Description

Whether your plumbing and heating system predates the Great Chicago fire or was installed yesterday, Kuhn Plumbing knows how your plumbing and heating should operate. Whether it is your house, apartment or business, our trained staff will locate the problem and repair it promptly. We offer emergency service calls and a flexible appointment schedule. Residential and Commercial Plumbing, Sewer and Drain, Steam and Hot Water Heating

HISTORY

Established in 1908.
Kuhn Plumbing and Heating is one of Chicago's oldest family owned plumbing, heating and sewerage businesses. Established in 1908, Kuhn Plumbing serviced Chicago under the Kuhn family and the leadership of plumbing contractor, Edward T. Kuhn. In 2005, long time and loyal employees, Timothy, Daniel and Patrick Kane formed Kane Family Plumbing Corporation to operate as Kuhn Plumbing. Although the ownership of the business has changed throughout the century, the tradition of service has remained the same.

ABOUT BUSINESS OWNER

Timothy Kane is a fully licensed and insured plumber working for Kuhn Plumbing since February 1977. He completed the four year apprenticeship/license program through Local 130 and then continued to offer over 30 years of in the field service work. Through this, Timothy developed an expansive and intimate knowledge of Chicago's plumbing systems before assuming plumbing contractor responsibilities in 2006.

Reviews

Tony M.

12/24/2022

Our steam boiler wasn't turning on this morning. (Also yesterday morning, and we had our usual company come and fix it). Our usual company wasn't answering their so-called 24 hour phone line, so I called Kuhn Plumbing. They answered the phone, had someone out here in just over an hour, on Saturday, Christmas Eve, when it was 8° out. He fixed the problem (which was unrelated to yesterday's issue, so not complaining about our usual service, except for them not answering the phone) in 45 minutes, and was awesome. Thank you, Kuhn Plumbing and your tech, James.

Ben B.

02/10/2022 12:00:00 SA

Worst customer service I've ever received on the phone. I called today to inquire about an appointment, explaining I have a leak in my ceiling.

The guy quoted their rate - $198 for the first 30 minutes, $48 for every 15 minutes thereafter.

I started explaining the issue and rather than listen to me, this guy stopped me and said, You're giving me too much information.

After hearing the rates, I said, I understand every case is different, but do you expect a job like this is like a 2-hour job or a 10-hour job? Just trying to understand.

And this guy says, I don't expect anything. And then silence.

So I kindly invite this gentleman to ask one of his plumbers to inspect how his own head got so far shoved up his butt.

If you want rude phone service and a terrible attitude from someone who sounds like he's in a snit over getting eliminated on RuPaul's Drag Race, call Kuhn!

Ross E.

11/06/2022 12:00:00 SA

Kühn has been our go to plumbers for 20+ years. They are reliable and trustworthy. They provide great service and communicate clearly. We have used them for all sorts of projects both large and small.

Caitlin M.

8/28/2021

Kuhn came out to help us out when our sewer line backed up. Turned out to be tree roots. They were very knowledgeable and friendly. But pricey. I guess you get what you pay for here. I trust their work so I will probably use them again.

John E.

3/23/2022

I had yet another positive experience with this company working on the residential plumbing of our owner-occupied 2-unit building. I initially called for a repair needed for our tennant's kitchen sink drain. They just happened to have Marty available at mid-day (he had worked at our property before so this was ideal). He fixed the sink drain in short order, then checked out rough-in for a new toilet we wanted for our third floor bathroom. They had the model we wanted and Marty installed it the next day, as well as replacing the lift spout on the shower to reduce noise. It is such a relief to have these improvements done with skill and cordiality.

Trent R.

7/27/2020

Have had them out twice now. Both times to fix problems due to proper installation from a previous owner. First time was to extend the collar where the toilet meets the floor, and second to fix where the sink drain pipe had come disconnected from the trap.

The second problem was last week. I called at 12:30, Nick was here by 1:30, and done by 2:30. Couldn't have been nicer, and did a great job!

I don't remember the first guy's name, but he was equally as nice.

I would recommend Kuhn to anyone who will listen.

Thanks!!!

Christa C.

8/22/2019

Hired this company for plumbing needs in my condo in August 2019.

The good: very prompt response by email, scheduled me right away, willing to work in a high rise building (many companies do not like to work in high rises), fixed my plumbing issues

Why 3 stars? I thought the pricing was too high, especially because the plumber had to leave for 1 hour to grab additional parts and I was charged the same rate ($188 per hour) while he traveled to and from the shop. While I was told the clock would keep running when he left beforehand, I did not think it would be the same rate. I was also disappointed it took over 2 weeks to process my payment and provide me my receipt.

