North Lake Plumbing Inc

John G.

Got a call from tenant---no hot water. Saturday night, first night of rental. Called handyman, who went to site, confirmed no hot water, diagnosed bad interior fill pipe not moving cold water to bottom of tank, but good burner....suggested call Ken Fielding.

He responded immediately, and drove to site first thing Sunday morning, just before Christmas. Found leaking shower faucet, fixed it, verified water heater was working, tenants happy.

Ken suggested how to decide whether 31-year-old water heater should be replaced, and a schedule that worked, in his busiest week of the year.

Very happy with rapid response. Can't comment yet on pricing, but very happy with Ken's expertise and professionalism.

Cathi D.

I was referred to NorthLake Plumbing by a friend, wait until I tell him my experience with Ken I seriously doubt he'll refer him to anyone again. I called and left a message with his answering service and he called back within 15 minutes. I told him my water heater was not heating up, he said he was just leaving a job and he'd come right over.

Prior to Ken arriving earlier in the day a friend came over who is very knowledgable and competent to see if he could help me out. He tried relighting the pilot quite a few time and it just wouldn't light, decided it was most likely the Thermal Coupler, so he went and purchased one to install, but was having a difficult time getting one of the bolts off and he didn't want to risk damaging anything so that's when we decided to call
Ken to complete the job.

The minute he came in and saw we had tried to fix it he became very irate and rude and it escalated from there. He asked how old the heater was (6yrs old GE ) purchased from Home Depot. As soon as he heard this he said it was a piece of crap, why did I buy it and start to getting increasingly agitated. He said he could try and fix it and in stall the new thermal coupler and it would cost at least $300 but he couldn't guarantee it would work, I said yes please go ahead and do that....OR he could sell me a NEW water heater and install it for $2,000, which I said NO too. When I said No in his rude irate manner he said wouldn't even be worthwhile trying to fix my existing water heater because it's a piece of crap....even thou it is only 6 years old, and I would be throwing good money after bad.

When I said no to the new water heater he threw his tools together and stormed out. I have never encounter such a nasty, rude service person, it was very clear he didn't want to help or fix my water heater and possibly make $300 he wanted to sell me a very expensive new one. When I decided to write this review and read some of the reviews others had left, some good, and some not so good and several had the same experience as I did. NOT a good way to run your business....rude inconsiderate man.

D S.

We were referred to him by a local Tahoe City Plumber (Leslie at Tahoe's Best Plumbing) we found on Yelp for another plumbing issue we are still working on. Leslie was out of town when I called Saturday morning but she referred Ken at North Lake Plumbing to me.

I called Ken and got his answering service and left my phone number. He called back within 30 min and I described to him the issue. I have renter in my house and no hot water, because I think the thermo couple may need replacement. He asked how old the heater was and said it could also be a gas valve issue. I told him I had purchased this high-altitude water heater from Ace Hardware about 6 years ago. As soon as he heard this was purchased from Ace Hardware, he said it wouldn't even be worthwhile for him to go and inspect it, because it is just not a good water heater, and I would just be throwing good money after bad.

Then I asked him for his recommendation. He proceeded to say that I need to install a new water heater - something that he carries, but it wouldn't be one that they sell at Hardware stores. I asked him how much it would be, he said to install on a Saturday it would be at least $2,000.

Wow!

I respectfully thanked him for his time, and I called Ace Hardware and asked to speak with someone in charge and asked Ace Hardware to defend the quality of their water heaters. They did, and i was satisfied with the quality of what Ace Hardware carries and sells. If someone says to me: ""Don't buy groceries from Safeway because they are just not good groceries. You should only buy good groceries that I carry at my store."" I would have a hard time believing in that.

I hate to use this analogy but, to me, this almost reminds of Donald Trump saying that you shouldn't listen to CNN, CNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, or the polls, or believe in any news coverage from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, or The Washington Post. It's all Fake News. The only credible news that is believable is His own news - published on his own Twitter account directly to the American public and the world - 30 times a day.

