Fry Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning

We noticed our sump-pump discharge was backing-up from an outdoor storm-drain, and were afraid it might begin to back-up into our basement if we didn't get the problem fixed quickly. We called Fry Plumbing and were relieved when they told us they could come over first-thing the following morning. The plumber showed up right on-time and soon snaked-out a large root ball from the drain. We were very happy with the service and price, and we recommend them to anyone in need of plumbing help.

The best company. Ever. We used them for plumbing work. I called three DC plumbing companies to get a quote on replacing the pipes in my 100 year old row home after the old galvy pipes rusted through. Fry came in at about $1000 less than the other guys. When they wrote up the estimate, it wasn't just some crappy form they filled out. They actually wrote me a one page letter and explained exactly what they would do and what materials they would use. It was very thoughtful and detailed--it even included basic things like, "we will put down a drop cloth." This was helpful because it made it clear what I could expect. It also helped me when dealing with my insurance company who helped cover the demolition and wall-replacement costs. Johnny came out to see my house first. He was on time, professional, and a stand up guy. He spent a lot of time with me listening to me describe the problems we had and then walking me through my options for the scope of work and materials I could use. He clearly was very knowledgeable and experienced. Though I was calling about the plumbing, he also took a quick look at my AC condenser that the house-flipping company installed wrong before I bought the place. He asked me if I knew how to turn off a fuse and use a screw driver. I said yes. He then told me I could fix it myself--no need to pay them to do it. He told me that a part was missing and where I could get it. I ordered it, and two days later I fixed my AC myself without having to pay Fry a dime. That was very cool that he helped me out even though I was ready to pay out the nose to get some darn AC going. Anyway, I was so impressed (and the price was right) that I just had to go with them. Two guys showed up for our appointment on time. They also called me to let me know they were on their way. They were great--I wish I could remember their names. They got right to work. They were very organized, careful, and patient--which was a blessing considering these old row homes. They had to work overhead in the ceiling which had a bunch of mouse droppings in it, but they didn't complain at all. In fact, they spent the whole time singing along to classic rock on the radio. They always worked over a drop cloth and were very good about catching the old gunky water that came out of the old pipes. The joints where they soldered the pipes together were very neat and clean looking. I compared it to some of the work that was done by house-flipping company, and Fry's work looked a lot nicer and neater. They let me ask questions and always kept me up to date with their progress. They made one mistake, which was very minor, and was an honest accident--it could have happened to anyone. They immediately took money off the bill without me even asking. It was a little mistake too--some small stains on a wall. We painted over it in 5 minutes. It's been a few months now, and the pipes are still working great! We have had no problems at all. I can't recommend these guys enough. They are great, they are cheaper, and they clearly have experience working in these crazy old houses in DC. Honestly, you should hope that something goes wrong with your plumbing just so you get a chance to check these guys out. Many thanks to Fry for getting us through that stressful time!

They weren't sure if it was a regulator they could service, since it was attached to the back of the stove, and ultimately referred us to an appliance repair shop. But they really tried to be as helpful as possible, even though they weren't necessarily going to make any money off of the transaction. Rare to get customer service like that these days, was impressed, and will definitely use them for plumbing needs in the future.

work done quickly and well. no problems.

The A/C stopped working on a hot Sunday. Called them first thing Monday morning and they were able to have someone come out later that day. When I spoke with them, they said they'd give about a 15 minute notice and that someone would be out to our house sometime before 2. They did as they said they would, someone came out, and fortunately for us it was not a big fix. He quickly fixed the issue and the A/C was up and running again. A perfect experience - fast response, quick fix,reasonable price!

Found this company to be very helpful and competitive in price. Technicians were friendly and knowledgeable of the frame of work I needed to have done. They also took the time to explain everything clearly to me. I was pleased with the work rendered and would recommend this company to anyone.

Provider identified the problem as simple disconnected drain pipe. Charged me the minimum price and then game me additional Angie's List. I will definitely use them again!

Great Service! They did several repairs over a 2 month period. Water Heater, replacing old awkward pipes, installed the plumbing for a new bathroom. Respectful and responsive. Thank you Fry Plumbing and Heating.

