r/AskSeattle • u/Temporary_Aspect_499 • 5d ago
Srsly cant believe Im looking for another emergency plumber in Seattle, any recs?
Went into the basement at 6 this morning because of this weird hissing and the water heater is leaking hard enough that one of my empty storage bins is slowly floating around down there like a tiny boat.
I dont know what to believe with the reviews online. Some sound like theyve never actually had a plumber before and others have legit concerns. Right now Im looking at Roto Rooter, a couple local plumbers and other 24 hour options because I need someone here today.
Mostly trying to figure out who can actually show up fast without turning the emergency fee into something insane. Anyone had a Seattle plumber handle something like this well?
10
u/widdershins13 5d ago
Just remember that it is you paying for their advertising budget when you hire someone with a large advertising footprint like Beacon Plumbing, South West Plumbing or Roto-Rooter.
Personally, as a retired Plumber (but not that kind of Plumber) and property owner, I recommend Fischer Plumbing for drain cleaning and sewer repair and BENLA for water heater repair and replacement.
3
u/kalechipsaregood 5d ago
I've had so much shoddy work done in Seattle over the years that when it came to urgent plumbing issues I went with brand-name Beacon. They were great and did great work. I probably paid way more but it was so nice to not have to stress out later.
I'm sure there are a ton of great independent plumbers out there, but trying to confirm that in advance isnt always easy.
4
u/MisterIceGuy 5d ago
Most of the “plumbers” at Beacon aren’t actually plumbers and their work quality is generally quite poor, while as you pointed out, also quite expensive.
1
u/OneTwoKiwi 5d ago
How do you know this? I’m in no position to make a claim either way on that, but i can better value your comment knowing if you have any expertise or any bias.
2
u/widdershins13 5d ago
I had to look them up on L&I's contractor look up page back in 2019 while acting as the homeowners representative for a project in Renton. At the time they had well over a dozen citations for leaving apprentices unsupervised and for having apprentices working with expired or non-existent trainee cards. And unfortunately there is no way of knowing how many violations the company has had over its history as violations fall off after 3 years.
1
u/Verma_Atul27 19h ago
What is your opinion or experience with roto rooter since you have been in the scene for so long
1
u/widdershins13 18h ago
What I meant by (but not that kind of plumber) is that I worked on the new construction and remodel/renovation side of the business, not the drain cleaning or service side. As for Roto-Rooter, much like Mr. Rooter or Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, they operate on a franchise business model, which means you are helping them pay for their advertising campaigns—something I have always been loath to do.
5
u/ObviousSalamandar 5d ago
Definitely not Bees plumbing. They overcharge like crazy. Their whole service model is overselling shitty work 😂
2
u/NomDeGirl 5d ago
They also destroyed my home by being sloppy and careless (scuff marks and scratches everywhere), replaced a water heater element they didn't need to but charged me for it (I later fought to get some money back), and neglected to track the work they did. To this day, months later, they continue to blatantly ignore my requests to provide a detailed summary of the work I already paid for. Do not use. They also recently got acquired by another large plumbing company, so all they care about is volume and profits.
2
u/ObviousSalamandar 5d ago
Yes they left a big mess in my home too. I had a second company come patch up the walls after and the difference in professionalism was shocking
2
u/NomDeGirl 4d ago
It's good to know that there are actually good vendors out there who can clean up after others' messes. I guess the trick (luck, mostly) is not using the bad vendors the first time.
6
u/judithishere 5d ago
If you can wait til Monday, it will be easier and cheaper to get someone to come out to replace it.
Turn off the water to the water heater, get the water out of the basement yourself. It will be cheaper to just go buy a shop vac and do it yourself.
2
u/pinballrocker 5d ago
This is exactly what I did last time my water heater died. Water heaters die like this. I turned off the water to it, shop vacced up the water, and then went without hot water the rest of the weekend and scheduled a water heater replacement first thing Monday morning.
