Albert Nahman Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling

Its quotation is far way more expensive than others!

I thought the guy that came out was really good. I really liked him but the price is overpriced to begin with. I just wanted to use like a $200 coupon on a $79 service call but they wouldn’t let me do that and I have to actually purchase their services. The guy was really nice. He quoted me like $250 to change the inside of the toilet. He said I could do it myself which I did and cost me $20. I thought the people were good. I just felt it was kind of a rip off. When I called to setup the appointment, they quoted me like a $49 service fee to go out there but when they came out, I think they charged me $79. The guys that came out were professional.

The original problem was that we had a clog in the sewer line, causing water to back up through the downstairs toilet. We discovered the problem late Friday night, then checked Angie's List and called Albert Nahman Plumbing Saturday morning. William came out to our house Saturday afternoon to figure out the problem. William diagnosed the clogged sewer & provided options for dealing with it. Since our clean-out is 1-way, he could only clean out the drain from the toilet end (not from outside). Option 1 was for him to pull off the toilet on Saturday, with the likelihood that sewage would flood even more of our home (it was contained to the bathroom at the time). Option 2 was for us to leave for at least 24 hours (as any water use in the house made the problem worse), and he would return on Monday to fix the problem. We chose option 2, in order to (hopefully) keep the mess contained to the bathroom. On Monday, William arrived within the scheduled time window and got right to work. His earlier job had run longer than expected, and he hadn't had lunch yet, but he insisted on getting to work while his assisstant, Sal, picked up lunch for them. He explained everything he was doing throughout the whole process. He turned off the house's water suppply, got the toilet off without any more water coming out (the floor was dry by then), and put a video camera down the pipe to try to see the clog, but there was too much standing water. That process did tell him where the clog was, and he confirmed that with a sort of sonar-type tool outside. He then brought in a roto-rooter type machine to clean out the pipe. He had me pour a little water down the kitchen sink to make sure it was draining properly (checked with video camera), then turned the house water back on and ran a faucet and had me flush the other toilet. Everything was flowing fine. Then (I absolutely did not expect this), he ran the video camera all the way out to the middle of the street, checking for any root intrusions or any other flaws in the pipes - all looked good. Sal, the apprentice, re-installed the toilet and William checked his work - it was great to see the way he mentored the younger plumber. Then Sal did an AMAZING job of cleaning up the bathroom. He swept up all the dried debris from the floor, and completely wiped down the floor and the toilet. I think it was cleaner in there when they left than before the problem ever happened. The phone/dispatch staff was amazing throughout the whole process, and they seem to have some pretty high-tech systems to track service requests and to know where their technicians are at all times. For example, while I was waiting for William at the house on Monday afternoon, I needed to use a bathroom, but couldn't use the ones at home. When I called the main number, it was promptly answered by a human being, who was able to tell me that William was about 30 minutes away, so I had time to run out for coffee and a bathroom. This kind of support staff, and the very well equipped and trained technicians, is why Albert Nahmann isn't the cheapest plumber around, but to me, the professionalism and smooth operation is worth paying more. They made a really unpleasant situation bearable. One other thing - they have a clearly pre-printed price list, with 10 different categories of plumbing tasks. The technician just marks the things they need to do for your job, so you have a very clear-cut price estimate before any work begins. I cannot say enough good things about this company. We have a plumber for as long as we live in the East Bay!

We had purchased a big deal for the service, and it was good. They came in right away. I had a problem with a leaking faucet, and they fixed it right away. They were prompt and courteous, but I thought the price was pretty expensive for what they did. I was glad that they came right away, because I had a leaking problem.

Everything about the service was professional, and I have no complaints about the work, except that it was grossly overpriced. $681 is way too much, considering that parts cost $20 max. It was a very simple job that took no longer than 1.3 hours to complete. The diagnosis took about 20 minutes.

We weren't happy about having to make this repair, but we're always happy with the quality of Nahman's work. The crew working on the concrete, which included removing and replacing a gate, did a beautiful job, and the gate is in better shape now than it was when they started. They threw in a new, much higher quality faucet for the laundry sink, and changed out the washing machine hoses too. Routing the new pipes inside the garage, bringing cold water to the fixtures and water heater and then hot water back to the fixtures, required meticulous planning and execution in limited existing space. Everyone was punctual, professional, polite and friendly, and left the job site neat and tidy when done. Nahman will never be the lowest bidder, but you get what you pay for. Real quality does not come cheap.

