bit tricky, with good results), so that made the choice easy.

They called for utilities to mark underground lines prior to digging, which indicated that a gas line was involved in one of holes. I was happy to see that the crew showed significant experience and caution with it, digging carefully and fashioning a wooden rig to protect it during the boring.

During inspection by the local agencies, it turned out that the official rules required using some old-fashioned clay pipe for certain fittings near the street. PAP argued that the plastic pipes they had used were better and would last longer, but they swapped out the connectors to make inspectors happy. Yeah, they should have known the official, dumb rules, but they redid the work on their own dime.

Importantly for us, PAP adhered to the schedule they gave us of when the sewer would be out of commission (6 hours on one day).

Bottom line: for this significant repair job and the previous heater repair, Palo Alto Plumbing delivered both excellent and economical service, worthy of a 5-star rating.

Max serviced my furnace and noticed issues with my water heater. Phil was here today and serviced my water heater. All this within one week, the office staff is responsive to calls for appointments, they have pleasant talented service techs and do clean, quality repairs. I have them on my calendar for an annual service next year!

I'd like to offer a strong recommendation for Palo Alto Plumbing-Heating-Air Conditioning.  They solved our MAJOR plumbing problem and got us back to functionality promptly - we had a deteriorated/breached sewer line, under a living-space slab foundation, which is what I would consider one of the worst plumbing nightmares a homeowner can have!  We were skeptical of our first plumber's assessment, and sought other opinions.  Palo Alto Plumbing's Christine was our first contact and she handled all inquiries with clear and helpful communications throughout the process.  Max Jr. responded promptly to assess our situation onsite, and we found him realistic and trustworthy.  The repair was begun and completed as promised by Jacob and Phil - they were diligent and smart about what they were dealing with and pleasant to have working in the house under very disruptive conditions.  These plumbers are very experienced and handled our repair with good judgment, involving us in the decision-making as it went along, making it possible for us to feel confident that the repair was done properly.  We will call on them for all future plumbing and HVAC needs!

There are two pieces of advice that I offer for those going through this type of repair.  Buy plastic with blue tape and seal off the entire work space carefully and completely - the plumbers were respectful or our property but they can't control all of the dust and mess and they need room to work, plus ventilation.  The second thing is to line up a foundation contractor ahead of time to complete the repair - the plumbers secure their work, then backfill and install rebar, but they don't do the concrete work.

On one of the hottest days in the bay area I called Palo Alto Plumbing to reinstall my ac unit and the owner of the company said his guys were all busy but would come out and help us. Within hrs he had our ac unit working and our house to 65 degree's. Max is extremely professional and I don't know many owners that would personally come out to help someone in need on a Sat. I would recommend Palo Alto Plumbing there service is beyond amazing. Really appreciate there hard work and values.

Our furnace stopped working a bit before 5 PM on this cold Friday afternoon.  I called two companies that took a long time to say they could come next week.  Then found Palo Alto Plumbing on the web.  The woman who answered the phone was intelligent, polite and understood my problem.  She quickly came back to say they could have a technician come to our home within the hour.  The technician was extremely professional and obviously very skilled.  He found and fixed the problem (a faulty transformer) quickly.  He also made the effort  to make sure everything was working properly.  I am really grateful for the top notch service and could not recommend them more highly.

I think we've got to give these guys three stars just because of the variance in the service we've received.  Once we had to have our water heater replaced and they were outstanding -- fair price, super fast, and great work.  On other occasions we've had them out to clear lines in our house that have backed up. Sometimes the service is spectacular -- really terrific. Other times, the service has been substandard. I think it has a lot to do with who they send out. We've had the owner/manager and his son out and they have been exceptional.  Other employees haven't lived up to the standard the two of them set though.

Still, these guys are one of the only 24 hour plumbing games in town and we've used them a number of times with great success.

We would use them again after hours if needed.

