F.H. Swisher Plumbing And Heating

Rich G.

F.H. Swisher truly saved the day today. I had a plumbing emergency and needed help right away. We are new to the area; so, I called my neighbor, who is a realtor, for a recommendation. He unhesitatingly said Swisher plumbing in Downingtown. I called their number and spoke to a person right off, no automated answering system, explained the situation, and was told that they would try and get someone out as soon as possible. They were under staffed due to the COVID 19 situation. Low and behold I get a call an hour and a half later saying they could have a plumber there in a half hour. Tim arrived in about 20 minutes and was everything you could hope for in a plumber. First off, he wore a face mask which was a big relief. He was very professional, had everything he needed to get the job done, and cleaned throughly once he was done. F.H. Swisher is our plumber from now on and I would recommend them to anyone in need of one.

Chester C.

Have used them for probably 8 years now, but when I look back at the last several jobs I've hired them to do, I've been disappointed each time.
Several years ago, I had them install a new exterior faucet on my house. They did it up right - an anti-siphon, frost proof sillcock, inside shut off valve with drain. Then a couple years ago I had them replace a damaged spigot located on my garage - but the guy only used a simple sillcock with a plastic knob and did more than I had asked on the inside plumbing by installing a junction - which was time and materials I never agreed to - and then he called it a day. I had to pay for his extra time and decisions.
I had them out earlier this year to do a lot of rework in my basement (move the water heater, plum a new utility sink, tie in a drain, etc.) Same guy came out and again made all sorts of decisions without asking me what I wanted. I was right upstairs. Ultimately, I didn't get what I wanted the way I wanted it. And again he did work I didn't ask for at time and materials. But, of course, I still had to pay for it.
A few months ago I called and asked for an estimate on some work on my second floor to rough in an upstairs laundry. No one ever got back to me. So, I called again and someone (they never introduce themselves on the phone or in person) came out to give me an estimate. I think it was the owner/father of the guy above. I told him about my experiences with the other guy and that I'd prefer not to use him again. I explained about the basement job and the garage. Regarding the garage, he said ""we can replace that if you want."" I said yes. In reference to the basement I was told ""he wouldn't do that,"" and yet - it was pretty obvious that he would and he did. 1) I never got an estimate. 2) No one ever came back and replaced the sillcock. 3) The guy I said I didn't want working at my house again showed up when I had to call for a repair on an inside sewer vent stack. If time weren't of the essence, I'd have gone somewhere else over the lack of follow through on 1 and 2.
Last month, I was having my bathroom remodeled and when the contractor opened the wall, there was a 4' crack in the vent stack. Although I appreciated Swisher came out the following Monday (it was discovered late on a Friday), I did not appreciate that they never called me to talk about the job or give me an estimate. I called Monday afternoon and left my cell and asked that someone cal me with the plan. No call. The contractor told me they'd be coming that Wednesday to do the work. Tuesday came and went, still no call to discuss the job with me. Wednesday morning I called and whoever answered (again, they never identify themselves) immediately took a defensive posture and such an angry tone I had to finally say ""Hey! I don't know why you're giving me all this attitude, I just want to know, as the home owner, what it is you're planning to do, when you're planning to do it, and how much it will cost!"" His tone settled down after that, but then he launched into ""the contractor said this"", ""We told the contractor that"". The contractor doesn't own the home and the contractor isn't paying your bill. I didn't appreciate the unwarranted hostility toward this long time customer. The guy went on to tell me if it took 2 guys, 4 hours it would be between $600 and $700; no distinctions about materials. It took 2 guys, 2 hours and so I had the reasonable expectation it should be between $300 and $350; the bill was $538.35. I wrote in asking why it was so high. The older woman who answers the phones called me and also copped an attitude as if how dare I question them.
Meanwhile, neither of the plumbers who ""fixed"" the vent stack bothered to check the whole thing's length thoroughly. Turns out, it branched off to a long defunct pair of shower and toilet drains in the second floor's flooring; I've only owned the house for 10 years and this was long before me. The branches could've easily been discovered if they bothered to exam the full length of pipe. I found them and I'm no plumber. These lines had never been sealed and immediately began pumping sewer gas into the house after their ""repair;"" dangerous and shortsighted. I had someone else out to fix that.
I have referred so many people in need of a plumber to them over the years, but no more. Just bizarre and I've had enough.