Kris L.

5/22/2019

I recently tried another plumber service when I had used Kuhn Plumbing for a multitude of projects big and small in the past. I wanted to save money. Well, you get what you pay for. I made a mistake.

Kuhn Plumbing provides HIGH QUALITY AND EFFICIENT SERVICE. They have a PROFESSIONAL AND RESPECTFUL PLUMBERS. They are able to diagnose problems easily and then achieve success fixing them.

I am sorry, Kuhn's, that I did not use your services recently. I will not make the same mistake twice. And I didn't end up saving that much money in the long run.

Julie D.

03/04/2019 12:00:00 SA

My husband and I were in a real bind this morning and decided to choose Kuhn Plumbing as they had excellent reviews and were located in our neighborhood. The customer service from the get go was excellent and the man who did the scheduling was very helpful in understanding the nature of our emergency.
Within a couple short hours we were greeted by Ryan who made us feel at ease from beginning to end.
He was confident, professional, honest and overall a very genuine human being. My husband and I highly recommend Kuhn plumbing and especially Ryan. Thanks again

June F.

1/18/2021

Extremely happy with Kuhn, particularly as it was after hours on a Friday night. I left a voicemail on their emergency line and received a prompt phone call back. A plumber was at my house within 30 minutes, and issues resolved in another 45 minutes. Tommy was very professional, respectful of COVID safety and efficient. A little pricy, but it was after hours after all and service provided was top notch.

Giselle R.

08/07/2020 12:00:00 SA

As a long standing client I can attest to the professionalism of the Kuhn Plumbing team beginning with expedient and efficient scheduling by Andrew and Mike to the intelligent diagnostics by James and Nate and finally the superb Plumbing work despite any challenges and complexities by Nate and Marty. No Runs No Drips No Errors!! Excellent Plumbing!

Daphne H.

6/17/2019

We own a 70 year old town house on the north side of Chicago. Kuhn have been our go-to plumbers for a wide variety of issues from servicing our radiant heating system to the city pumping sediment into our house (while a new building was built nearby) to aging galvanized pipes. Their guys are always courteous, professional and knowledgeable and I know they will fix any problem that arises.

Jennifer K.

5/24/2016

Since my first review was removed by yelp, let's try again.

the positives: Kuhn has friendly staff who promptly responds to calls. Also, they begrudgingly gave us a small token refund after it took three trips to fix a sump pump issue which in the end cost us as much as a new one.

So heed my warning: if you are going to consider doing business with Kuhn, first, make sure to get competitive quotes. Their hourly rate is quite high. And second, do your due diligence when engaging their services by asking questions and not just taking what they say at face value.

Kat L.

10/25/2015

Bottom line: I paid $190 to have a $1.20 washer replaced and it took 15 minutes of the tech's time.

Yes, they quoted $150 while making the appointment, so spare me the comments from the business owner, however that price was based on replacing the internal components of the toilet to prevent the issue from happening again - not replacing one tiny piece that will fail again and require future, costly, visits.

Judging from other Yelp reviews, this BS is standard business for this company.

Jason R.

1/16/2015

I contacted Kuhn to replace a leaky/frozen water spigot on an old house. My landlord is an old Polish lady that doesn't communicate well in English sometimes.

One guy came out the first day (for around 3 hours?) and thawed out the pipe. He said that since it was an old house and the pipe went into the wall about 12 inches, he needed to access the pipe from the inside to change it out.

I will admit that the other side of that wall is a kitchen cabinet, and it wouldn't be that easy to get to. ****

He comes back the next day with another guy. They cut an access hole through my cabinet and into my wall to get to the pipe. It is fixed in less than 4 hours.

The bill comes. $120 per for guy #1 and $174 per hour for guy #2. Yes, that is a combined $294 per hour for 2 plumbers to change a water spigot. The total bill was over $1400. Over $1400 to change a part that couldn't cost more than $80.

I will say that the quality of work is fine - I just think $1400+ is a little much for that type of job. The job was only about 0.2 miles from their office - and this is an old lady on a fixed income. I feel bad for setting her up with them.

John D.

06/10/2018 12:00:00 SA

These guys left our building with inadequate water pressure after we paid them over $2000 to restore our pressure. Then they had the audacity to charge me another $200 service call to come fix the pressure after the first $2000 didn't get the job done and had the extra gumption to threaten a collection agency because I was disheartened by the new $200 bill. I tell everyone I know on Facebook and otherwise what a bad business this is.

Eugene G.

