Schede Plumbing & Heating

I have a diverter valve in the stall shower that dates from the early 1970s, so old there are no longer parts available. I called Schede with the intention of replacing the valve with a new one, but the plumber, Mike, said it would involve lots more work than just the valve: He'd have to remove a big section of tile and wall, then replace several feet of pipe on both the hot and cold water supplies before installing the new valve. Then I'd have to rebuild the wall and replace the tiles -- all in all, more of a job than I wanted, especially since I'm planning on renovating the bathroom sometime soon. And it would probably cost $1,000 or more. Mike thought maybe he could add some life to the present valve, so he pulled it apart, worked plumber's grease into all its moving parts and reassembled it. It works perfectly now. This was the second job Schede Plumbing did for me in the past month; Mike installed a new water heater, primary shut-off valve and emergency shut-off with a water sensor a couple of weeks ago. That job also went as smooth as silk, everything worked right the first time, and the cost was less than quoted to me by a plumber associated with a major big-box store. Both times Mike arrived at the scheduled time, worked quickly and efficiently, cleaned up nicely and left a great impression. I'll be calling Schede again if I need more plumbing.

Very professional. They offered a very good price compared to others which quoted and did what they said and when they said. They are very knowledgable.

Quick and easy -- Schede is our go-to plumber as they show up and get the job done quickly, effectively

They were pretty good. The gentleman knew what he was doing and he was great. He also give me price options on that too.

Another plumber earlier had told us to order a replacement part (covered by warranty), which arrived; however, couldn't get him to return our call so called Schede to install the replacement part. They came and quickly realized the replacement part ordered was not the correct one but said problem could be fixed without the replacement.. They fixed it and it has been fine since then. They are not the least expensive, but the couple of times I have used them they have been reliable, responsive and professional.

Went very well. More Importantly, the owner is an expert plumber. Answered all of my questions. Probably the most knowledgeable plumber I have ever met. Did a couple of small items 10 minutes, and didn't even charge us.

He came to give the estimate when he said he would. His team came when they said they would, installed the water heater and it has worked fine so far.

Excellent. Plumber was curteous and professional and fixed what seemed very challenging. Good job!

He came in & gave me the price. Then discovered he didn't have the part & then the price doubled.

Louis the owner and the installers Mark and his help did a wonderful job. We were replacing a 25 year old electric water heater and Lou's Installers ended up coming on the next day. They did a clean install took out the old heater and cleared up everything after work. I will definitely recommend Schede Plumbing to anyone.

We had a good experience with them. He was cost effective. We never had any issues since the services were provided.

I did not hear back from this contractor.

I desperately needed help to install a brand new fridge with a water/ice dispenser that Home Depot delivered to our townhouse but they were unable to install because of where our water valve shut off was located. So, now we were stuck with the old fridge that didn't work and a new fridge that was sitting in our garage... on Christmas Eve. So I called Schede plumbing and they took care of everything in a very professional and courteous manner. Highly recommend them!!!!

They responded very quickly & the pump was replaced successfully however the price they charged was extremely high. They charged $4000 for the job which took less than half of a day. We have spoken to plumbers since then and they unanimously agree that $4000 is outrageously high. Price should have realistically been closer to $1500. In the end it was our fault for not checking around and it was a lesson learned but I wouldn't recommend these guys for anything. They are the reason we joined Angie's List.

I spoke to him on the phone. His assistant quoted 125 for an hour, then Louis conveniently raises to 150. Tells me he needs to replace a pump and quotes 1000, and says it may or may not work. Get the feeling he sensed I wasn't experienced and jacking up prices on the fly. Not professional. Questionable knowledge. And extremely pricey. I had other guys quote half the price and did a more involved job.

The first person who showed up tried but could not do the job because he did not have all the tools. He said someone else would have to come with other tools and take care of it. I would be charged for 2 separate visits. The charge was overpriced relative to the work needed. Would only use in dire emergency.

They did a very good job. Their recommendations all seemed positive, both in terms of the quality of the work and in the way they left the home. There were no problems. I only looked at one other company.

The result was they told me I need a new $6000.00 shower estimate. I think that that is ridiculous.

My experience with them was great. They came when they said they were going to come and fixed everything. The staff member’s demeanor was very good and the price was reasonable.

The fees charged by this plumber are outrageous. I asked this vendor to visit our home to inspect a leak from a steam shower unit, and also to fix dripping coming from two shower heads. While at the house, my spouse asked the plumber to inspect all six of our bathrooms and make any repairs needed. The repairs were minor, and did not require the installation of any major new parts (maybe some rubber gaskets). The total bill came to over $2,000. This vendor saw an opportunity to submit inflated charges, and he took it. My spouse unfornately paid the bill on the spot, so we had no recourse. We have no complaint about the quality of the work, but urge caution. Get an estimate before you ask them to do any work.

