Blue Island Plumbing

Dee T.

Our Navien tankless water heater was fairly hemorrhaging water from its drainline. Navien provides a list of service techs/installers but expressly backs exactly none of them. At their site, the top listed service is no longer in business. #2 never returned my call. #3 told me to turn off a valve that was not the drainage outlet but the water intake, and soon the unit was screaming! (We were lucky the thing didn't explode and quickly turned that valve on again.) #4 told us they only did commercial service, which was odd as they were listed under ""residential."" Well. Rod was #5; he IS Blue Island Plumbing. As soon as we began talking about pics he'd asked me to text him, I knew he would be well worth whatever he charged, if only he could save the unit. He is both well educated and impeccably mannered, besides being friendly and good-humored.

He immediately saw that the gas line and air supply were not installed to code. As we have an attached whole house recirculating pump, an expansion tank to relieve pressure was also missing. (Small wonder the installer is no longer in business!) The leak was caused by a pressure relief valve that had gone bad. He saw all this in bare moments, having graciously agreed to stop by en route to another call in his already booked day. That was on Friday.

Unlike most (ALL other?) plumbers, he'd provided a detailed written estimate by that same evening.

Rod came on Monday. He is as fastidious in his person as in his speech. He did all the work that was required and more. I also asked him to flush the unit and was pleased that he had his water circulating pump ready to go on his truck; he gave me the price and told me it would take an additional 40 minutes, raising no issue about his own time. He was at our house for more than 4 hours and even took care to clean the unit's exterior of dust and cobwebs.

Not only did he save the unit but he also didn't need to consult Navien for diagnostics. (Their site warns customers all service techs should call them before doing anything. That was clearly superfluous in this case, because Rod knows what he's doing.)

When you find high quality service at a reasonable price in a man of real integrity, you Sharpie his business card with 5 stars and keep it handy.

Tanya A.

Needed some new faucets, toilets and valves replaced at our home. Called Rod and discussed the budget and plan. We scheduled the work and I am extremely pleased with the results. Rod did a fantastic job at very reasonable prices. I especially loved his attention to detail and perfectionist mindset! After seeing him work, we then inquired about a whole home filtration system. Rod answered all my questions and was extremely knowledgeable about the different solutions out there. We settled on a salt free system, and now that the unit is installed, we couldn't be happier with the final results. Thanks for your superb work and honesty Rod!!

Elisabeth H.

Rod and Blue Island are the best! I have had him do three jobs over the last few years and every time they have been responsive, professional, helpful AND conscious of my budget!

Right after I sold my condo, we experienced a slab leak. It could have been a nightmare (We got to estimates before calling Rod and both wanted to ear apart the entire bathroom to find the leak then fix it!). Rod is a craftsman. He worked carefully to quickly find the leak and repair it.

Recently, we have had him do 2 bathroom make-overs. Again, it was done well (every night they left the site clean and tidy), on-time, and within our budget.

Do not waste your time and money with another plumber. They are the best!

John N.

I wholeheartedly recommend Rod and Blue Island Plumbing. Rod exhibits integrity and is thorough in explaining what the situation is and possible solutions. He was upfront about pricing that I feel is fair and justified.

I reached out to Blue Island Plumbing after seeing them listed as an authorized service specialist on the manufacturer's website for Navien tankless water heaters. I could've just gone back to the plumbing company that first installed our tankless, but chose not to after thinking the cost to purchase and install the unit initially seemed a bit high. Quick research on the internet also suggested that the other company may have overcharged. I even checked Yelp reviews later and saw that there were a significant number of negative reviews on the other company confirming the same. It was on a weekend back in 2016 when the hot water went out and we had a hard time finding anyone available for a service call on a weekend. So, what are you gonna do? We were kinda desperate at that time and didn't have the luxury of time to research and make a more informed decision.

Rod came out and identified the problem with the tankless. He then contacted the manufacturer and ordered the part needing replacement still covered under warranty. He also inspected the unit and found issues with the install job done by the other company. He took the time to show me exactly what those issues are which could eventually impact continued, reliable operation of the tankless. I could've called that other company to demand that they fix their faulty installation, but I asked Rod how much he would charge to do it himself. I felt the price was fair and have asked that he take care of it. I would rather pay Rod and Blue Island Pluming to do the work than to go back to the old plumbing company and engage in a potentially acrimonious episode with a shady business (after seeing Yelp reviews on that other company about overcharging, collections and more I just don't want to risk the hassle). Rod also confirmed that we were overcharged by the other company.

It's good to know that I found a plumber that I can trust for any job going forward and that there is another plumber out there to avoid.

Eno P.

I recently had to find a plumber to re plumb my bathroom I needed some one skillful as the project had to be precise . I also had a deadline for completion because we were having a house full of guests. I had Blue Island do some small plumbing jobs in the past and they were always courteous and did great work. I call Rod at Blue Island and he said he could do the job in time for my guests. Unfortunately the tub that I ordered came three weeks late. Rod told me he would finish the job no matter what. It finally arrived and He worked late in the night to finish the bathroom It was a tub, sink , faucet , toilet. The 300 pound tub had to be placed in a very small area and as I said earlier the rough plumbing had to be exact. It was indeed. I have never worked with any contractor who would show up on time finish the job on time and do perfect work. Rod from Blue Island fits the bill. I highly recommend him to anyone who has any plumbing needs. Oh. He is also a great guy with a great sense of humor .

Ray H.

I called Rod on the recommendation of a fried who had owned a pluming company.
40 gal gas water heater $1100 quote. Paul a sub contractor, call me soon after and set a time, ""(he was available that day) I had him come in the morning and when he saw that he had to come thru the kitchen instead of the garage, he wanted and extra $100 so I sent him away.
Ron called soon after and while not apoligzing, tried to understand what was the problem.

Jill R.

Had issues with appointment scheduling, Mother in law had two toilets changed out and leak fixed on faucet. Owner contacted after poor review, would speak with plumber about scheduling issue. Stated would review cost of repairs. Will try again.

Mike C.

Rod was hands down the most helpful person in this field I have come across. He spent as much time as it took to help me out and answered every question (I had a lot of them) I had about my filtration system. He systematically walked me through my problem and I can't say enough good things about this company. If we still all ran our companies like this, America would be a far better place! Where have all the Good Ol' Boys gone? Thanks again, Rod!!!

Jack Z.

Rod and Craig did a great job installing the water treatment system I wanted. The installation was rather difficult since the main water line is in a drop ceiling in my town home's garage next to a sprinkler and bunch of gas lines but Rod and Craig really took the time to do the installation correct instead of just rushing through it.

Karen B.

Not So Great the Second Time

Made an appointment to have tankless water heater flushed and to snake a drain that did not quite get cleared well on the first appt. Technician was supposed to be here at 11 am, but at 11:30 he was not. Called him and he said ""I forgot"". He was then supposed to call to reschedule and it has been 2 weeks and he has not.