Lakeview Plumbing Company

Our water heater started leaking on a Sunday evening. We live in a mountain community whose population swelled during the pandemic, overwhelming all types of service industries, including plumbers. Calls to eight local firms on Monday morning were met with we're too busy or we're taking appointments for next month earliest. Except for Jerry at Lakeview Plumbing. His wife answered my call and promised he'd call back shortly, which he did. Although busy like other local professionals, Jerry asked questions about the details of the leak and promised to at least inspect it right away and determine a course of action, namely to repair or replace it. He arrived two hours later and within three days of the first leak, we have a new water heater, despite some challenges with a tight space and unusual original pipe placement. Jerry has long experience at mountain installations, is a good communicator and listener, and did a professional job for us. The total cost was reasonable and the response time was terrific. I'm happy to give Lakeview Plumbing a 5-star review.

As Jerry was hauling out his tools from under my house and finishing a pretty nasty job he did for me I asked him when he was going to retire (I am 63 and Jerry is a few years older than me). Jerry kind of chuckled and said:  Oh, they'll find me dead under a house, with a wrench in my hand.   I think that kind of sums up his commitment to getting the job done.  I have a downslope home (my house has a level entry from the street and is built down the hillside, following the grade of the mountain) and in the build-up, which is, in reality, three stories below street grade, there is a collection tank for all the waste water and there are two pumps which pushes the waste water up to the sewer line in the street.  The pumps alternate running as the float in the tanks indicate that it needs to be pumped out.  It's a good system and I am sure that many homes that are built downslope have the same kind of setup.  The one big problem is that the pumps can get clogged if the wrong thing is put down the drain.  In my household the issue is I take care of my step-mom, who has dementia and Alzheimer's, and I cannot get her to stop flushing hygienic wipes down the toilet.
The first time I called Jerry the pump alarm was going off and the waste water tank was overflowing.  Jerry deemed this an emergency situation and came right out.  He disconnected the one pump that was completely clogged and left the pump switch disabled, so that only the pump that was working would operate.  Emergency resolved, Jerry looked after his other non-emergency scheduled jobs and returned a few days later to remove the clog in the pump.  Jerry told me that it was the worse paper clog he had ever seen.  Gee, thanks.
Jerry got both pumps working again and we should have been done.  Should have, except for my step-mom.  A few months later same problem, only this time the affected pump was in worse shape.  Jerry was again able to get the whole system operational.
Then a week ago we were there again, only this time that one pump was completely burned out, again severely clogged with wipes.  I needed the pump replaced and after discussing the age of the good pump and the fact that it was over-working trying to push wipes through it I elected to have both pumps replaced.  Jerry was able to purchase pumps that are less prone to clogging, however I still have the issue of someone in my home not being able to remember to not put things down the drain that can clog the pumps.

Well, the point of this long story is that Jerry reacted to emergency situations and treated them as emergencies (with his prompt arrival at my home) and twice was able to repair things and get them working again, never trying to sell me something when he was able to get the system operational again, and only sold me new pumps when they had been abused to the point of complete breakdown.
Jerry has been in business a long time here in Truckee and he likely has seen and repaired just about everything.  He is very knowledgeable and I have to say he is a pretty doggone nice person, too.  There are other plumbers here and no doubt there other good ones.  Jerry is a great one.  Heck, he even told me some great roads I could go have fun on with my go-fast German coupe!  After 6 months and many visits to my home, I'd like to consider him a new friend, too

Wow were we in for a surprise!  What we were told was a 5 hour job turned in to 12+ hours.  Very friendly owner (Jerrie) and son (Ryan) explain exactly what they plan to do to install or repair plumbing in the house.  BUT.....Jerrie will go over all the details and set his son free to do the job.  Jerrie will come back to check on his work, ask him to redo stuff, take off to the store to get more supplies...all the while charging us for 2 plumbers at $190 an hour (even though we were told it was $128/hr)!  They don't show up when they say they will and when they do arrive they'll start the job, leave for the store or another project, come back again another day and inflate their hours.  On one occasion they charged us for 2 hours work when they were there for only 20 minutes.  Wow.....we DON'T recommend them unless you have lots of flexibility in your schedule and have lots of money to waste.