01/10/2014 12:00:00 SA

Recently I had a problem with my sump pump battery backup and I called the folks at Kuhn and they made a number of trips to my house to try and diagnose the problem. It turns out the backup unit had be sent to the manufacturer for warranty work. Tim from Kuhn was in constant contact with me as well as the manufacturer to see when it will be done. He was very consistant with his messages to me as well as VERY firm with the manufacturer in that their delay was impacting HIS customer.

Today, with the expected thaw from all the snow we received, there was a power outage at my house. I called TIm from Kuhn and told him of my situation and within 1 hour, he had somebody at my house with a replacement battery backup unit, even though my original unit was still being repaired. This is excellent service given the fact that he had many calls for busted pipes due to the reccent cold snap.

I have used Kuhn for other project at my house and found them to be knowledgable and extremely straightforward with what they recommend. I can call them and know the job will be handled with no corners cut and in a way that give me peace of mind.

I would trust Kuhn with any plumbing job in my house, large or small. Call Kuhn Plumbing with confidence!!

Turner F.

2/18/2011

Kuhn has a policy of starting to bill as soon as their vehicle pulls up to your building, whether you know they are there or not.

Upon being told by phone that he could park behind the building, it took the plumber 15 minutes to do so, because there was a garbage truck in his way. Each 15 minutes is $41. Guess how much it cost me for the plumber to park--you guessed it, $41 extra.

The plumber they sent competently fixed the simple plumbing issue we were dealing with, but only after leaving sticky, muddy footprints the length of our apartment.

In total, a 25 minute job (time spent working) cost me $302 (initial call + $30 part + additional labor cost).

I will not be using kuhn again, nor will I recommend it to others.

Marilyn S.

7/19/2018

Nate has been to my condo twice and did a great job each time. Knowledgeable, efficient and doesn't waste any time. I've had some bad experiences with local plumbers and he is the best by far.

Patricia A.

3/22/2018

I continue to have great experiences working with Kuhn Plumbing. I found out I needed some updates and repairs to both bathrooms and the kitchen. For the first series of repairs Ryan came and was terrific. I scheduled another visit and Nick showed up and could not have been nicer. They both were patient and answered all my questions and went above and beyond the regular routine. Today, Nick showed me the repairs and updates. He walked me through it and explained what he did and why. I feel completely confident of their work and really appreciate it. I should be all set for quite awhile. Also, I know my condo management and the engineers like having them work here as well.

Russell F.

7/17/2014

I have used Kuhn a few times in the last year since moving to Chicago last summer. They did good work, but I thought their prices were high.
Last month they came out to replace a seal on a leaky toilet and they charged my wife $380 after the plumber spent 15 minutes in the house replacing a $10 seal. $380 is what most plumbers charge for installing a new toilet.
They also quoted us $7200 to replace a couple of 65 gallon hot water heaters. After shopping around, I found a highly rated local plumber who quoted us just over $3000 to install the same units.
Can you spell...ripoff.
Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me!!!!!!

Ken M.

06/04/2016 12:00:00 SA

I have worked with Kuhn for about ten years. Tonight, Saturday 5pm, I received a call from a customer who had water leaking out of the ceiling and walls. She agreed with me that we should call Kuhn's emergency number to have them come over and diagnose. When I called the number, none other than the lead plumber answered. He was just on his way to a wedding! He immediately adjusted his schedule to go to do this emergency service call. Very great company to work with.

Jennifer V.

02/12/2014 12:00:00 SA

I recently used Kuhn plumbing to fix my dripping shower and slow running toilet. James was great! He was kind, worked clean, and fixed my problems. He was also very thorough as he pointed out that my toilet was not bolted to the floor correctly and fixed that too. I am very happy with the work they did and I will use them again.

Brad G.

6/27/2015

Called to have a simple faucet repair...they came out...fixed it and then a few days later the faucet needed same repair! They are very expensive and don't stand behind their work. BEWARE!!!

Brian W.

02/09/2016 12:00:00 SA

These guys only care about making money. Completely over-charge for every small piece of advice, regardless of whether or not they do anything. There are a lot more honest plumbing companies to work with in the city who also charge fair prices and know what they're doing.

Jim R.

9/21/2011

I have just written a check to Kuhn Plumbing in the amount of $657.26 for repairing my dripping bathroom faucet. It took them two visits and I supplied all the parts , which I obtained from Kohler in Wisconsin. Kuhn's charges are all for labor. I understand that they charge by the hour, not by the job. Fair enough. What if it had taken them twice as long to fix the drip? Would they have charged $1,313.52? Where does it end? God help me if I ever have a big plumbing problem! Kuhn's bill reads: Your continuing support helps sustain our local economy in these hard economic times. Whose hard economic times is Kuhn referring to? Theirs? Or now mine!