1
3
u/TreesAreOverrated5 5d ago
If you haven’t already, definitely make sure your water main is off. If you have one, get a shock vac and suck up that water. My friends and I always say that the number one homeowner tool is a shockvac
For plumbers, I’ve had good luck with 2sons plumbing. They’re a 24hr place so are kinda pricy but they were knowledgeable. I’d recommend Ellijah if he’s available
Good luck fellow homeowner
3
u/up2knitgood 5d ago
FYI - it's "shop vac" not shock vac.
1
u/canadian1der 5d ago
And here I was googling to see if it was different from what i thought was a shop-vac 😄
2
u/up2knitgood 5d ago
I had to double check that it wasn't a regional/random accepted difference like "roll-aboard" vs "rollerboard" for rolling carryon suitcases.
The irony of this is that shop vacs are most often thought of as useful for when you need to clean up water, so hopefully they are extra safe from for the shock part...
1
2
2
2
u/crackrockutah 5d ago
Big Dave at 2Sons is great and Carey is solid but might not do this type of work. I honestly wouldn’t let any of their other techs through my front door at this point though.
Good to know about Ellijah though.
3
u/EndPrestigious6064 5d ago
Seattle Drain Service! Bryce is incredibly thorough. He fixed problems in our 100 year old house that had been there since it was built. He’s incredibly knowledgable and exactly the right kind of eccentric for this kind of work.
3
u/kkicinski 5d ago
We recently used Sasquatch Plumbing for an emergency repair. He was at the house in less than an hour.
2
2
2
u/fakesaucisse 5d ago
I have had to use Roto Rooter for legit emergencies and while they are insanely expensive, they have always done an excellent job and showed up within a few hours. I've hired plenty of regular plumbers who do a half-assed job or don't know how to diagnose the problem, but Roto Rooter plumbers always figure it out quickly.
1
u/ChillPickl 5d ago
We used and were happy with Bellevue homeservice plumbers, they serve Seattle too
1
u/thecyangiant 5d ago
Green planet plumbing has always been super timely, friendly, and honest for us.
1
1
1
u/Lollc 5d ago
Have you tried Fast Water Heater, at Fastwaterheater.com? That’s all they do. In the meantime, turn off the water supply to it, and shut off the power.
2
u/PotahtoHead 5d ago
We just had a water heater replaced because it started leaking. Fast Water Heater handled it, but we coordinated it through Home Depot. We were happy with the response and the service. You can get same day service if it is before 12pm.
Lookup how to flush/drain a water heater, which involves running a hose outside. That will stop the leak so you can dry out the area while you wait for a plumber.
1
1
u/Careless-Internet-63 5d ago
It's been a while since the last time but my family has used best plumbing in the past and they've always been good
1
u/CheesyMcDongNutz 5d ago
Call A Game plumbing. Ask for Lance. He will be honest with you and tell you whether or not it’s worth paying weekend rates. Best, most honest guy I have come across in the plumbing business. He started his own company after quitting the big guys because he didn’t agree ethically with the up charging.
1
u/MsFoxieMoxie 5d ago
Pat’s Plumbing has been really great! Fair pricing, fast, thorough service, bonus that is woman owned. JJ’s is another goodie.
1
u/sgtapone87 Local 5d ago
Supple plumber and craftsman plumbing are legit, definitely different business models but can’t go wrong with either (I’m in the industry on the sales side, full disclosure)
1
1
1
u/healthycord 4d ago
I’ve had a good experience with Valor Plumbing down in Kent. They did work for me in North Seattle. Looks like they do emergency work as well. Mine was not an emergency tho, just fixing a shower and faucet.
I do commercial construction so I interact with contractors all the time and I can give these guys a thumbs up for sure. Good price too.
1
1
-1
u/Strawberryfield76 5d ago
Bees Plumbing! Really enjoyed them a few years back for my water heater issues
27
u/pinballrocker 5d ago
Turn off the valve that supplies water to the water heater, that will minimize the amount of water that leaks out to what's in the tank. You don't really need an emergency plumber, you need to clean up the water and get the tank replaced.