Another missed appointment review. Taking off work in the afternoon, I had a 2-hour window for their plumber to come by. At an hour and a half in, I called to find out where the plumber was and was told that they showed up, but said that I didn't live there. Obviously, the plumber made a mistake and showed up at the wrong house. The person on the phone said that the plumber called, but I have no record on my phone nor any voice mail to indicate such. When asked for a discount should I choose to reschedule, the person on the phone could make no guarantee, nor did she sound sorry for the missed appointment. Take your business elsewhere.

Update: 4/20/11

First off, I did provide the correct address. Secondly, ASSUMING which address to go to is just a bad business practice. Thirdly, not calling to confirm which address to be at is just dumb.

WORST Customer Service EVER.  We used to use Dahl plumbing and it was bought by this company.  They used to do a good job at a fair rate but after PA plumbing took over, they raised the rates.  We decided to continue using them because of our history and due to the fact that their technician was familiar with our site.  Each year the pricing gets higher and this year is my last experience with them.  
    On site the technician replaced a part for me but didn't tell me I was going to get charged for an additional HOUR ($110) of labor.  I had negotiated a flat rate for the maintenance service  (my own fault), hoping I could save money but I was actually paying them more because he did the job in 2hours (would have cost me $220), but because I had already agreed to the $290 flat fee I was overpaying by $70.  I didn't have a problem with that, because we had agreed on the flate rate.  
    What I had a problem with is they charged me another $110, claiming to change out the control board (which the technician did in the 2 hour time I was already overpaying for), they were going to charge me an additional hour!!  I was NOT told by the tech there was going to be another labor charge on top of our agreed upon flate rate. This is unethical, dishonest, and unfair. When I talked to their owner about it, he had a major attitude and said the extra one hour charge was a minimum.  I can understand if you have a minimum for onsite work, but I am ALREADY PAYING YOU $290, which would be nearly 3 HOURS of work, so his pathetic attempt to justify the $110 as an onsite minimum is ridiculous.  So in short, I am paying $400 for a job that was done in 2 hours.
   I will NEVER use this company again.  Stay away if you don't want to get ripped off.

Earlier this month, Palo Alto Plumbing repaired our shower faucet cartridge.  The charge: $315.00.  There were two screw covers the plumber had a hard time replacing so he suggested that he order new ones.  

In the meantime, the shower faucet began to intermittently groan when we turned on the water.  I called to ask that someone come out to check the problem and asked whether the screw covers had come in.  Turned out they were unavailable so the dispatcher suggested that they just be put back on.

I said, great, when the plumber comes out to check the problem with the shower, he can replace those covers.  Long story short, the shower made no noise when he tried to duplicate the problem we were having.  He replaced the plastic screw covers and I got a bill for $27.50.

I've had many, many dealings with plumbers, appliance repair people, electricians.  In my experience, the screw covers would have been replaced as part of the original job.  No new bill.  No new charge.  And we would have been encouraged to call again if we continued to have problems with the shower.

I will have to work with them to fix the original repair, but I will not call them for anything else.  Nickel and dime-ing customers makes no sense in the long run.

They lost a customer.

I wanted an estimate and after 1.5 weeks and me emailing and calling they said they couldn't do it because they couldn't get a quote from a major carrier-- they would have to pass. They recommended a heater and i wanted a different one and he gave me a condescending smile and then left. I did have a good experience with one of their guys but NOT the owner

I had a water heater replaced  on a Saturday. They charged $167.00 an hour. The water heater was under warranty I was responsible for the labor. The man was fine that did the work. It took 1 1/2 hours.  Two days later I got a call and the woman said I had to pay another $125.00 because they replaced my (warrantied) water heater with a new one that had mandated parts which was different from my replaced heater. I said I did not think that was a fair request. She also said they were billing me for two hours, not the 1 1/2 I discussed with James the installer. She could not have been ruder. She had the water heater distributor call me and the owner of Palo Alto Plumbing. The owner was obnoxious. I do not recommed this business.

We had a broken line near the irrigation controller. The irrigation manifold/ solenoids/ valves/ wiring were exposed at the bottom of a box, set into the ground. To repair the pipe, it was necessary to pull the box out of the ground.