Jerry Gilmore of Lakeview Plumbing is great.    We have had difficulties with our Septic tank to Sewer pumping system for the last dozen years.    Two other plumbers worked on our system, however, our problems remained.    Jerry was able to determine and make several repairs for us.   We are very appreciative and highly recommend him to anyone.....especially those who have  difficult to solve plumbing problems!!

Called Jerry out on a holiday weekend. He was here within 30 minutes, we had a major water leak. Jerry completed the job super fast and explained what he was going to do before he began. He was very reasonable, especially considering the holiday weekend. Jerry is very professional and we will for sure use him again and highly recommend him. Thank you Jerry!

Jerry is an absolute delight to work with! He went above and beyond responding to an emergency we had with our sewage pump. He explained everything to us very patiently and worked to resolve the issue promptly and efficiently. He even followed up with us later that night to make sure the pump was working as expected. 5 out of 5 stars for Lakeview Plumbing!

Jerry saved my bacon when we were Februburied and my pipes broke.  Busiest time of year and he got me fixed and back to normal fast.  I live here year round and could not afford to be without water.

this plumber can not be trusted.  the bottom line almost tripled from the quote. Jerry, Jerry, Jerry, your mouth writes way bigger checks than you can cash... Parts charges were not itemized and the labor charges were absurd.  he charged 21 hours and it took 6 weeks.Almost forgot to mention they wrecks my steps and charges me $300 to fix them.This is not sour grapes it's trying to keep the mountain people of Truckee from always taking advantage of flat landers that pay your wages.

Jerry came out when we really needed him. Toilet replacement. Was here in great time. Reasonable price. Went above and beyond the toilet to help us fix the sink and running toilet upstairs. Very nice guy all together. Was training a new employee who was also nice and helpful. Jerry was also communicative and educational to help us understand what was going on and extra help with the water heater. On my quick dial list! Thanks again!

I was refered to Jerry at Lakeview plumbing by another business in town and therefore had no previous experience of preconcieved notions. I have to say that out of all of the plumbersI have hired over the last 40 years, Jerry was among the best. He came on time, met his bid estimate right on and did quality work. I would recommend Jerry to anyone and he will now be my first call for any future plumbing needs.

Just had a great experience with Brad at Lakeview plumbing. I needed interior and below house propane pipe rerouted. He was here sooner than expected and was in and out in less than 2 hours. Everything works great. I would definitely hire these guys again.

What a great guy! I called the day before Thanksgiving because we had a water leak in our new home we couldn't locate. It was about 5:30pm the evening before Thanksgiving. He picked up and was super helpful. After three phone calls with him we were able to diagnose and make that repair ourselves. Though I am sad to say we found another leak that we can't fix ourselves I am looking forward to meeting Jerry in person when he comes to make that repair.

Jerry was recommended by the Sears Hometown Store in Truckee, and I'm very grateful for the referral. I needed to move the water hookup for my washer prior to installation of a new one, and the timing was tricky. Jerry responded promptly to my call, made an onsite visit, and gave me a thorough explanation of my options. Jerry did the work promptly and efficiently, and charged a fair and reasonable price. My husband then hired him to do work on another condo, and Jerry had that work done promptly and efficiently as well. We're very satisfied, recommend Jerry and Lakeview Plumbing, and plan to send more work Jerry's way.

All of my experiences with Jerry have been positive. The last  item he worked on in my home was my toilet. Not only did Jerry explain what was wrong, what it would take to fix  it and how much it would cost, but a mistake by his supplier caused Jerry to have to make extra trips out to my home in order to finish the repair.  My bill did not go up, even though it cost him time and gas.  He has always been honest and forthright with  every job he has done for me, and he has even SAVED me money by pointing out things I could do myself!  I would highly recommend Jerry to others as he has done fine plumbing work for me for over 11 years, and I will continue to do so.