Lynne U.

We had contracted Swisher to do some work for us when we had new flooring installed about two months ago. They were recommended to us by Bob Wagner Flooring. They did a great job, so when our kitchen sink was recently backing up we called them. We got a quick appointment and they arrived right on time. Turned out that there was a tiny screw caught up in our garbage disposal. It wasn't easy to remove - but they did it and now everything is working fine again. They could have easily told us we needed a whole new disposal and charged us for that -- we are grateful that they were honest. We highly recommend them.

Linda F.

It would have been impossible to have a more professional, honest experience. Giving business to a family owned company who still knows how to do business the right way is the way to go. I needed a new water heater, a replaced pressure valve and a toilet repair. All done the right way at a good price, by courteous and knowledgeable people who didn't try to sell me anything. I just found my new 'go-to' plumbing company.

Virginia Z.

Be prepared to pay very inflated prices on parts and a large ""first hour"" cost. Work was good; price was way high.

Craig D.

(4) ~ very good overall experience. And we would use them again if needed.

FLOORING PROJECT: We were getting new Flooring installed and needed to both Remove/Reinstall our Toilet, Utility Sink & Washer/Dryer and they did a very good job. Note: We called ahead to get a Cost Estimate and they provided a Price Range depending on what needed to be done for the reinstall. The Final Bill comes in the mail afterwards and it was exactly the Price that was quoted to us.

Janice K.

FS Swisher saved me $500 replacing my water heater.

A ""big box"" store's contractor told me I needed to replace the valve above the tank itself plus the valves on the water mains coming into the house before they would install the new water heater being replaced under warranty. He said they were frozen and all of that work would be in addition to the installation fee. This would involve getting the water company to turn off the water at the street, and coordinate that with the contractor. This was the Monday of Thanksgiving week, and I saw no chance of getting the work done quickly. All the while, my tank is leaking, and I have Luke-warm water at best.

Swisher sent someone to look at the tank and valves to confirm what work was needed. He took out a wrench, and easily turned the valves. I got a fair price for installing the new tank, plus a tray under it with an alarm, plus an expansion tank, all for less than the big box contractor, and no need to replace the mains valves.

The office worked with me to schedule the installation, confirmed the appointment, and their plumber showed up on time. He was pleasant, professional and respected my property, being careful to avoid getting any of the sludge from the old tank on my carpet.

I highly recommend them.

Amy G.

Never went over the contract with us as to what was included or not. They excavated our shared driveway into pieces that all got dumped onto our neighbors yard ! To top it off when we called them back to fix it, he was condescending and told us it wouldn't get done. We had to ask a friend who had access to a backhoe to push our ""driveways remnants "" onto our yard and then pay out of pocket for an Industrial Waste Green Bag pickup! He also overcharged us. The whole experience was a disaster and if there was a zero star rating I would choose that!!!

Shawna S.

I had the best experience with Swisher. Referred by a friend, I called them because we had a sewer line break. They literally had someone checking out the pipe within 30 minutes. Everyone that we worked with was kind and courteous. And the best part was that their invoice came in at half the price of their competitor. Then, they called to make sure that everything was ok a couple of days later. Outstanding customer service. Will definitely use them when we get our bathroom redone.

Rev W.

Wayyyyyyyyyyy overcharged me. At my house for 1.5 hours and over $500 in labor. I priced out their materials which was over 3x's retail prices. DO NOT USE this company!!!! I plan on contacting the BBB.