The guys came out on the weekend (time and a half) and capped the leak. The idea was that they would come back during ordinary working hours to do the permanent repair. Nice for them to be sensitive to the costs, and much appreciated.

The finished repair was also well done. When they put pressure back on the pipe, they wanted to leave the hole open for a day to make sure there were no leaks. They were going to send someone around the next day to close the hole. So far, no complaints. Friendly guys, competent work.

Well, they did close the hole. The box was pretty much sitting on top of the ground, the irrigation components mostly covered with mud, just a few of the wires sticking out. I thought of calling them to make it right, but I have zero confidence that they would dig out around these components by hand to properly reset the box. More than likely, they would have done it with a shovel and destroyed at least the wiring and likely as not some of the other components as well. So I did it myself.

I begin to understand how the elderly, infirm, and naive get taken advantage of.

I had sold a home and ran into a last minute problem that occurred in the home inspection.  I called Palo Alto Plumbing & Heating and Max, on a Thursday at 6:30 pm, was there on time.  He was able to diagnose the problem that night.

Honest, reliable and reasonably priced.  Very happy.

My 10 year old Water Heater went out on a weds night, and I called PA Plumbing the very next morning (they were recommended by a friend).  Hannah was very nice and helpful on the phone, and offered her first available appt for the following monday.  I mentioned that it was leaking all over the stand and floor too, and was hoping that I could get it replaced that very evening.  Well, Hannah made it happen, and next thing I know, delightful Phil showed up at my house.  Phil was so pleasant and personable, and had a smile the entire time.  He was fast and efficient, and I appreciate all that they did for me.

On time, great service, pleasant  and knowable about what and why the heater  needed to be repaired . Great guy, Hime was fast and clean.

Plummer technician max jr was awesome! Gave them a call in the morning to see if they can swing by to check my non heating water heater and came thru at a convenient time for me later that day. Fast and friendly service. Came checked my water heater found out what was wrong and 30mins later fixed! So glad I got running hot water again! Wouldn't hesitate to use this company again! If I could give 10 stars I would.

Dustin came out promptly and did an awesome job. We had an issue with the kitchen sink. Another plumber had taken a look and wanted to do an expensive replacement of the whole sink. Dustin was able to fix it for much less, and had to go to the extra trouble of ordering a nonstandard part. Super satisfied, will always call these guys in the future.

Called PA Plumbing yesterday and they got a plumber out on my schedule the next day. Jacob and Rico connected a couple of appliances for me. Professional, knowledgable and courteous. Found a leak in an unrelated area and fixed that. Lucky for me I called Palo Alto Plumbing. Great service!

Palo Alto Plumbing, which merged with/bought Dahl, handled a furnace issue for me this week.  They came to the house promptly to analyze the problem, diagnosed it quickloy, and recommended a fix.  They could have easily told me I needed a new furnace, but they didn't.  Needed a part, which only took a few days, and the furnace is up and running.  I'd recommend them.

Excellent service from Jaime, Max, Max Jr. and Randy as well as their office staff. We had our central AC fail; Jaime came out and diagnosed the problem (failed compressor) and described the available choices. Then we received a fair quote from Max for a new outdoor unit, accepted it with a date 6 days out, and then they called 2 days later and said they could do it immediately! Job was done perfectly and professionally - couldn't be more pleased

I have used Palo Alto Plumbing in the past to service my gas furnace. Finally time had come to fire it up again this year. I did some DIY maintenance, but noticed that only 3 of the 5 burners fired when I turned on the heat. Called at 5:15 fully expecting the answering machine - Max answered while on the road, I explained the situation, he told me how to fix the problem, @5:25 all 5 burners firing - you can't get better free, spot-on, after hours support than that!

Been a customer since this business began, and I live in an old house that deserves good plumbing attention. Max, his sons and his other long-time employees have always done first-rate work, given good advice on how to get things done efficiently - and they always can be counted on to get here fast when there's a plumbing emergency. They clean our old sewer-drain lines regularly as well. Max  copper-repiped our place lots of years ago. Highly recommended.

