Family owned & operated. Family Values. The professionals at First Choice call on over 30 years of experience to deliver expert technical knowledge along with a long reputation for top-quality work and satisfied customers.
Business highlights
55 years of trusted experience
Services we offer
Plumbing, heating & air conditioning repair & replacement, re-pipe, water heaters, main lines, drains, faucets & all miscellaneous plumbing problems.
We had a squirrel chew through the ground wire outside our house which caused a whole-house power outage. The City of Riverside electrician came out within the hour, and got most things up, but we still didn't have hot water. We initially didn't think there was a problem with the hot water heater itself, but just that the surge blew out the outlet, so we had an electrician replace it. Unfortunately, that didn't fix the problem, so we determined it was the tankless water heater itself. Jason was supposed to come out on a Friday afternoon to look at it, but he got held up on another job. The office gave us updates on his schedule so we weren't left not knowing when he would show up. By 4:00, it was apparent that Jason was not going to be available, but rather than leave us hanging over the weekend, Steve Ballard, the owner of the company came out to look at the water heater. He determined that it was dead and needed to be replaced. Our old tankless water heater was a Rinnai, but Steve said Noritz made a better product. When I complained about the amount of time it took to get hot water, especially upstairs, he said they made one with a timer, which would provide virtually instant hot water during two set periods a day. The price was only a couple of hundred dollars higher, so we purchased the one with the timer. As it was the end of the day, the soonest it could be ordered was the following Monday, but they got it on Tuesday and it was installed Wednesday. We ended up being without hot water for a week, but although the power outage was 4/27, we didn't know the water heater needed replacing until 4/29, and then there was a weekend, so I really can't fault First Choice for the length of time we had to wait. We have been customers for 16 years, and are very happy with First Choice Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning.
Description of Work: Replacement of Tankless Water Heater due to power surge.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$9,850
Christine P.
06/2016
5.0
plumbing
 + -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: I had a leak in my shower and they had to go through a closet to repair it. Great work, efficient and highly professional.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,000
Deborah A.
02/2016
5.0
plumbing
 + -1 more
.
Description of Work: .
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
Yes, I recommend this pro
$330
Christina A.
02/2016
5.0
heating & air conditioning/hvac, plumbing
 + 0 more
unknown
Description of Work: .
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
Yes, I recommend this pro
Kurt B.
11/2015
5.0
plumbing
 + -1 more
I was out of town and my wife calls me all freaked out that there is water in the spare bedroom coming from the wall. I jump on angieslist and find First Choice Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning. My wife calls them and they are at the house within 2 hours. They found the leak and fixed it within 45 minutes. Cost was $450. Friends say that?s a lot for 45 minutes of work but to me IT IS NOT. We had water going into our house and my wife was freaking out. First Choice did whatever they did and got someone to my house in 2 hours calming my wife?s nerves and keeping me from worrying about a flooded bedroom from 2,500 miles away. THANK YOU First Choice Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning!!!
Description of Work: fixed a leaky pipe in the wall
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$450
Glenn O.
01/2015
5.0
plumbing
 + -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: They did some work on our leaking kitchen faucet. We always use this company for our plumbing and AC needs. They are very friendly and reliable and their prices are very reasonable.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$69
Spencer M.
08/2014
5.0
plumbing
 + -1 more
The installation including replacing the water valve at the wall went very well. The installer really new what he was doing and when he removed the old toilet he carefully wrapped it in a large plastic bag to avoid dripping on the floor on the way out of the house.I have had previous opportunities to use their services and have found them to be very thorough, always leaving a clean and neat work area. They are punctual and call before they come for the appointment. I highly recomment them for plumbing and Air Conditioning work.
Description of Work: Replaced our old toilet with a new water efficient model..
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$250
John G.
02/2014
4.0
heating & air conditioning/hvac, plumbing
 + 0 more
The First Choice repairman knew what he was doing, but arrived late and charged a lot for quick and simple job, which I provided all the parts for. Said there was a set price and even though it shouldn't cost that much, that was what he had to charge. Liked the service, but the price was way out of line.
Description of Work: Repaired a heater that another plumber had lacked the knowledge to get running.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
2.0
professionalism
4.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
1.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$250
Spencer M.
