The Plumbing Ministry

Meg C.

My family had the BEST possible experience with Louis -- the very courteous, smart, and personable owner of the Plumbing Ministry -- and his hard-working crew when they installed French drains around our house in summer 2009. First I will just say that Louis's bid came in much, much lower than the others we received (much!). Yet he & his crew were able to totally complete the drains and the clean-up in one week -- a third of the time quoted by others! Best of all, we sailed through last winter with not a DROP of water in our basement. During the first big rainstorm of the season when nearby roads were flooding, I actually misted up with relief to see that our basement -- which previously could be a flood-zone of its own -- was bone dry. And it has stayed that way since. In our experience, the Plumbing Ministry did excellent work for an outstanding price.

L M.

The Plumbing Ministry worked in conjunction with an unlicensed plumber, Michael Stabile on our home. In the process of clearing a clog they unknowingly created another clog elsewhere in the system. This caused a septic spill that cost thousands of dollars in damages. Why? They were careless and didn't bother to check our system with a camera at the end of their job. I know people like plumbing ministry because they are cheap but it is well worth the money to go with a more professional company. When I went after them for damages I had to fight every step before their bonding company finally paid me most of what I asked for. It was a total nightmare.

K D.

We originally called The Plumbing Ministry based on Yelp reviews to check out a sewer lateral on a house we were considering buying. Louis was great. He worked us into his schedule with very short notice as we were working on a quick deadline. Once he came out, he also found out there wasn't a sewer cleanout (something our inspector missed), and he wrote a quote for it so that we could take that cost into consideration when coming up with our offer price. Unfortunately we weren't able to check out the sewer lateral at that time as we couldn't get permission to remove a toilet to do the camera inspection.

Once we actually bought the house we had them come out to install the sewer cleanout. We made the mistake of calling one of the bigger companies when we had a sewer backup shortly after moving in. We didn't realize at the time that the Plumbing Ministry can handle those types of after hours calls, too. Anyway, that company charged us $450 because it was on a weekend and they had to remove the toilet since there wasn't a sewer cleanout. They also gave a quote that was nearly 3 times the amount that The Plumbing Ministry quoted to install a cleanout.

Needless to say, we went with the Plumbing Ministry for the cleanout. They were able to fit us into their schedule for the same week. They sent a 3-person team out and got the job done much quicker than expected. They actually ended up charging us much LESS than what they quoted as they had to slightly modify the job due to issues with our pipes. I can't remember the last time THAT ever happened with a contractor. We'll definitely be calling them again for any future plumbing issues.

Alice Y.

I had a large sink hole in my front yard. I called The Plumbing Ministry. Nick came out & spent over an hour explaining to me what work needed to be done. I hired The Plumbing Ministry to run a video line through the sewer. I could see that there were six leaks in my sewer, which was installed in 1924. Chevo & Santiago along with others worked over four days to replace the entire sewer line & install two sewer cleanouts. Diaego, Chevo & Santiago also replaced the discharge pipe running from my sump pump & rerouted the pipe so that it ran under the sidewalk to empty into the street. Previously the sump pump emptied directly onto the sidewalk & made the sidewalk slippery to walk on. The workmen were very hard working, polite & conscientious. The owner, Louis Ray, was knowledgeable about how the work should be done properly. I would highly recomend The Plumbing Ministry to anyone who needs a sewer cleanout or sewer replacement.

Andrew C.

We had the Plumbing Ministry back for a couple of other items. Again they were fast and courteous, plus they had some slip-on booties to wear while in the house!! Did they read my previous review?

5 stars for this visit. 4 star average.

jaime t.

They were on time, responsible, worked hard and fast. The plumber who came out was extremely friendly, helpful and I felt great about the overall experience. Normailly I hate strangers coming in to do work...THEY WERE GREAT!

Toni F.

I had a totally gross sewer back-up and standing water/yuck in my drive-way. Louis answered his phone, came within an hour on a holiday afternoon, changed faulty plumbing that had been commented on but left unremedied by other 'rooter' companies for years, snaked my drain to clear up the mess -- all quickly, efficiently, and for a very reasonable charge. Louis was open, gracious, informative and very knowledgeable. He was also nice to my 11 year old daughter. I expect to be replacing my sewer lines soon and I know who to call. Great guy and great service! I have finally found my plumber :)

P.S. I am also a Jewish lesbian. Louis didn't refuse to work for me because I have a mezzuzah on my door, and I did not hesitate to hire him despite the cross on his business card. I am appalled that anyone would ""rate"" a service provider they have never met and have no experience working with based entirely upon their subjective presumptions about the implications of that service provider's faith. I have no problem with spending money in line with our politics, but the other reviewer did not discuss religious tolerance or queer civil rights with Louis -- just jumped to conclusions.

Jan s.

I'm giving this business 4 stars because the owner makes clear who he is and where his priorities are (which I think is important) and because the other reviewers say he does great work. However, I haven't actually used him and here's why: we needed a new sewer line and had a quote of $6800 to do a trenchless sewer. After reading the great reviews for this business, I decided to call him but first I decided to look at his website. There, at the top of the first page, I found a large picture of a cross, a bible, and the information that he operates his business ""according to biblical principals."" I really went back and forth because of the great Yelp reviews but we're a Jewish lesbian couple and we couldn't get past the thought that the money we pay the owner for this work might be donated by him in such a way that it's used to reduce our legal rights. Of course, we don't always know how owners of other businesses feel about us or use their money but when a business owner makes it clear where he stands, he obviously knows he will alienate some potential customers, which in this case he did.

Mari I.

I needed a plumber fast because I was told by PG & E that I had a gas leak and they turned off the gas to my house. Since I'm notinto taking cold showers, cooking my food in the microwave and walking around the house all bundled up, I decided to get the problem fixed quickly! Plus, I have Yogie, a short haired chihuahua/corgi mix who doesn't take to the cold very well and when he's not happy, I'm not happy. No one likes a miserable, shivering, grumpy dog!

I found the Plumbing Ministry on Yelp. I called them up and surprise, someone answered the phone. I was able to schedule an appointment for the next day. Nick arrived early; he assessed the situation really quickly. He gave me estimates for the worse case scenario, so there would be no surprises.

It turns out my heater needed to be replaced. I opted to have a family member switch out the heater and have the Plumbing Ministry hook it up. They were fine with this. They are very flexible, easy to work with, professional and prompt. Their prices are more reasonable than other plumbing companies I had called.

They are full service plumbers. They do everything from hot water heaters, to fixing leaky faucets, installations, etc.

If you have any plumbing needs, I definitely recommend the Plumbing Ministry.

traveler Y.

Michael Your Plumber recommended Louis, the Plumbing Ministry. We found a huge puddle of water by our water heater. It was more than a puddle, the water flooded where our water heater stood. We thought, oh no, a new water heater. Louis sent his crew, Diego and Santiago. They showed up and said they'll try and fix it first. If it can't be fixed, then a new water heater. Thankfully, it was only a leaky flex connector. Diego and Santiago got the job done quickly. They were fast, professional, and friendly. Now we have hot water again.