I love Albert Nahman Plumbing and Heating. They installed our water heater five years ago, and it's performed flawlessly. A few days ago, it suddenly stopped providing hot water. I contacted them, they sent a technician (Mario, A++), who gave me a quote and proceeded to do the work quickly. He discovered that the problem was actually not the water heater, but that the earthquake valve had been jostled due to some construction we're having done close to the water heater's location. The shutoff triggered, and the water heater had not been receiving gas for the past few days. Genius! He adjusted the price and explained how to reset the earthquake valve if it happened again. Did I also mention that he was punctual, professional, and friendly? I can't recommend Nahman and their professionalism, skill, and honesty enough. They're great!

Really appreciate the time this company took in inspecting our plumbing in our entire house. Very professional and courteous. I think the technician was very knowledgeable and really took the time to explain our entire system since we were new to the home. Very happy with our choice of service provider.

Stan at Nahman plumbing did an excellent job. I have used Nahman Plumbing many times in the past and am always satisfied with their work. If there are any problems afterwards, they always come back promptly to fix the problem.

Did not get to use their services as they could not do an emergency service booked for the day

The job went well for the most part. My two complaints revolved around the replacement of the water filter cartridge and the amount that I was charged for the job that was performed . I have an Aqua Pure under sink filter and the cartridges are very expensive. I had one replacement cartridge that I gave to the installer Marlon. He was working on the filter when he asked me where I purchased the water filter and cartridges. I told him Moran Plumbing on 40th St and why did he want to know that. He informed me that while attempting to screw on the new cartridge it broke and needed to be replaced. I sighed and told him that the cartridges were very expensive. He left to purchase the new cartridges which come in packs of 2 and commented that yes in fact they were very expensive. When it came time to pay him, I was charged for both cartridges which I felt was not right. I believe Nahman should have paid for the one cartridge since I did provide it and that it was broken while Marlon was installing it. I am unhappy that I was expected to pay for both new cartridges. I understand paying for the spare but not the one that replaced the cartridge that got broken. Because of that and what I thought to be excessively high pricing for what was done, I would probably not use this plumbing company again. On the positive, Marlon was very prompt, courteous, responsive and the quality of his work was good. Update: I received a phone call that same day from Mr. Nahman and a check in the mail for the filter that was broken. I was delighted and impressed at the professionalism in dealing with my issue in a prompt and courteous fashion. Given this response by Nahman I would say that I am a very satisfied customer. My only complaint is my belief that the pricing for the service I received was high.

We had just purchased a new home, and a neighbor called to say that there was water spraying out of one of the main going into the house. I called and they were very responsive, somebody was out within the hour ... they attempted to fix onsite but required a custom piece. Showed up on time, and completed the work on budget when it was scheduled for a day later. Very satisfied. Michael was very professional.

very good service, thourogh and prompt, very professional.

They were not great but they were okay. They provided the service within within two weeks after I purchased the big deal. There were no extra charges for the service because all our stuff was within that deal. They did a solid job but I am still a little mixed up. They were also very responsive.

Very good service consistently. They arrive on time, do the job, and say thanks. Professional dispatcher professional plumbers. Very good work, and we come back all the time.

I am not normally a review-writer, even for stellar service, but Wilber did an amazing job on the most difficult plumbing job I have seen. I live in a 100 year old bungalow with some unbelievably rusted pipes. The pipe behind the kitchen faucet had completely crumbled when we tried to install the new faucet. We could not turn the water main back on, so I told the company that we needed emergency service. Wilber showed up four hours later (right when he said he would). We were not able to locate an access point, so he ended up breaking the backsplash tile to get to the pipe joint. He seemed very sorry to do so, but I insisted we needed a working sink. He minimized the damage. He then proceeded to try to wrench the pipe free for almost an hour-- grunting, sweating, and using his whole body to pry the darn thing loose. He did keep a cheerful disposition in his frustration. He was here for almost 3 hours. He ended up being able to install the faucet we had purchased, but the fittings were not correct. He recommended the proper fittings, and re-installed the old faucet so we could turn on the water main again. I had purchased a coupon a few minutes before he arrived, and he applied it toward the cost. He insisted on cleaning up the entire area before he worked out the billing. He had insisted on wearing shoe covers and sweeping up the kitchen rug, even though our house was already a disaster when he got here. I could not have found a more professional, courteous, and skilled plumber to do the job. He absolutely earned every penny, and also this great review.