MMarv, Los Altos

Had an emergency leak of my air conditioning unit over the weekend and called Palo Alto Plumbing Heating and Air.  Max, the owner, answered immediately and was there Sunday morning at 10 am.  He was extremely friendly, professional, helpful, telling me the exact problem.  His honesty, integrity and willingness to come on a weekend was so much appreciated.  I will call him for any and all future problems with my a/c or heating and highly recommend him to all.

I have CO leakage for the water heater in the garage around 6:00 am in the morning.  I called Palo Alto Heating and Plumbing at 8:00 am when they opened.  The receptionist, Danielle, was on the line and told me that they were fully booked the day, in addition, someone called in sick, so it was impossible for her to schedule any more appointment for the day.  But when I repeated that I had CO leakage, she changed right away and told me that she would check and called me back.  After 20 minutes, she really called back and gave me an appointment at 10:00 am.
At 10:00 am, the technician Joe came.  He diagnosed the problem and found out that the cap at the roof was damaged and there was not enough air for combustion.  He went out and bought a new cap to replace.  Before he left, he checked all the gas appliances in my house to make sure there is no leakage.  He also checked all the air in the house to make sure the air is safe.  All and all, it took him close to 2 hours - including the trip to the store to buy the part - to fix the problem.  The total cost : $130 including parts.
This is the first time that I work with them.  I am really impressed by the quality and professionalism of their work.  Joe is fast, knowledgeable and courteous.  He explained to me the problem. and what he was going to do.  Even more important is that he is very thorough - going through all the gas appliances and checking out the air quality.  Very important, the price is very reasonable.  I called other contractors before, both licensed and unlicensed, for other work, thinking that businesses in Palo Alto must be more expensive.  However, this is wrong.  I paid more to other contractors, both licensed and unlicensed from other areas.  Honestly, I cannot remember the last time that I paid a contractor less than $200 for any simple job.
Last but not the least.  The receptionist, Danielle, is really nice. She cared and took the trouble to re-schedule everything to put me in once she knew it was CO leakage, even if that was the first time I talked to her.  She must be very efficient - how can someone just re-schedule a fully booked schedule when all the technicians are out on the field is beyond me.  
All in all, a very good local business with a team of professionals who really care for you, in addition to providing excellent service at outstanding price.  Will definitely use them again and refer to my friends.

As a first time home buyer, I didn't know what to think when the house inspector suggested I have a licensed plumber come out to assess the pipes and HVAC.  On the recommendation from my realtor, I called Palo Alto Plumbing.  Max (the owner) came out.  He clearly knows code, and he gave me a very straight forward, honest assessment of various plumbing concerns.  He pointed out positives, too, though it turns out there were far more negatives than positives for the property.  He was personable, and he seemed to want to help me. Ultimately, he helped us make the decision not to buy the house, and I couldn't be more grateful.

A simple call to fix a house A/C system turned into a customer service nightmare. They are so busy apparently because of the location, they do not really care about individual clients. My A/C quit on the hottest day this year so far; the company charges almost $200 an hour for an overtime visit; any visit in a reasonable time frame (when you are not working and can be at home) is considered overtime, weekends included. The tech came as scheduled few days after I called and replaced an air filter which he admitted was ok but as a precaution he changed it, since its only $15. Then he told me that I need to basically replace entire AC system (brand new house so I doubt his advice). His suggestion required another visit for 2 people and many hours of work. I reluctantly agreed since I do not have time to argue and get a second opinion; because the company gives 5 hours window - I asked them to call me before the tech comes. The technician did call me but I missed the call and tried to call him back within 2 minutes. I've been calling him and leaving messages for a week, no answer. Today, of course, I got a hefty bill for all the work done. So result of this ordeal of the service: A/C not fixed, don't know whats wrong with it, no work was done and a huge bill presented. Talking to the girl that answers the general phone line and reasoning with her would cause the bill to multiple, even though she is polite and was really apologetic - but the bottom line is almost no work was performed while expensive and the AC still does not work. My humble advise - find someone who is less busy and can care about getting the job done, instead of extracting money with minimum or no work but so many excuses and apologies.

