Kratzer Plumbing

Grey R.

If you're wondering about all those 5-star reviews - could they be possibly true - they are. This is as good as it gets, believe me. Absolutely. If you get to work with Lee Kratzer, prepare to feel lucky. If I could give Lee ten stars, I would do so without hesitation. His services are superb, and somehow he manages to make you feel good in the process!

Pros:
- Highly skilled, extraordinary knowledgeable
- No overselling of any services; only a range of options for your project - you select what you want done
- Excellent communication skills; Lee listens to customer needs and talks it over with you instead of talking at you - a huge difference
- True professionalism with strong work ethic
- Accessible at all times
- Old-school one-man shop that you can trust and depend upon, providing exceptional and efficient services

Cons:
- NONE

In an essence, you will have your problem resolved in the best possible way in no time. Isn't that what you're looking for? IMHO, Lee's work is surpassing all expectations.

So one Monday morning I found myself in a position when bad things just started to pile up with no end in sight. It was shaping to be one of those disastrous Mondays, you know? Everything that could possibly go wrong did. And to top it all off, I discovered a leaking water heater in the garage that not only leaked all over the garage floor, but also cracked along the vertical seam, and flooded the adjacent to the garage bonus room. Multiple furniture pieces standing in a soaking wet carpet, things ruined, what to do next?

I figured this was my chance to go modern and get a tankless unit with never ending hot water for the whole house. Many larger water-heating installers in the area would jump at a chance to bid for a job like this, and to take you up for as much money as they could in the process. They promise you foundless mountains and happily ever after, and sound like one of those energetic timeshare salesmen insisting they're giving you a great deal, so therefore you just have to make your decision right away - otherwise all sorts of bad things will happen to you (as if you haven't had it bad enough!)

Given the complications of proper tankless installation, we opted for the traditional 50-gallon water heater, not without some initial hesitation. The large distance between the gas meter, located at one end of the building, and the desirable location for the water heater in the far corner of the garage, located at the opposite end, would complicate the installation and make the costs somewhat prohibitive to justify. Also, to support a proper installation, a new larger-size diameter gas pipe would need to be installed and strapped along the outside house wall, which in essence would make the end result look ugly. Adding a water filter at the tankless entrance to reduce corrosion in pipes from hard water would require more maintenance and increase the cost. And lastly, another smart thing to do would be enhancing a new tankless heater with a small-sized gas-heated tank for instant hot water with a turn of a faucet in the house. We just weren't ready to invest as much into the project, knowing it would still not look perfect when all finished and done. In the end, it became clear that due to our home design, we'd be better off with just replacing our traditional heater. And so it was a more obvious choice to replace the cracked leaking tank with a new one.

Fortunately, Lee was able to readjust his schedule in order to accommodate our little project in for the very next day. Not only his quote was the most honest to goodness option we've got, he did everything he said he would, and more, in the most efficient way. We were happy to not only have our project completed in one day, but to also get to know Lee. I seriously doubt it that anyone could find a better plumber in the area. Kratzer Plumbing is the best! Thank you Lee!

Dave H.

Lee was prompt and super efficient. He fixed 3 problems within the span of an hour. Would definitely recommend him

L L.

What do you do when you come home from work to find an inch of water underneath the water heater?? You call Kratzer Plumbing, that's what you do.

What does a girl know about a water heater? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I called the number, was leaving a VM, got another call, picked it up and it was Kratzer Plumbing. He was at another job but could he come by in about an hour. YES PLEASE.

A HOT (no pun intended) guy named Sam showed up, (HELLO!) and told me that he'd never seen such an old water heater last this long. He couldn't get my water heater that night, (7pm already) but could have it delivered and replaced at 3pm the next day.

He showed up at promptly 3pm, the water heater was delivered, he was done by 5pm. AMAZING SERVICE. Every business should take a lesson from Kratzer Plumbing. Simply amazing. THANK YOU!

Rose D.

Called Lee to help with a clogged kitchen sink after Fifteen Dollar Sewer and Drain tried to inflate the job by telling me they would need to replace the entire sink plumbing (!!!) because ""the way it was installed, my snake wouldn't fit in there.""

Lee arrived promptly at 9am as agreed. He explained what would need to be done, and was clean, pleasant and polite. At first he quoted $200 ($120/hour and he said clearing the clog should take about 90 minutes), but 10 minutes later he surprised me by saying that he was actually able to clear the clog by using a plunger!

Last night, after dealing with the Fifteen Dollar plumber, I was so frustrated, I was close to tears. Being ripped off and taken advantage of feels awful. I thought I would never find an honest plumber. But hey - I just found one!

Mike M.

In May of 2008 the thermocouple of my gas-fired water heater failed for the first time. Andrew K. Mills Plumbing replaced it and charged me $168.81.

In October of 2013 that same thermocouple failed for a second time. Kratzer Plumbing replaced it and charged me $136.00.

Both plumbing companies did professional and competent work. Kratzer was on-site within an hour of my call. That prompt service combined with the price difference will be what guides my decison process the next time that I find myself in need of plumbing repair services.

Isabelle S.

Whao!!! Lee is amazing, He came to our home on time and diagnosed the problem very quickly and found a creative cost effective solution. He was courteous, clean and totally dependable. I will absolutely use him again!!! The overall cost was unbeatable.

Michelle M.

We called Abco Rooter Service, he responded promptly, gave us a competitive quote, alerted us to possible problem scenarios, arrived on time, and solved our problem. He also stayed and thoroughly checked to make sure the issue was dealt with correctly. He did everything we asked and more. I would definitely call Lee again.

Anita L.

Lee's the best! It's about time I wrote a review -- we've used him for just about everything. Things tend to happen around here late in the day, but Lee always fits us in. When our main drain backed up late one night, he showed up at 10:00 to see if there was any way he could fix it (There wasn't), then showed up early in the morning to find our buried line, repair it and clean out all the roots in the line.

In addition, l we've known Lee long enough and well enough that we'd leave him a key or leave the house while he's working. He's completely trustworthy.

Larry F.

Lee Kratzer is the best plumber we have ever found. My wife called him tonight at 6:00 p.m. when we discovered a leaking pipe spraying water above our water heater. He was at our home within an hour and promptly fixed the problem. This is the second time Lee has come to our home. His fees are reasonable and he really takes the time to explain the issue with you. Lee is the only plumber we will call in the future. We found him on Yelp and he lives up to the wonderful reviews he has received.

Mike L.

Great service; personable; smart; out to SAVE me money by figuring out the best way to do things with the quality you want. It's hard to get 5 stars from me in the area of electrical, plumbing, HVAC, etc. -- Lee's 'the man'.