Jr Whitney Plumbing

Ss S.

I took off a star for each time he billed me for returning to work the SAME problem.  My Viessmann boiler was randomly shutting down, causing me to call the only Viessmann Certified technician apparently in the area.  Each time he left, the boiler failed again, anywhere from two hours to two days after the visit.  Even though his service warranty period was 90 days, when I started to complain about the ineffective fixes and the same recurring boiler shutdowns, he billed me for these callbacks, at $150/hr.

Here's a key fact, something I subsequently learned:  My high efficiency boiler has a Reset button that temporarily suppresses the shutdown fault and allows short term operation (so the homeowner can get some heat and hopefully a good repairman) until it thinks the weather is improving (via an outdoor temperature sensor which the boiler tracks constantly), when it invariably shuts down again.   Literally, you can do nothing except press Reset, and the boiler will usually run again but will fail a short time later.  I believe Whitney knew this feature well, being ""Viessmann Certified"".  Interestingly and not coincidentally, each visit was long enough to warrant a service bill of an hour per visit, which was all billed after I started squawking about the repeated service callbacks.

There was one ""free"" callback, when Whitney acknowledged that he improperly installed a new ignitor and ionization electrodes and had to return to ""gap"" the electrodes per the manual.  For the 15 days that the electrodes were misaligned, the boiler suffered loud and damaging detonations, resulting in a new shutdown fault that still recurs.
In addition, I spent over $1000 for two electronic control boards, one of which was not needed.  There was nothing wrong with the old board, and the replacement board was plugged in without proper programming, something else I learned after the fact by reading the service manual.  As I started to clue in on the Reset profit button, the unnecessary new ignitor and electrodes, the misaligned electrodes causing detonation damage to the burner, and the unnecessary control board replacement, I saw Whitney's pattern of doing cursory or unwarranted tasks, leaving the real fix undone, and consistently billing each visit at the top rate.

I threatened litigation, and that's when the unjustified labor hours were dropped. That was more than reasonable on this customer's part, given how Whitney deliberately stretched out the income stream instead of comprehensively fixing the problem for which he was originally called.
Since then, to keep my boiler limping along, I probably became more knowledgeable than most so-called Viessman Certified technicians.  That's another sham of sort.  To get that certification, a technician attends a one day-course.  Voila - you're Viessmann Certified!

All this happened four years ago.  So why am I writing this review now?  Several reasons:  1.  My boiler still shuts down unexpectedly, just like it did when I first called for service.  2. Bad service still feels bad after four years, 3. This review could help someone, even if it comes late.

Tricia R.

I had an issue with my hot water heater, and my brother and law gave us JR Whitney Plumbing's info. My fiance and I called them first thing in the morning, and Jeff came right over to check it out. We needed a replacement. He explained everything to us in detail and in a way that we could understand. He went over the type of water heater he suggested and why, the size and why - the placement of our water heater is in a tight space, (and a very odd one, at that), how he would have to reconfigure the piping/the cost of that, pulling the permit/cost, and an inspection PLUS the time he'd put in. He informed us he was only going to charge for time worked, meaning he wasn't going to charge for when he left our home to go get the water heater/other supplies. He came back and installed everything the same day so we would have hot water ASAP, and he did an amazing job! We passed inspection with flying colors. I would highly reccomend him!

Also, to note, we did have Home Depot come out and they told us we needed an electrician to pull a separate permit and do some work or we wouldn't pass inspection. When Jeff arrived, he informed us that since this was a REPLACEMENT and not a brand new install, that was not the case and he was absolutely right which saved us quite a bit of cash. Dude knows his stuff!

Gary K.

Jeff Whitney is one of the most talented plumbing specialists I know. We've had him do several jobs in our house now, and each one has stood the test of time. Ten years ago he replaced all of our copper piping with the newer plastic P-Tex lines, and that job has not had a single leak - and we live in an older house that has gone through more than its share of shifting and general construction trauma. Jeff's rates are fair, and he usually estimates high for a job with unknowns involved, but has never failed to adjust back downwards after the job is done, based upon what was actually involved. It's rare to see such integrity in this field, so I would highly recommend him, and his brother Jason who does the drainage side of the business. Jason Whitney's been out to do our sewer lines more than once, and usually they work together to get larger jobs done that require a little of both. Both are good people.