We are SO impressed with the quality of work from Lakeview Plumbing!!  We needed a toilet installed, called Jerry Gilmore, the owner, and he returned the call the next day (AMAZING!), and scheduled our installation within the week.  Brad, the young man who came to our home, was FANTASTIC!!  . . .  He called ahead to let us know what time he would arrive, and then called again to let us know he'd be a little bit late.  Brad was knowledgeable, efficient and quickly finished the job.  He was also extremely polite . . . a trait much appreciated!  We highly recommend Lakeview Plumbing ~ They are the company we will always use from now on!!  Thanks so much Jerry and Brad!

Jerry and his son did a great job on our engineered septic system.  Another septic service (not to be named) botched a wiring job, creating a potential hazard which also shut down our system.   Jerry and his son promptly figured out how to get our pump working properly, and corrected the poor wiring job done by the prior septic service.  We highly recommend using Lakeview Plumbing.

Highly professional, competent, responsive, and ethical. What else can we ask?  None of the 9 other plumbers I contacted responded as quickly as Jerry did regarding our failed water heater. One did but invoked a snow storm as one of the reasons they could not, would not, go to the cabin even though they had originally installed that same water heater. Meanwhile, my tenants were screaming bloody murder. Jerry handled the problem, and fixed it as fast as humanly possible. He explained the issue in layman's terms so that I could clearly understand. When was traveling out of the area, Jerry returned as soon as he could on a Sunday and fixed the pressure regulator that had been part of the problem.
Highly recommend Jerry!

Our stop drain valve was frozen. Another company told us if we forced it could result in major damage. Called several plumbing companies and left message. Lakeview returned call within the hour and came out later that day. We thought we would just be getting an estimate but he was able to fix the problem on the spot. Prompt, efficient, and very reasonable. Highly recommend. GAve us recommendations for avoiding future problems

We've had great service from both Jerry and Brad at Lakeview Plumbing--from repairing a leaky shower head to doing maintenance work on our sewage pump. They are prompt, friendly, and professional -- highly recommend!!

just had Jerry come to our house to fix a minor problem and he was very quick and efficient and the price was very reasonable.  we thought we had a leak in our line and he checked that out as well.  he was very informative and helpful.  I would recommend him and hire him for any future plumbing jobs.

These guys were responsive and friendly. I had them work on a water heater valve issue at our second home and even on a busy holiday weekend, they made time to accommodate us before renters were coming in town. He kept me in the loop the entire time and was reasonably priced, too. Highly recommend them!

Best ever. They are always on top of it. They have been in the area for many years and I highly recommend Jerry and his crew. Thank you for the exceptional service.

Best plumbing company I have ever used.  Jerry came right away and repaired our water heater but other companies wanted to replace it.   He fixed it in 10 minutes.  Jerry is a man of honesty and integrity.

This plumber was quite pleasant to work with and actually solved the problem I was having.  The surprise came when he gave me his bill for his labor.  He charged me for his time to make a trip to the hardware store to purchase a tool that he needed for my job.  This is a tool he should have had.  He then told me he was going to hire a laborer to do some manual work which would be at a much lower rate than his plumber rate.  When the laborer came, he watched and stayed while the laborer worked for 1 1/2 hours.  The plumber charged me his rate for standing around and I payed the laborer as well.  I think this plumber was very unfair with his labor charges.  I give him 1 star because of his lack of integrity and 1 more star as he did solve my problem.  I noticed the other yelp reviewer had a similar experience.

Arrived at my home one evening to find there was no hot water. Called a half dozen folks looking for someone to repair the water heater and the one or two who responded said it would be several days or a week or more.  Jerry Gilmore of Lakeview Plumbing returned my call and happened to be finishing a job close by and offered to come right over.  It took a couple of runs to the parts supplier but my hot water was restored by the next morning.  Jerry is very personable, friendly, responsive and reliable.  Nothing but high praise from me!

What can I say?  Jerry is our hero.  Had a leak in our main water line in Tahoe Donner requiring detection, excavation and repair.  TDPUD said the leak was on our side of the meter and our responsibility.  After many mansplaining plumbers with bad and/or false information we found Jerry.  We had to wait because he's a busy guy, likely because he is honest, fair, conscientious and the nicest guy imaginable.  He came over and got the job done, and for a reasonable price.  If you have a problem like ours (which seems to be happening a lot in Tahoe Donner) call Jerry at Lakeview Plumbing.  He's the best.

