Metropolitan Fire Protection Inc

Loved the team that was sent to look over my sprinkler system. I knew one head needed to be changed, they identified another head and the pressure gauge that needed replacement as well. They also explained a couple of things I was concerned about, reassured me that they weren’t problems. It was a pricey job, but considering I couldn’t find anyone else willing to touch the system I guess that’s what you pay for expertise!

The plumber was timely and professional. However, they don't really accept credit cards. When asked about using a credit card for the work done, I was handed an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper to complete and sign, providing credit card information. I wrote a check instead. They need to invest in current mobile technology,

Completely satisfied. Two man crew was professional, quick and did quality work.

Many firms would not even touch this problem. This firm was knowledgeable, professional and charged a fair price. The pipe had been leaking for some time and had corroded. They cleaned the pipe, retouched it and sottered it again. They then refilled the sprinkler system

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It is difficult to find firms able to repair home fire protection sprinkler systems.  We found them on Angie's List.  I sent an email in the evening of November 2, received a response that evening saying that someone would call me in the morning.  I connected the next morning and by 1 pm a team of two technicians were at our house.  The had to tear out some of our kitchen ceiling to expose the pipes, and it was in an awkward location, just above a HVAC duct.  They had to replace the piece of plastic pipe twice because the first time - because it was so awkward to reach - they had not been able to seal the joint fully.  Second time was a charm, and they finished.  It took longer than the two hour minimum because they had to replace the pipe a second time, but they charged me only for the two hours it took to do the original replacement.  This is an honest, professional firm.  I would happily use them again.

The technician arrived during the scheduled time window. I had arranged ahead of time with the condo building mgr so the technician worked with the building mgr to shut off various alarms, sensors, and pumps. The technician then drained the water from the sprinkler system pipes on the 6th floor where my unit is.
The technician was very knowledgeable about what needed to be done and the order in which it needed to be done.  It's quite an involved process and the steps have to be performed in the right order to prevent a false alarm to the fire department or a flood in the building. You definitely want someone with plenty of experience doing this.
After the preparation, it only took the technician about 5 minutes to replace the faulty sprinkler head. (The old head had been developing rust around the base, indicating a slow leak.)  The technician came prepared with everything he needed to remove the head (a special tool is required) and all the replacement parts.  He also was careful to protect the kitchen counter and floor below where he was working.
Due to the care he had taken to drain the pipes before he removed the head, only a few drips of water came out.  He had a bucket ready just in case there had been more but there was hardly any.  After the repair, he carefully cleaned up. No drywall repair or painting was required. You'd never know the head had been replaced.
Having replaced the head, the technician then refilled the sprinkler system pipes and worked with the building mgr to re-enable all the alarms, sensors, and pumps.  Again, everything had to be done is a very specific order so I was glad that the technician was so well versed in the process.
To someone who doesn't realize all that's involved with replacing one of these sprinkler heads, the $340 price tag might seem high, but there are very few companies who do this sort of repair for an individual homeowner in the DC area and there's a lot a knowledge required to do the job right in a condo building.  It's most definitely not a do-it-yourself kind of task.  You want an experienced technician doing this.
I should also note, before getting Metropolitan Fire Protection to come out, I tried to get the vendor who has the maintenance contract for the common portions of the fire sprinkler system in our condo buildings to come look at my sprinkler head.  They wanted $500 just to come out and take a look.  Then, the repair would have been extra.  They were clearly not interested in doing repairs for individual condo unit owners.
Since the repair, I've had no problems with the sprinkler head.  No return of the rust, no dripping, nothing.  So, I consider the $340 to be money well spent.

unknown

I had a sprinkler head in my basement that was leaking and they had to replace that head. There were no unexpected issues and it took them under 30 minutes. They were the only company I called that would come out on such short notice. I did not like their price model because they charge a $100 an hour and they change a minimum of two hours. So I felt that they were here for 30 minutes and I had to pay for 2 hours. The day they came it was raining hard and they made sure they took their shoes off and did not mess up the carpet.

A residential fire sprinkler developed a leak, and I quickly realized that repair/replacement of these is a specialized service with few providers in our area. Another company I called only serviced commercial clients. The job was completed in under an hour. The serviceman was very courteous and explained that sprinkler faults are rare and that it might simply be a case of the sprinkler unit not being tight. Indeed, in removing it he mentioned it did seem a little loose, but he went ahead and replaced it just in case. My home is 13 years old and most likely it wasn't tightened sufficiently at the time of installation. Only negatives were some difficulty with the initial call - I was getting the Service Dept voicemail so kept calling wanting to speak with someone live rather than risk leaving a message. It was 7 hours from the initial call until the service man showed up - a little long, but given the scarcity in providers, I was glad it got done on the same day.