I needed to drain my pool through a cleanout to my sewer line. Apparently, no cleanout was installed when the house was built. I had to first find the sewer and then install a cleanout. A plumber from Nahman came out to try to find the line and then estimate the cost of installing a cleanout. We have an awkward crawlspace so he could not follow the line physically to see where it exited the house. He did bring a device to look around corners and used it to conclude that the line came out the left side of the house even though there is a bathroom in the front of the house where you would expect the sewer line to come out and go to the street. Before he left without actually finding the line he submitted a bid of $2,700 for finding the line by going through a vent (an approach that ultimately worked) and installing a cleanout. The cost seemed way to high for a fairly simple plumbing job. I called a different plumbing company, which I found on Angie's List. They came out with a video/transmitter device that went into the sewer from the vent and diligently found the sewer line 30 inches below ground in the front of the house. They then came back and installed the cleanout for a total cost of $1,100. Albert Nahman erred in its assessment of the line location and submitted a bid that was more than twice what the job ultimately cost. I had used Albert Nahman many times in the past. Albert Nahman has been very good, but I now wonder if I paid much more than I should have for previous jobs.

The plumber who did the job was very professional and committed. He clearly cared about doing a good job, as he said, "this is what I do." I liked his ethic. From what I can tell, did do a good job. He was on time. He worked efficiently. He had no surprises. He checked his work. The hot water heater has worked without incident since the installation. I did not take competitive bids for the job, because I had had good experiences with Nahman in the past, but based on more recent experience I believe that you pay a high premium for their work. In some cases their level of expertise may justify the premium, but not in every case as I have since learned and will cover in a separate review.

It is working fine. I think that they came out the same day that I purchased the big deal. They did a great job. They showed up when they were supposed to show up. They did what they were supposed to do and they were out. I have no complaints. I do not think that he gouged. It works and flushes. I would use them again.

It turned out to be a pleasant experience, everything went smoothly. We were kept informed of what was going on and what would happen next, and when. The basic work was completed in one day - we could flush again! City inspection took another day and the sidewalk and street work finished the next day. When I looked out my window and saw about ten men and several expensive machines working on the problem, $8,000. seemed like a fair price.

Wow. They deserve their high ratings on Angie?s List. Very quick response to my online inquiry. They gave me an appointment that was only 1 day out with a 2-hour window. Got a call saying the service representative was available early. Will showed up soon after. He was easy to work with and give me a good, clear assessment of my options for the two jobs, explaining the price range of the disposal & toilet. Told me what would be involved in the work. After we agreed, he wrote the estimate for the replacement of the disposal and told me they could do it then as someone from their office would bring the required parts ASAP. As he was waiting for the parts, he explained the options for a replacement toilet, went to his truck and wrote that estimate. Will then got to work pulling the old disposal and installing the new?quick efficient, quiet, focused, neat?not event a scuff on the sink. No debris. Used a tarp to keep it all clean. When he was looking under the sink, he explained to me that the original plumbing for the dishwasher was wrong and said he could take care of that. THIS is what home repair contractors should be like! January 2014: Brilliant again! I purchased a new toilet from them--a duel flush toilet--that the recommended, found, ordered & installed, continuing their exceptional work! Two jobs & very pleased!!

Stanley came right on scheduled, reviewed the situation and took immediate action to fix my water heater. He was professional, knowledgable and and a good representative for the Nahman Plumbing & Heating Company. GREAT SERVICE!

Gabriel did a careful and complete job of explaining the details of the work that would be done. He went over all the options for re-routing the vents and came a second time to walk me through the project before I signed off on it. On the day that the water heater was to be installed, Gabriel, Mario, and Enrique came in the morning exactly as scheduled; and, as promised, the work was finished by the time I got home late in the afternoon. Everyone was respectful and professional. The heater and vents were installed beautifully, and the work site was cleaner when the guys left than when they'd arrived. I've used Nahman Plumbing and Heating in the past and have never been disappointed. They do fine work! JL

I had him change the flusher on toilet bowl and replace the water pressure gauge for the whole house. He did good work, but we had to be flexible scheduling - we scheduled an appointment in the morning, but it had to be rescheduled for later in the afternoon.

Very responsive. Excellent. Very professional.