Most Professional, they showed up at my house on the same day I called, even tho this was not an emergency. After much investigation, the problem was solved. A problem that another technician could not solve. I would use this company for all P & H issues.

Mark and Melvin installed my new central AC unit/coil, along with the Nest thermostat (that I purchased separately) in the most professional manner possible. The lines were run through my ceiling and out the side stucco wall -- not an easy task -- and you cannot even tell that work took place there. They were very pleasant and punctual, and I could not ask for a better experience out of them. Even when I had a few nit-picky requests, they were very happy to do whatever I had in mind. The Fry team altogether is very responsive, courteous and helpful. Every time I needed to call, they picked up on the first or second ring, and I always talked to someone who was professional and knowledgable. We got an excellent price for top of the line equipment. I would definitely use them again.

Fry Heating was very quick to respond and schedule. They provided a service window and showed promptly. The technician was very nice and friendly, as well as quick and efficient. My in-laws were staying with me when the technician arrived and not only did he finish the work very quickly, the in-laws didn't even know we were had the work done by the time they woke up. I appreciated their help and services!

Repairman was on time and provided sufficient work

I spoke with Michael at length about diverting a down spout on the outside of my house (currently just drains into the side yard leaving a large pool). Having just moved in 2 months ago, I have basically zero knowledge of how and where things drain once they go underground, and any flow issues I would have to worry about for diverting one downspout to another. He weighed in on the 3 different options I was given from Gutter Specialists, as well as provided me with insight as to how DC systems work and where they drain. Michael was extremely helpful. By all accounts, he could have insisted I schedule an appointment to come out and look over the system firsthand, and I absolutely would have scheduled the appointment. Instead, he was more than happy to work through my problem (and lack of knowledge) by phone and save me the cost of an on-site visit. There is no doubt in my mind that if and when I ever have a plumbing issue, Michael will be my first call. Thanks again!!

Very Happy with the Installation, Thomas did an excellent job and was very professional.

purchased angies list special deal. Company did not contact me to set up date for service. called company to set up service, employee on phone was not sure of how to handle angies list clients. Left message was told will receive a call back. call did not come had to call back again. finally got service date. Tech arrived looked at hose bib realized part needed forreplacement was not in stock or available locally. part was ordered gave date for install. 1 week after install date passed had to call frye to get actual install date. when they finally did get part and came out, installation was quick and professional. Lack of communication was very frustrating. Correction extremely frustrating.

I got a quick response to my call. Jason was at the house the next morning. The work went smoothly and quickly. The new faucet looks good. The job was handled very professionally. And the price was unbeatable.

The plumber had to leave for a couple of hours to buy a chrome part to match the rest of the visible pipe. I thought I'd be charged for that time, but when the bill came, I was happily surprised to see they only charged me for the one spent in-house and the actual cost of the parts. The work looks great, too.

Called me right back when I called to schedule an appointment. Had a technician out to our house within a few days. Dennis was on time, efficient, and very friendly. Reasonable prices too. I highly recommend them.

That the technician was able to arrive within an hour of my call was a welcome surprise because the house had been without heat for a couple of days. I had thoroughly tried to relight the pilot (five times), but the final release of the reset button extinguished it every time. The technician replaced the thermocouple within a few minutes of his arrival and the heat began to work. His explanation and the additional information he gave about this type of heating system were very clear, and he asked if there were any other problems in the house to be addressed. The only lingering question about this service call was the cost of the thermocouple, $75. Of course, it would be higher than if it were purchased in a store, but about seven times more did seem high. Yet, the overall cost of the service call was fine because of the Angie's deal that Fry has for $110 for the first hour. And, without knowing how much other companies charge, this remains merely a question and doesn't take away from the excellent service itself.