I had a problem with the water filter on my refrigerator that popped off and caused a flood in our kitchen. Palo Alto Plumbing sent Joe Sanchez  who is hands off the BEST at what he does. He actually tethered the filter to the wall so it doesn't move when the fridge is moved and put in a flexible line. But in addition to being really knowledgeable and good at what he does, he's a great and friendly guy - superb customer service - and I highly recommend him (and Palo Alto Plumbing) for any plumbing, heating or air job.

I had gas leak in my home.  Since my home has a cement slab foundation there isn't any repair you can do.  We had to get the whole house re-piped.

I called a few different plumbng companies but went with Palo Alto Plumbing because I liked the level of detail I was giving when getting my estimate and the price was good.  They weren't the cheapest and they weren't the most expensive.  The other guys just didn't seem like they knew what they were talking about.

The actual work was estimated to take two days and that's what it took.  The two plumbers sent to do the work were courteous, professional, and careful not to track dirt into the house.

I would recommend Palo Alto Plumber in the future.

I've had two occasions to have the pleasure work with Palo Alto Plumbing, in both cases Nicole coordinated everyone perfectly such that they showed up the day I called, and at the time they said they would.  Max wrote us an estimate for a new water heater, and Joe came out to fix a leak in our hot water main. All were very pleasant and answered any questions I had. It was all very simple, the way that you want it to be. Thanks!

They charged me 1.5 hour labor for changing a washer in a faucet, at $116 per hour.  That included the technician going away for half an hour to pickup the washer and 10 minutes for writing the bill.

I used PA Plumbing to install a central air heating system and was disappointed. I would not use them again. Max the owner sold me on the company by saying that unlike other companies, they have staff workers (not contractors hired just for the job) and even though their prices were not the cheapest, they did quality work. So far so good, and Max seemed like a good guy. He was even willing to work with me on the price of the bid. Well, I think they must have sent the B team because I was not impressed with the way they worked or the end result. I had to call them to clean up the mess from installing vents in the ceiling - wood shavings all over the floor in every room. Then, the city inspector pointed out several problems that they had to come back to fix, which he said are very standard requirements and was surprised that any company would miss. They did come back willingly, but I did not get the value-added product that I was promised. Living with the system for two years now, I see that the heat distribution in the house is uneven, and another company told me the return for the system is too high in the vaulted ceiling so the hot air never makes it down to the main part of the room, which means more energy used for lower effectiveness. In short, my guess is that Max knows his stuff but his crew may be more hit or miss. If you use them, you may want to ask who they are sending because one of the workers looked about 20 and looked like he would rather be listening to his iPod than bothering about our heating system.

In 2009 we purchased a new Carrier heating system from John F. Dahl, which is no longer in business.  We are very happy with the heating new system.  In Fall 2010 we needed to change out the air filter, so I turned to the heating company which assumed the Dahl phone number, Palo Alto Plumbing, Heating and Air.  I ordered the filter over the phone and went to pick it up.  I nearly fell over when I heard the price (knowing it was essentially made of inexpensive materials and mass produced).  I asked how one air filter could possibly cost $65.60 and did not get a satisfactory answer.  This year I went in search of a new source online. Yippee!  I found them for $17 each.   The lesson is ALWAYS look online before ordering anything, and NEVER order a filter from this company.

We called Palo Alto Plumbing when the toilets in our house started working backwards. Jake and Joe did a full walk through to make sure that they understood exactly what the problem was, explained their plan, then got to work. They were professional, courteous, thorough, and determined. (It was NOT an easy job.) They worked for hours, finding one problem after another, and just kept going til they fixed the system. That wasn't the end though. They cleaned up, saying that they were not done until no one could tell that they'd been there at all. Amazing. We will be sure to call Palo Alto Plumbing again when we have any plumbing problems in the house.

We called Palo Alto Plumbing Heating & Air tonight, a Sunday at 5 pm. We needed the thermocouple replaced on our water heater. The owner answered the phone and came out and fixed the problem all within 90 minutes. I really appreciated the quick service. And the price was reasonable, too. I always like to pick a locally-based company whenever I can and I will definitely call this company again based on our service tonight.