Metropolitan Fire Protection was an excellent company to work with. Paul was responsive, explained things in detailed and went above and beyond to make sure we were happy. He made sure that we had feasible plans so that we could ensure that the pipe burst would not happen again. His expertise was clear and we would not hesitate to work with him again.

I had a minor leak from one of the sprinkler heads in my dining room. The technician from Metropolitan Fire Protection was able to quickly diagnose the problem (a small part where the sprinkler head connects to the pipe) and replace it. The technician was experienced and knowledgeable, and it set my mind at ease to know I wasn't dealing with a novice.

I was finishing my basement and needed some adjustments made to three existing fire sprinkler heads in the ceiling.  I wanted to use Metropolitan Fire Protection since they were the original installer of the sprinkler system in my house.  My builder directed me to Chris King, who is the Metropolitan contact for the Carroll County area.
The BAD:
My contractor called Chris numerous times and left messages.  After a week, Chris returned his call and set up an appointment to come out.  He never showed for that date.  My contractor called him again, and after more voicemails a new appt was set.  Chris arrived this time (on Friday) and was extremely friendly and I really liked him.  I told him what I wanted done and he was very assuring, stating that he would have someone contact me to set up the work for the following Monday or Tuesday.  He took my phone number and email address.  So Tuesday came and went and I have not heard from Chris or anyone else at Metropolitan.  At this point my patience had begun to wear off.  I called Chris and as usual got his voicemail.  I left a very firm voicemail, asking that he return my call ASAP, and I noted that if he didn't want to do the work, at least have the courtesy to me back and just say so.... instead of just ignoring me and my contractor.  Well guess what?? He never called back.
The GOOD:
After the poor experience of dealing with Chris, I went on Metropolitan Fire Protection's Facebook page and asked if anyone could do the job for me.  I was put into contact with Megan and Karen.  But were very gracious and prompt in their responses and Karen scheduled an appointment to do the work.  I was still skeptical, but when the day came and Metropolitan appeared at my doorstep, I was shocked and elated.  Raoul was the tech that came to do the work and he was wonderful!  He was very friendly, professional, and educated me on what he was doing.  Most companies don't know this, but customers love it when they interact with us and tell us what they're doing.  It's nice that Raoul explained to me what he was doing.  I could tell he was experienced in his job and he did it well.
CONCLUSION:
I would have given Metropolitan an overall A+ grade had it not been for the initial communication issues with Chris.  He seems like a very nice guy, just not reliable as far as communication goes.  This is why they get lower grades for Responsiveness and Professionalism.  So my advice would be to call their scheduling department directly and ask for Karen.  Aside from that, Metropolitan did an excellent job adjusting my sprinklers!!!

Except for unpleasant conversation with the women at the office, the installation of sprinkler heads went well. HOWEVER it did not stay that way. I was at the house on Friday and all was fine, i had to go out of town for the weekend to arrange for the shipping of my household goods in NC. I arrived at the house on Monday and found the house flooded!!! The technician had somehow broken the pipe or something on the ceiling above the foyer. It leaked and did not become evident until it had soaked all the insulation in the attic, came through the dry wall so that it started to buckle, ran down the chandelier filling all the light fixtures, soaked the stairway carpet, flooded the hardwood floor in the foyer and hall bath, hall way to the kitchen, soaked some of the carpet in living room, ran down ductwork and flooded the basement.
We immediately shot off the water, but it took me 4 frantic phone calls to the technician to get him out to the house to even look at the broken pipe. He kept texting someone at the company who was not responding. He did arrive 2 hours later and fixed the pipe and left. When i asked about next steps he gave me the name of someone i was to call. I called a Mr. Bryant the next day who said i needed to call the women in the office, i called and was told she was out and no one could help me. To make a long story short i spoke to 2 other people who said they would get back to me and even after repeated phone calls on my part i still have not heard from anyone at Metropolitan. I was trying to reach someone to discuss next steps - what about clean up; insurance adjuster----- the usual information after one needs after a disaster. Got nothing
The total damage runs about $15,000 - the damaged continued after the technician fixed the pipe and the water was turned off because it kept leaking from the water soaked insulation.
If you use Metropolitan make sure nothing goes wrong because there is no backup or coverage for anything that goes wrong.

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I came across this company on a google search. There were not that many fire protection companies out there, that did residential work. They were prompt, communicative, and professional. They gave me a quote after talking with me about the issues and reviewing emailed photos. When the service guy came, the actual cost was about half of what they quoted.