11/2013
5.0
plumbing
 + -1 more
The faucet nuts that hold the faucet to the sink had broken and the hot water turn off valve did not shut off the hot water. We had an appointment for Wednesday before Thanksgiving and needed to get the job done that day. They set up an appointment, notified me before they arrived and showed up on time. Sam was knowledgeable and was able to deal with our situation and completely finished the job in one visit. He left the bathroom clean and everything works great. We wanted to save our faucet and Sam did just that and didn't try to sell us anything else we didn't need.
Description of Work: Repaired a bathroom sink faucet installation, replaced the hot water valve at the wall, replaced the feeder tubes to the faucet and reattached the faucet to the sink with new nuts and sealer.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$290
Arthur L.
11/2013
4.0
plumbing, gas leak repair
 + 0 more
repaired leak in shower/tub faucet.I used this service before I joined Angies.I do not have the date.It was not a major job,he just cleaned gasket to stop leak.
Description of Work: I used First Choice Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
4.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Christina A.
09/2013
5.0
heating & air conditioning/hvac
 + -1 more
Jason is who I always work with and he is excellent. He's excellent because he listens to what I say and explains what he's going to do. They are a very honest company to work with and I would highly recommend them to others.
Description of Work: They installed a brand new furnace and air conditioning unit. Two installers took care of this in a day. I've used them for many services in my home. They had tried to repair my air conditioner but unfortunately it was not repairable.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$6,000
Glenn O.
08/2013
5.0
plumbing
 + -1 more
They always come during the time they say they will. They are very professional. They always explain what they are doing and why. They show us our old parts and what they did.
Description of Work: They did some repair work on a kitchen sink.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$100
Sandra W.
07/2013
5.0
heating & air conditioning/hvac
 + -1 more
My AC went out. I saw the breaker was tripped. After several attempts to restore power, I called Trout Electric. I thought it was a blown fuse, but had no idea how to access it. Matt assessed the problem and found the breaker to my AC burned out and told me I needed to have the AC Unit looked at for damage before he restored power, because it could blow again and this time cause a fire. Matt recommended a company called and quot;First Choiceand quot; and placed the call for me. I, on the other hand, had never used this company and knew nothing about them. (I am a widow and know little about this). I looked them up here on Angie's List and found they had 3 reviews and a and quot;Band quot; rating. I read the reviews. 2 reviewers gave an and quot;Aand quot; rating, while the last review posted on 2-18-213 for services performed on Sep 2012, gave a and quot;Cand quot; rating. After reading this one, I soon disregarded this review. (Having been a landlord, it is ultimately the responsibility of the landlord to keep the tenant informed). I decided to go ahead with and quot;First Choiceand quot; based on the remaining and quot;Aand quot; reviews, however, I decided to watch this company closely. I must say I was Pleased. THEY EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS! The office kept me informed. I told them of my COPD and that I was unable to tolerate temps over 100 degrees. Even temps over 80 make it difficult for me to breath. Steve came out Monday morning to evaluate my AC unit. The compressor was dead and wires bare from overheating due to a power surge from the electrical panel. Since my Unit ran on a refrigerant now banned by the government, my furnace was incompatible and should also be replaced. Of course I had many questions because my furnace worked great! Steve explained that the refrigerant needed to be the same. Should not mix old and new, otherwise it would shorten the life of the AC Unit AND furnace causing more expense down the road. Steve was patient and answered all my questions. If there's one thing I've learned over the years is to do things right the first time, it will pay off in the end. Steve noticed my difficulty breathing and asked if I had ever considered an air filter. I thought to myself and quot;H***, yesand quot; !!! I live in a high pollen, dusty area with frequent winds and had been researching devices to clean my indoor air. Steve showed me info on several unites that could be added to the furnace. Eureka! Just what I needed. I agreed to the new furnace with filter. Steve made an appointment to come back the next day to do the install. I was not looking forward to another night in a hot house with window fans pulling in dust, my chest was already hurting. That afternoon his office called and said that since I was having breathing difficulty with the heat, they would come back that afternoon and do the installation instead of the next day. This I was very grateful for. A whole crew showed up to do the job around midafternoon and went right to work. They placed canvas drop cloths on my carpet before removing the furnace in the hall. Everyone worked like clockwork. Anytime I had a question, someone would stop to answer until I was satisfied. I posed questions to every worker and asked about their training, lic., etc. Everyone was courteous, pleasant, polite and helpful. It was apparent everyone was well trained. When they were finished, Alex, being the last to leave, picked up the canvas in the hall and vacuumed my carpet. Not a speck of dirt was left behind. I went outside; you could not tell anyone had been there except for the nice new AC Unit on the side of my house. They didn't even throw any trash in my cans! This company cleans up after themselves!! (One of my pet peeves) I was informed that the vent pipe through the roof needed replacing and someone would return to do this. I could wait to post this review until the pipe is replaced, but I know they will keep their word, hence, I am posting this now. Alex didn't leave that evening until the unit was running and I was happy, which was about 7:30 pm. I found and quot;First Choiceand quot; composed of honest, hardworking people led by the owner Steve, who will do what they say, and are willing to go the extra mile. (One even helped me look for my dog when she got out) I will definitely call them again. A definite A+ Company.