From my very first contact with Lou Schede, dealing with this company has been a pleasure. I discovered that my water heater had broken down which meant that I had to replace it along with my approximately 40 year old oil boiler. Lou contacted me within about 30 seconds of me putting a request for bids in through HomeAdvisor.com (on Memorial Day, no less). Lou came over the next morning, we discussed my options and we agreed it made sense to use this opportunity to convert to natural gas. However, we had no hot water anymore - and the conversion process takes a while since we didn't have an active natural gas line to the house. Lou provided us with a temporary hot water heater at no charge - which we had for almost 7 weeks because the gas company took so long to put the new gas line in to the house. Once we had the gas line in, Lou's team came and worked tirelessly for 4 + days. Lou arranged for the city inspection of the work and met me at the house to meet the inspector. Mike, Mike and Joe (and others whose names I did not catch) were all extremely courteous, helpful, and knowledgeable. They left my basement cleaner than they found it, and now we are up and running with a new natural gas boiler. Also, as an aside, the gentleman from Yankee Gas who came in to look at the set up when he was installing the meter said that he had studied in school about the brand of boiler Lou had chosen for me and that it was the best. Regarding the price, I know it seems like a lot of money, but I had been quoted from another company more than that just for a new oil boiler / water heater system which would have been a one day job. Having seen the amount of time and effort it took to convert from oil to natural gas, I can honestly say, I got my money's worth. I want to add 2 things: (1) I was a little overwhelmed by the magnitude of the conversion process, and Lou walked me through the whole thing and eased my mind completely the entire way through; and (2) as a working person, good communication and reliability are so important to me. If I have to take time from work, or leave my office to meet a contractor, I need them to be there when they say they will be there, and I need them to call me with their schedule. Schede Plumbing is exactly that kind of business. They are my new plumbing company from now on.

Impossible to get an accurate and precise timing on their coming over - that's a first snag. When I call the dispatcher to get an estimate I get a curt 'we're busy and why does everyone waits for the hot days to call us?!?!' Hum ok then, our fault that our ACs fail in hot days! Then the guy who was sent was very nice, but didn't know jack about AC units - he even had to call his team leader to confirm which pipe was the drain! Then the second time it takes the team leader to come over first to diagnose the real issue .... rusted drip pan, which they can attempt to fix without incurring me a big expense, also they promise - I obviously am attracted to that idea and give in, but I should have remembered that they offer no guarantee on the work, so if/when I need the 'big' expense done, it's money wasted on the fix anyway. The ''fix' of the 2nd time (to spray paint the drip pan in latex paint) was applied like a first grader, and guess what? I didn't work. So here I am two weeks later, still no AC, a lot poorer and a bigger expense on my hands with the replacement of the drip pan which really could have been diagnosed in the first place. Needless to say I'm not happy!

Very well. I have walking issues and cannot easily access basement. Plumber showed video phone picture of where leak came from and discussed alternatives, including prices. He was sensitive to my situation and I selected most cost-effective solution. His plumber arrived with, and installed, new tank Monday AM. By lunch time, I had hot water, once again. He cleaned up water fro leak, as well.

They were quick to respond to an AC failure and Mike came right away to fix. Also negotiated the price. I was happy with them, until I called today to have something else done (change a filter) and I didn't like the attitude I got from Mike. Acted like he was doing me a favor by coming by on a Friday to see what I needed so he could go to Home Depot and get the filter. I told him thank you, but I don't need any favors.

RIPOFF Stay away!!! Newbies definitely should NOT try them! Let me introduce to you Connecticut’s most expensive plumber (more expensive than few lawyers)! Schede Plumbing: - Will overstate the job on the phone - If granted the project will find a shortcut to complete the job. If the job equals the effort stated on the phone – this plumber will walk away! - Unfair practices towards newbies! The task was to install new toilet + flange. Before starting the work Schede Plumbing was provided photos and clear explanation of the project. Louis (gentleman on the phone) explained me that he he’ll solder the new flange (because we have lead pipe). He stated that if required he’ll clear the concrete around the pipe. His estimate on the phone was 2-4 hours of effort and quote was $575. (I did the math and so found him reasonable approx. $140 per hour) When his guy came he walked in with a plastic flange; clearly no intention of soldering lead pipe. When I asked him why not he said the job will cost me $1500 to complete (wow!). Completed the job literally in 35 minutes!!! I told him this was unfair. When I questioned he wanted to give me $16 dollar discount. He said it was his “luck” that the job was so easy. A professional who is in business for 80+ yrs couldn’t estimate the job with 3 photos? After a lot of argument he gave me $50 discount. He completed the job, but I would stay away from them in future. Yes, it was my mistake to say yes to them but other home owners can learn from my mistake.