Satisfied for 5 years on HW heater, faucet leaks, AC annual maintenance. These guys are intelligent and professional. They *think* before making repairs. They know their stuff. (Example: Servicing my HVAC for the first time, they saw the installer had failed to activate the Two Stage feature that kicks the furnace into overdrive when needed). For 6 years the prior service guys had never said anything. And they show up when promised.

I was at a loss when my old, reliable plumber retired, but someone recommended I call Palo Alto Plumbing. Kyle was on time, efficient, polite and cleaned everything up after he finished installing my new kitchen faucet. I would definitely call this company again - and ask that they send Kyle.

As an estate manager to a large residence in Woodside, I deal with many contractors and complex plumbing issues with hight end appliances.  I have used Palo Alto Plumbing on several occasions, mostly all for emergency situations (when my own contractors were not reliable enough to count on!)......They have SAVED me the wrath of an angry homeowner as they always come through with top quality customer service, responsiveness and quality of work.  They pick up the phone 24/7 and have NEVER let me down! I have called them many times, after hours and late into the night. They are pleasant to work with and have always done everything to accommodate a demanding schedule. Their technicians are knowledgeable on high end appliances which is hard to find with an after hours emergency company. I appreciate their willingness to get the job done....regardless  of the situation or time of day. It is because of their responsiveness and quality of work that Palo Alto plumbing has become my go to contact for any plumbing issue. I have recommended them to several homeowners in the area and I have never had one complaint. THANK YOU Palo Alto Plumbing for making my job.....and my life much easier! I would recommend them a million times over and am very appreciative for the work they have done.

Throughout various residential plumbing issues over the years I have received consistent, exceptional service from the initial appointment gals (thank you Nicole), to our favorite professional technician Joe(!), and Max the owner.  I have never once felt any service was overcharged.  Very honest and reliable.

I want to tell you that this company is a gem.  The quality of their work is very high, very thorough and reasonably priced.  From the guy who owns the show, Max, to his able office manager, to the men doing the work, their performance is a first rate, and in my experience, rare.  They are responsive, amazingly helpful, well trained and nice to work with.  From a small repair of a sink drain to the replacement of my 400 pound HVAC system, with specialty crane and a team of men, they were great from start to finish.  I can't recommend them highly enough.

We called Palo Alto Plumbing for a leaky kitchen faucet.  Joe arrived early (1st star!), figured out the problem in about 2 minutes (2nd star), replaced the faucet in about 45 minutes (3rd star), was extremely professional (4th star) and neat (5th star).  We'll definitely call again if we have any more issues.

I've only had good experiences with Palo Alto plumbing. When we've had problems, they've shown up promptly, fixed the problems correctly, and charged us the amounts that we expected. They're definitely not the cheapest (we realize that we're paying for their Palo Alto rent), but their staff knows what they're doing and charges you fairly.

Our Navien tankless water heater suddenly stopped working and we called Palo Alto Plumbing.  Frank, our technician, was prompt, courteous and persevered until it was fixed and that we had hot water/steam again in our house.  Our temperature still didnt seem quite right and he was back again to test it out for us and corrected it.  Frank was always right on time and did what he promised.  Nicole was also very nice to us and scheduled our appts to fit our needs.

I don't usually write reviews, but I have to warn people against this company.  I had an issue with my shower and someone came out to take a look.  He told me he needed to order a part to fix it and took a few pictures.  Days later, I called to follow up and he said he needed a model number.  Um, why didn't you write that down when you were here?  So I gave him all the numbers I could find on the shower.  A few days later I called to see when the part was arriving and I was told any day.  I called again a few days later and was told it was never ordered because none of the numbers I gave were the model number.  So now it's 2 weeks I've gone without my shower and they've been dragging their feet on this.  The only reason anything was happening was because I was following up.  They never returned my calls.  Finally I called another company who helped me figure out that the guy who originally came to fix my shower got the brand wrong, so no wonder the model number wasn't working for him.  Long story short, I had to educate myself and talk to several other plumbers, find and order the part myself, and call a different company to get it fixed.  These guys have the worst customer service, zero follow through, and people who lie on the phone.  Please use any other company.  Mike at He man plumbing was amazing whenever I called him and Guy Plumbing was amazing as well.  For the record, the guy from PA Plumbing who was so terribly unhelpful and basically ditched my problem was named Max.  Don't ever use him or this company.