Description of Work: Replaced AC Unit and Furnace with addition of an air filtration unit for COPD.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$7,900
Adelle B.
02/2013
3.0
heating & air conditioning/hvac, plumbing
 + 0 more
Tenant's house. No notification to tenant.
Description of Work: Broken pipe repaired
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
3.0
value
2.0
professionalism
4.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
3.0
$429
Linda G.
09/2012
5.0
heating & air conditioning/hvac
 + -1 more
Our a/c unit quit cooling over the weekend. We contacted First Choice on Monday morning. They were very courteous on the phone and gave us an appointment time for the same day. They had some delays at the office so were a little later than the scheduled arrival, but got right to work upon arrival and had the repairs completed within an hour.
Description of Work: Steve installed new main capacitors for the compressor and condensing fan motor. He also installed a Hard Start capacitor with potential relay and did all necessary rewiring. The condensing coils were also acid washed and other necessary cleaning done.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
4.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$849
Linda T.
02/2012
5.0
heating & air conditioning/hvac, plumbing
 + 0 more
I always use them. I refer them to friends, family and neighbors.
Description of Work: I use First Choice Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning for plumbing and air conditioning. They re conditioned my air conditioner.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$80
TONI F.
07/2008
4.0
heating & air conditioning/hvac
 + -1 more
Everything seemed to go very well. They were very helpful, and they had the best price by far. They did a good job; I am having a bit of a problem now, but they are supposed to be getting back to me shortly. I would absolutely use them again in the future.
Description of Work: They installed an entire heating and air conditioning system in my home.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$13,500
HOWARD D.
08/2007
5.0
plumbing
 + -1 more
First choice was great as they came out the very same day and even arrived a bit early. They gave me a written estimate and stuck to it. They were very prompt and neat about their work. I think they are very professional and honest and I highly recommend them.
Description of Work: First Choice rebuilt and reset my toilet in my 10 X 12 foot bathroom.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$200
07/2005
5.0
heating & air conditioning/hvac
 + -1 more
I DEFINITELY WOULD USE THEM AGAIN IF I NEEDED THEM. I SHOULD ALSO EXPLAIN THAT I USED TO OWN A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY. I'VE USED PLUMBING AND AIR CONDITIONING PEOPLE BEFORE. I FOUND HIM AS GOOD AS ANYONE I'VE EVER WORKED WITH.
Description of Work: WE HAVE OUR HEATER AND AIR CONDITIONS IN THE ATTIC AND A SWITCH WENT BAD SO WE COULDN'T GET OUR HEATER ON. HE CAME IN AND CLEANED IT UP AND GOT IT WORKING AGAIN.
All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our State Contractor License Requirements page.
*Contact business to see additional licenses.
Service Categories
Plumbing,
Heating and Air Conditioning,
Natural Gas Lines,
Drain Cleaning,
Drain Pipe Installation,
Air Duct Cleaning,
Water Heaters
FAQ
First Choice Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning is currently rated 4.8 overall out of 5.
Monday: 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday: 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday: 7:00 AM - 1:00 PM
First Choice Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning accepts the following forms of payment: American Express,Check,Discover,MasterCard,Visa
No, First Choice Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning does not offer free project estimates.
No, First Choice Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, First Choice Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning does not offer a senior discount.
No, First Choice Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning does not offer emergency services.
No, First Choice Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning does not offer warranties.
First Choice Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning offers the following services: Plumbing, heating & air conditioning repair & replacement, re-pipe, water heaters, main lines, drains, faucets & all miscellaneous plumbing problems.