Jerry of Lakeview Plumbing is irresponsible.  We made an appointment for him to come to our home.  He did not come, and did not respond to our phone calls.

Absolutely superb service from Jerry at Lakeview. I called this morning with   problems with both our toilets. He arrived a couple of hours later and took care of those problems along with a number of other plumbing issues that we had been living with, thinking they would cost too much to make right.  Not the case! Very reasonable prices and very efficient service. I can't say enough about the care and time he took to answer all our questions, with patience and clear explanations of the inner workings of  our ancient (1975) plumbing.  Not only is he competent and thorough but one of the most congenial and easy-going workers we've had in our 23 years in Tahoe Donner.  Thanks, Jerry, and you earn A+ from this retired teacher!

I started using Jerry and Lakeview Plumbing a few years ago and continue to use them today.  Find him consistently fair, customer friendly, punctional and helpful. Would recommend him without reservation. Frustrated that others commenting are looking for a free ride when an estimate discovers bigger problems. It is like a auto mechanic changing the oil and discovering a cracked block. Don't expect a new engine for the price of an oil change. Jerry always gives me a fair estimate, if it is faster charges less or lets me know if hidden problems appear. Straight shooter.

this plumber is an avoid. very snaky. completed work after a clear bid was rendered, then said the labor was 40% more than the whole original bid! to top it off all the promised work was not done to completion. stay away from this plumber! I've since found another guy that does good honest work.

I neighbor on my street used this guy and had major problems! I wish they would have asked me, but they are also not a Yelp user and didn't check referrals etc. problems are as follows: end cost way higher then the bid given, he went missing 3 days when work was in progress. just stay away from this plumber! can't believe he's still in business.

Sloppy, careless, they leave litter behind and don't respond to EMERGENCY issues without a lazy, very late (6 hour response.  They will park in your neighbor's parking space and leave litter there!!!!!!!   Clueless, uneducated people who have not learned somehow that litter is not only rude, but 100% UNPROFESSIONAL!!!   Do not hire these rip off artists with cultural issues about litter and other issues or allow your corrupt insurance company to send these con artists on your property to fake diagnose or fix your plumbing problems.   Cheap, con artists - What does a professional company who shows up with a leaking oil van with nothing but CRAP in it to fix your serious leaking plumbing issues!    They lie, band aid over the leaks and want you to believe them about how you have to pay more to fix a very old water heater that everyone agrees needs to be replaced.   They WILL replace the water heater only after aggressively trying to get you  to pay for adjustments that are  nearly the cost of a new one.   Run!!!!!!! from this company or any home warranty insurance company that would actually send them to your home!   My neighbor has photos of the litter they somehow thought was ok to leave in her driveway after she was nice enough to let them park there.  !

Jerry came to the rescue for our gas range oven needed to be converted back to natural gas. He went beyond the call of duty and worked over 3 visits to get us back up n running. He got creative with one part to avoid buying some very expensive spud orifices n for that thank you Jerry!! All in all extremely happy with Jerry and know who we can count on next time we have needs in this department.

Jerry answered the call for help - our first floor bathroom was backing up when the second floor washer ran. Jerry help set up an appointment for the following day. Ryan (Jerry's son) was super friendly and very systematic in his assessment of our clogged sewage drain. Ryan patiently tried to find the mechanical access in the snow-covered front yard. We were not able to find the access so used the access from the house, which was located in the garage.

Ryan snaked the drain and the issues cleared roughly 20 feet from the house (towards the street). We verified we could flush the toilet and that the water was no longer backing up. The whole job took less than an hour. Ryan explained the potential issues that could have caused the clogging.

The cost was very fair as well - $250 for labor and snaking.

I would highly recommend Lakeview Plumbing Company to all in the Truckee area. This was a very positive experience and I will put them on our speed dial for all our plumbing needs!

Jerry is a very reliable and dependable plumber. We bought a new BBQ that needed to be hooked up to the Natural Gas line. We called on a Monday and he was there to install on Tuesday. He ran the gas line, pressure tested, and was done within the hour.

A bid is an estimate. I feel some of the other reviews did not take this into consideration. In my situation my labor costs were less than his bid. THANK YOU Jerry!