D W Bahr Plumbing & Heating Inc
About us
LICENSE#: 7393
Business highlights
Services we offer
Commercial, appliance installation, gas and oil boiler, gas piping, increase water pressure., jetting service, new and rehab. Construction, residential, sewer and drain cleaning (including roots & grease), sewer camera (video taping), sewer line replacement, steam and hot water boiler, water main replacement
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 79% | ||
| 7% | ||
| 7% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 7% |
.I looked at the Home Depot website for residential water heaters and was not able to find any 80 gal water heaters that were not hybrid models. However, I happened to switch my search to commercial water heaters and I found the Westinghouse model WEC080C2X045 (internet number 206021212), which is an 80 gallon electric water heater that is classified as commercial/residential but is not found if you search under residential water heaters. It sells for $950, which after tax amounts to $1004. I called the number on the Home Depot website for installation and was connected to DW Bahr plumbing, where I was givent the $700 quote for installation. I was told to order the heater and have it delivered to my local Home Depot (which has no shipping cost). DW Bahr would then pick it up and install it. So for $1700 I could regain a plain 80 gal water heater. The person I spoke to also mentioned the 50 gal water heater option with mixing tank and quoted a total of $1400 with installation for that option. I figured that for an extra $300 the 80 gal heater would be sure to have enough hot water for our needs.
So I ordered the 80 gal Westinghouse heater and had it delivered to the Ellicott City Home Depot. it took about a week to get there, which was what the Home Depot representative told me. When I was notified by email of the delivery, I called DW Bahr and they set up an installation for the following day (a saturday), which was great. They said to call them on the morning of the installation and they would give me an estimated time for installation. I did so, and was informed that the plumbers were already en route to Home Depot for the heater pickup. I received a call from the plumber when they were on the way to my house, and they (2 plumbers arrived) started the installation shortly thereafter.
The installation went fairly smoothly. I was impressed by the care that they took to prevent the leaking rusty water from my old heater from getting on my carpet. At one point I think they forgot that I was working in my office down the hall from them and I overheard them when they were having bad problems with a connection. One of them said "we might have to send this heater back" and the other replied "it has to be ordered, what are they going to do for hot water?" My anxiety levels were pretty high after I heard that, but thankfully they found a way to overcome this problem and complete the installation.
Overall I was pretty happy about the installation experience, and everything seems to be working fine. My only recommendation is they really ought to inform the customer that the product needs to be registered online (with westinghouse) within 90 days of installation in order to be eligible for extended warranty (ie., lifetime warranty for the tank, which is pretty unusual). I discovered this while reading the manual. But otherwise I was happy with the service and the friendliness of everyone I contacted.
We purchased a replacement water heater from Home Depot and contracted with D.W. Bahr for the installation. They were able to work within our scheduling needs and a team of two (pro and helper) appeared promptly, first thing the morning scheduled. The pro was very efficient and knew what he was doing. The only fault really was his not being very comfortable answering questions. The work was completed in a very timely fashion. **However** - six weeks later while working in the basement, I heard a sudden whooshing, and when I checked, I found that the exhaust pipe had popped loose! I was able to re-attach and keep it that way until a follow-up visit could be arranged. Another tech came this time and "fixed" the problem by tightening a clamp. I had to point out that the cause really appeared to be due to a misalignment in how the pipe entered the water heater, and that the pipe needed to be adjusted by redoing a couple of holding clamps on the way out of the basement (along the basement ceiling). Also the overflow tube was not properly sealed (glued). This was rectified.
I'm unsure if we would use the company again (not an absolute yes or absolute no). Overall we are pleased with the work but the job should have been completed fully and correctly on one visit.
Dave Parker
We contracted out to Home Depot to have a water heater installed. Very pleased with the installers/installation.
Now for the story; wife and I are in our late 50's, lived in the house since 1983. I installed two heaters in that time;1985 and 1998, both tall 40 gallon gas Rheems. So, the current one had been there 16 years and we didn't want to push it. Wife encouraged me to switch it out, as I've done before, but my days of moving water heaters are over. Decided to buy the direct replacement; a tall 40 gallon Rheems from the Home Depot and have their contractor install.
Notes:We have a whole house water filter, so our water heaters last a long time. Old one was still working so it we could research and schedule at our leisure.
In younger days I would have opted for the cheaper 6 year warranty and swapped it out when it broke, because the labor was free (me).
But since the labor is the same for any heater we went with the 12 year warranty. It will probably out live me.
Anyway two guys show up from DWBahr and they looked at the old heater and measured the current vent/water pipes pipes Seems the "new" tall 40 gallon heaters are three inches taller than the ones they replace. i.e. the one I would have trucked from the depot would not have fit. That paid for the price of the install right there. Anyway, we/they talked to the office at Bahr and a shorter model was what I needed (about the same price). They (sorry forgot their names) left and came back the next day. They did great work as now it was not just a swap-in to the gas/water, but some nice customized engineering.
All in all, pleasant experience, guys were friendly, knowledgeable, neat and put up with an annoying customer.
(And if the thing breaks I'll have the wife call them, cuz it won't be my fault).
I compared their costs for a new gas hot water heater, with installation, and found their price in the range I wanted, and their willingness to come out and do the complete installation
They were considerable less than one plumbing company, and in the same range, slightly under a second company. They have a good rating with the BBB, and are local.
I had researched online and through Consumer Report, and knew the brand and model I wanted. They ordered it in, came on the day scheduled, 3 days later, and installed the heater, instructed me on its care and settings, and cleaned up after themselves.
I will use them again.
The installation of the shut off valve ( cost of $250) is fine but, even for a plumber, the price was a bit steep.
In short, they would not be my first choice.
Do NOT use this company! First of all, the price is ridiculous. Found out the water heater cost $323. Two men came to install (when one guy did the whole job by himself the last time I had this done by a different company.) The job took them approximately one hour. That comes to $487 for an hour's worth of labor. My son let these 2 guys in until I got home from work. When I greeted them, the one didn't even say hello before he had a smart remark about my uniform. While he was finishing up the job, the one that seemed to have more experience sat down and played with his cell phone, sending text messages back and forth to his daughter. He was also talking about his kids and himself. VERY unprofessional! Their clean-up consisted of picking up larger debris with their hands. Quite a bit was left that I had to vacuum up, and had to scrub floors and clean carpet from their dirty shoe prints. I asked about a permit they said they had to have to do the job, which I had to pay extra for, and NEVER got a copy of one.
My bank notified me this same day to report some suspicious charges to my bank account. Turns out that this company not only charged me for the total cost of the job, including a replacement water heater and labor, but also for an ADDITIONAL water heater. I wish I would have kept track of how many times I called them, and how many different people I talked to, to try and straighten this out. They promised to call the following day, and did not. I got answers like; and quot;I don't know what to tell you,and quot; or and quot;Hang on while I try to find your paperwork.and quot; After being put on hold for 5 minutes she said, and quot;I found it on the bottom of a stack.and quot; Total incompetency. After I metioned the BBB, Angie's list, and turning them over to my bank for fraud, the way they talked to me suddenly changed. After talking to a supervisor, I thought I was making progress, so I gave them until close of business today to have this straightened out before I carried out my other options. Guess what, I STILL haven't been refunded!!!
Licensing
State Contractor License Requirements
All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our Find Licensing Requirements page.
*Contact business to see additional licenses.