The technician called 30 minutes prior to arrival as I requested. He arrived on time. He inspected the damaged bib and suggested replacing only the damaged part rather than the whole faucet. But he needs to come back another day with the needed part. Since I purchased the Big Deal for frost-free bib, I just had the whole thing replaced. It was done within 30 minutes or so. The technician was courteous and professional. The B for responsiveness resulted from the fact that the firm did not send me any confirmation after I purchased the Big Deal as other firm would do. And after I called to make an appointment, I had to remind them a couple days later. But I'll definitely use them again.

Excellent! They were able to squeeze us into their schedule (this was the 6th company I had called in the morning, all others were completely booked). They arrived on time and completed the work within the hour. Tom was very kind and explained the cause of the problem and possible ways to help prevent it, he also helped explain what was potentially causing a "gurgling" sound in the drains, so I will be calling FRYs to clear/install recommended vent/valve in the future. I will definitely call FRYs next time we need one of their services and I highly recommend FRYs to friends/neighbors.

I contacted Fry to repair a leaking faucet in my DC condo. After contacting them online via Angie's List, they suggested that I speak with the plumbing foreman to determine exactly what needed to be done. I explained to the foreman that it was a Delta faucet, and he explained the various internals of those faucets, and the types of repair kits available. After the call, I confirmed the service date and time online with my original contact, and purchased the repair kit for $8 on Amazon. A couple weeks passed until my actual service date, and when I called the day before to confirm they had no record of my appointment. Although this wasn't great, everyone I talked to was extremely friendly, and they assured me that someone would be there the next day. The technician did arrive the next day, and called me ahead of time as promised. He quickly fixed the issue using the repair kit that I had purchased, then offered to take a look at any other plumbing issues around the condo since we were paying for 1 hour of time. We had him look at minor issues with the kitchen faucet and toilet, which was a nice bonus. Although there was some kind of mix up with the scheduling, everyone that I spoke with was extremely knowledgable and friendly, and I wouldn't hesitate to work with them again.