Matt G.

10/22/2011

I have a Flushmate toilet, and Kuhn was listed on their website as a vendor, so when I started to have problems with mine I gave them a call. One of their plumbers comes out, and is reading the instructions, which concerned me a bit, and informs me to call Flushmate and have them send out the entire flush tank and assembly, as it's under warranty, and then they will come back and install it.
I follow his steps, and when I get the rep on the phone and describe the symptoms she explains that there is simply a flow control valve that needs to be removed, no replacement parts necessary. So I call back Kuhn, explain it to them, and they come back out, and sure enough they do exactly that and its working. Had the story ended here I'd have gone for 3-4 stars, as they should know these things, or should have done what they told me to do and call in, and save them, and myself, a second trip out.
Then the icing on the cake - I get a bill for the second visit! After the wave of frustration and anger wore off I call and explained the situation, and they called back and told me they were waving the bill, and offered me an apology, but the damage was done. I'm sorry, I'm not going to pay for your plumbers education.

P W.

06/05/2014 12:00:00 SA

Kuhn is not a bad plumbing company. They do good work. The problem I experienced was with their prices and billing. I have worked with enough plumbers to understand that plumbers are not cheap. I know that parts are marked up. The hourly rate, number of hours billed for the work done, and the amount of mark up for the parts was absurd. I was became frustrated also with the billing experience due to a warranty issue and bad communication.

Michael D.

02/03/2012 12:00:00 SA

The Kuhn plumber came when he said he would, did a great job of fixing two sump pumps, explained the repair/replacement, cleaned up, and did it with pride. The price was reasonable. What more can one ask?

Curt M.

11/26/2015

As a long time Owner of a small Century old Lakeview East Condo building we have seen many a plumber. From reasonably priced to expensive. And the experience level has run from rank Amateurs to experienced Journeyman. If you want to play games and take chances to save money, Kuhn isn't for you. If you have a problem and want it fixed correctly the 1st time, than Kuhn is who you call!

Joy F.

02/10/2013 12:00:00 SA

We have been using Kuhn for many years. We live in a pre-war building, so plumbing problems arise often. They are courteous, knowledgable and follow up on what is required. I highly recommend Kuhn to anyone. Joy F.

Cynthia M.

9/16/2014

Kuhn Plumbing is THE BEST. For many years it has provided us (100y/o+ house) with excellent work and perfect customer service. Has never failed!

Robert H.

7/29/2013

I am not at all satisfied with the performance of this business. The plumber had to come back twice to get the job finished. The man was here for eight hours. When I questioned the bill they told my he didn't stop for lunch. Sure. I was told what the cost per hour was, but then the shop sent a helper along with the plumber, and I had to pay extra for that guy. The rates are very high. I don't think my physician gets that much. If Kuhn was the last plumber on earth, I wouldn't call them. Don't you do it either.

Geoffrey G.

09/10/2011 12:00:00 SA

I have used Kuhn Plumbing services for several years at both my home and workplace. If you want an honest, professional service done right the first time this is the crew to use. A slow drip can do a lot of damage before you ever see it and something that doesn't work quite right makes me crazy. I don't mind paying a union rate for first rate work because when you pro-rate the cost over the years the work will last, it's pennies a day.

Linda G.

10/02/2013 12:00:00 SA

This spring, when Chicago had one of those big storms, we had some water coming into our basement through exterior wall because the outside trap in the gangway was flowing out, up into the gangway, (and then over our / through our old basement walls - some of this not a plumbing problem.) My neighbor's suggestion was Kuhn's Plumbing, whom we had used on and off for 35 years. They came at 10:30 at night, did a really huge rodding job in the rain outside, cleared the problem, and advised us that it actually came from the neighbor's plumbing pipest out to the city's pipes; they contacted the neighbor, and were back in the morning - and stayed till the job was complete. Six months later, so far, several rainstorms since, no problems. (I did not pay, so I cannot comment on price; but I would have paid almost anything for a job done properly under those circumstances.)

Doreen C.

11/19/2012

Kuhn did a great job they responded to our call within 24 hours. The plumber fixed the issue in a timely manner. You'll get top quality service at a premium cost.

Amanda E.

12/17/2012

Kuhn Plumbing does incomplete work and charges exorbitant fees. They misdiagnosed a problem with our boiler and their rep is rude and condescending. We will never use Kuhn again.

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