This company does outstanding work.  Unfortunately, you do not pay them at the time of service.  You are billed.  Our bill charged us for 25% more time than they were actually at our home.  You definitely need to verify with the people who come, what time they have and when they leave, what time they have.  Great plumbing work, but questionable billing practices.

I'd like to provide a summary of my experiences with Palo Alto Plumbing.  We purchased a home and soon after moving in heard what sounded like a clicking or dripping sound that could be heard from the vent in one of the bathrooms.  Having had a number of bad experiences with leaks/water damage, I called Palo Alto Plumbing to come by to assess it.   Max Jr came by, was on time, and spent some time listening to the sound.  His diagnosis was expansion of the pipes against the beams in the ceiling.  He showed me that the water meter was not moving and explained there was no leak.  It turns out that he was correct that there was no leak, but it turns out that the sound was coming from a flap in the ceiling vent fan mechanism which I subsequently got fixed.  The sound was not due to pipes expanding.  During this visit, I also pointed out to Max Jr that my shut-off for the main water flow to the house was not turning off the water fully.  He suggested I make another appointment, which I did.  Max Jr. came back about a week later and soldered a new section of copper pipe and valve for the shut-off.  I noticed shortly after that that the pressure in the shower seemed less than it had been but thought that maybe he had also adjusted the pressure mechanism.  I also noticed that ground was very wet near the main pipes where the shutoff was fixed but there was a lot of foliage there and it wasn't clear how bad it was.  A couple of weeks later, after clearing things out more in the area I realized I had a big problem as there was a fair amount of standing water and water was running in the area.  Thinking it was a problem with the irrigation system, I had an irrigation guy come by, he dug it out and I was shocked to see that about 6 inches below where the new pipe was soldered in by Max Jr, there was a connection to PVC and the where the copper and PVC joint was, was spraying water in all directions.  I got the water turned off and called Palo Alto Plumbing right away (about 10 am).  I spoke to a woman (Nicole?) who was very nice and said she'd get someone out as soon as possible.  Max Jr came back out at about 3pm that afternoon (a Friday) and said it was not a warranty issue because the pipe he soldered in had nothing to do with the leaking PVC below it.  I told him I thought it might have melted the PVC but he said it was a coincidence and that the PVC could go at any time.  So, I paid to have someone else from Palo Alto Plumbing come out a few hours later, at time and half, and fix the problem.  He was nice and quick about it and so far so good in terms of the leak. Unfortunately, the fix also threw pvc pieces into my irrigation system, so I had to get the irrigation buy back out to clean the system out since it was leaking.  We got the 1st water bill that was impacted by the leak and found a major spike that occurred during the time frame of the original soldering, where we used 500 gallons/day during the billing period.  We're waiting on the next water bill that will be worse.  Hopefully that will be the end of it!

One Saturday, our furnace pilot light kept going out. We perused the review lists, and were pleasantly surprise that Palo Alto Plumbing had weekend service. James, the technician they sent was extremely knowledgeable, efficient, and pleasant. He was meticulous all the way around, explaining in detail what needed to be done. Unlike other plumbers who put in the water heater, he checked both the water heater and furnace for carbon monoxide leaks, finding that the flu pipe on the water heater was completely rusted out--it was gone and leaking carbon monoxide. Since we do not own the house, we had the major items fixed and checked with the owner for the other recommended work. James gave us his mobile number which we used; he was glad to help us out. Afterwards, we had James back to complete the items we cleared with the owner. I highly recommend Palo Alto Plumbing, Heating & Air without any reservations.