No, I'm not going to buy your $2,000 water heater and throw away a perfectly functioning, good, high altitude water heater I bought from Ace Hardware a few years ago. I support local businesses and local hardware stores, and I don't throw them under the bus because they are honest people who provide a good, valuable, and honest service for everyone who lives in the Truckee, Northstar, Squaw/Alpine and the greater North Lake Area. I don't think the products carried by Ace Hardware is sub-standard, and I will not buy something only you approve or carry because you say I should do it.

Please understand that consumers can ask questions, evaluate, and make sound decisions based on gathering information and research.

May this review serve as valuable research for the next consumer looking for a good, honest plumber or businesses.

Arkady H.

I called North Lake Plumbing at 8PM and they were out to my house doing work the following day moving a gas line and installing a shutoff valve where it was supposed to be. Their hourly rate is not cheap but I am very satisfied with the quality of their work.

Joe S.

Too expensive. I them him to fix a problem and was way overcharged. I showed another plumber the invoice who was working on another project of mine and he agreed. The plumbers who price fairly will get more business as word of mouth advertising is the best. The price gougers only hurt themselves in the long run.

Joan C.

Ok, so seeing all these fantastic reviews here makes me suspicious. I have to post my experience. It was much like the one described by Linda B.

I was given more information up front than the she apparently got, including that I would have to pay for a trip charge (and therefore had to give my credit card number up front). Then I would be called with the estimate to do the actual work. They showed up on time. So far so good, but the good ended there.

First, I never got the call. Next, they didn't have the exact part with them and ended up adapting the one my tenant had purchased when he first tried to do the repair himself. He told me the plumbers were there for well less than an hour and that one seemed to be in training. Changing a tub spout was definitely not a two person job.

To my surprise I got a call saying I owed something over $300. Huh? For less than an hour when the only part they supplied was a pipe nipple?! I questioned the charge and the owner himself (whom I had not met in person) immediately laid into me about what a favor he had done, that my tenant was without hot water and couldn't be left in that situation and it was hardly worth his time to have driven over (his decision, not mine). I never said anything about being desperate. That was his assumption. My tenant was without a shower - the tub diverter had broken - not without a bathtub or hot water, and honestly he wasn't in a rush. I'd have continued calling other plumbers had I known this one would be so expensive. This was only my second call.

Anyway, he later conceded that they should have gotten my approval before doing the work and grudgingly said I only had to pay the trip charge which I think was $120 or $125. I thought about it after that and decided to pay $200 which I felt was a very generous compromise between what they originally billed me and what the job was worth, only because I would probably have paid the $300+ charge had they bothered to have called for my permission as promised (though I would have been pretty unhappy after I learned how simple the job had been).

Anyway, here's my past-due review.

Rebecca L.

Thanks to North Lake Plumbing for working with us as we coordinated clearing furnace vents and getting water heater up and running again up in Serene Lakes--patient, prompt, friendly. You made it happen.

Michael W.

I called North Lake Plumbing with an emergency situation.
He answered the phone in the first couple rings.
He came out within a hour and fixed our pipes.
Great service and a job well. Thanks Ken.

Brad L.

I called Ken on a weekend evening due to a frozen/broken pipe in mid winter (temps to 0 for a couple days). there was severe water damage and 11 frozen pipes to be found/repaired. He provided help over the phone even before we worked together and came out quickly to help with repairs in difficult conditions (still freezing, no heat since hydronic pipes had frozen and no electricity and the main water shut-off was defective). His advice was helpful, his work quick, great quality and very affordable). I will use him again as the current work progresses and would recommend him very highly.

sean m.

I called Ken with a smelly situation (broken sewage ejector pump) on a Saturday night. Ken was extremely helpful on the phone, even trying to verbally walk me through steps that could resolve the situation myself. When that didn't work, he came the next morning, during a snow storm, on time as promised and was able to fix the problem without needing any new parts.

He is extremely professional, honest and very fair in assessments. Using him (or any plumber) for emergency weekend repairs is going to cost you more, but Ken was high integrity in my experience and not looking to gauge homeowners with extra costs or parts if not needed.

I would 100% use Ken again and heartily recommend him to anyone looking for a reliable and punctual plumber in the North Lake area!