ORIGINAL NEGATIVE REVIEW (Edited for accuracy and completeness and to provide context for UPDATE) I hired Fry's to service two toilets that were not flushing properly after troubleshooting with two other plumbers. The technician replaced a fill valve and flapper on one of the toilets and this seemed to fix the problem; but less than 30 days later this fix is beginning to fade. If this is all he did I would probably rate the service B. The real problem is with the other toilet. It had the same problem as the first, but the technician was not as familiar with this type of toilet and nothing he tried worked. He left saying he would not let the problem defeat him, he would call the manufacturer's rep, and would get back to me. Needless to say he did NOT get back to me. Instead, about three weeks later I got an invoice with a note that says, "There is calcium build up in the water ways of the bowl. We suggest pouring a calcium remover down the center tube in the tank to try and eat the build up out or replace the toilet outfit or replace the toilet outfit." I consider this unprofessional, and seriously problematic, in part because these alternatives seem incomplete (they don't mention replacing parts, or doing nothing), in part because this toilet does not have a center tube that calcium remover can be poured in (at least not that I can see) I expressed my displeasure with this service and message when paying the bill, and was essentially told just the same thing that the bill said. As this toilet is less than 5 years old, I consider this to be terrible service, especially from such a highly rated company. Moreover, less than 45 days after "servicing" this toilet, it is now failing to fill properly, and I think it is because of the uninformed tinkering that the technician did. Needless to say, I would not recommend this provider. UPDATE The day after I posted my initial review I received a call from Chase Fry asking if he could try to make things right by sending over another technician at no charge. I hesitated to say yes because I was still disappointed with the original service and because it was clear the only reason I was getting this offer was because of my negative review; but I agreed because I realized that an otherwise highly rated company that asks for the chance to make things right has to be given that opportunity. A few days later another technician arrived. He checked (and did some jet cleaning/scraping) of the first toilet, which I appreciated; but his tinkering with the second toilet accomplished nothing more than the first technician's had. We discussed the nonstandard nature of this toilet, and he left, somewhat like the first, saying he would price replacement and alternative parts as well as a full toilet replacement, and would get back to me. About 5 or 6 days later I got another call from Chase. He said he had been away since we had talked, and asked me (I think) for an update. I told him, and I think he said he would talk with the technician and get me a price on the parts. Several days later, as I hadn't heard back, and as a small leakage from tank to bowl had developed, I called for Chase and got Mike Fry instead. Although Mike seemed to know I had been having issues, I sensed that he didn't know the full extent/history of them. He told me that my options appeared to be to replace the parts (for about $60, I think) or replace the toilet, and I agreed to replace the parts even though I understood that after doing so the toilet might flush no better than it did before I first called Fry. We hung up, but Mike called me back almost immediately and asked if he could send someone over to make sure they knew the exact parts that would be needed. I said OK. A short while later two new technicians arrived. They spent about 10 minutes trying to determine exactly what parts would be needed, then one started tinkering with the toilet in ways similar to those of the other technicians. When I think he convinced himself that he, too, couldn't fix or clearly diagnose the poor flush problem, he stopped tinkering, but left me with a toilet that even he knew was now making a noise during filling that sounded bad and that hadn't existed before. I let him go because the plan to finish work on this toilet seemed clear and I felt I could live with a noise for a few days; but that night, after flushing the toilet, the filling noise got supplemented by a large amount of water leaking/running into the bowl. I immediately shut off water to the toilet, and decided that until they returned, I would turn on the water to the toilet only when I needed to use it. But I also started replaying my conversations with Mike and the technician in my head, and began to worry that Mike planned to charge me for the new parts installation--especially now that I had a toilet that his technician's tinkering had broken. Sure enough, when I received the call that the parts were ready and asked for confirmation that the only charge would be for the parts, Mike told me that he expected me to pay for their installation as well. I protested, and protested again, and he grudgingly agreed not to charge me for the installation; and later that day, two new technicians arrived, installed the new parts (they don't seem to leak, but they also didn't fix original flush problem), and charged me only $36 rather than the $60 I had expected. Chase then called and told me he wouldn't even charge me the $36, and I told him that was kind, but that I had no problem paying for them, even though replacing the parts did not make this toilet flush any better than it did before I called Fry. I was pleased that we ended on a cordial note. SUMMARY Fry certainly did things during this experience that a highly rated company shouldn't do. Their first technician should have called me back like he promised; they should not have proposed fixes in the notes of an invoice; and they should not have proposed fixes that were incomplete or that were (seemingly) inappropriate for this toilet. Moreover, they don't seem to have communicated amongst themselves as well as they should (Chase and Mike, for example, didn't seem to be on the same page regarding my problem); they shouldn't have had to send a third set of technicians just to be sure they knew exactly what parts would be needed; and they (Mike) should have been far more apologetic and conciliatory when I told him that the technician he sent to determine exactly what parts were needed had caused my toilet to run to an extent that I now considered the toilet broken. When a technician breaks something that wasn't clearly broken, I think a quality company should immediately agree to fix that thing for free. In addition, three Fry technicians tinkered with this toilet and succeeded only in making it worse. I have thought long and hard about whether this should lead me to label Fry incompetent, but I have decided that that would not be fair. The toilet they had trouble with is new, nonstandard, and possibly a lemon. Although technicians from a generally good company like Fry ought to be able to handle nonstandard with ease, I think I must be sympathetic if the toilet they are working on is actually a lemon, and that seems to be distinct possibility in this case. Moreover, I recognize that this experience was probably more unsatisfactory the Frys than for me, in that I'm sure it cost them far more money than it cost me. I think my disagreement with Mike about who should pay for the installation of the parts reflects this. I am relieved that he ultimately decided to do the honorable thing, and pleased that I could finish this business with Chase on cordial tones. Of course, the whole point of all this detail is to justify the changes in my grades. Essentially, I have changed them from D's to B's because Fry did, ultimately, do something reasonable at a fair price to me. I did not change them to A's for all the reasons presented above, and I rated quality as C because the first technician didn't do his job and the third technician broke my toilet and left me with it for several days. Looking back on it all, it's a shame the first technician didn't call me back as he promised and say, "I think you have three options: replace the toilet; replace the flush and fill valves (at a cost of $__), which may not fix the problem; or do nothing." Everything would have been different if he had.

Mark was fantastic. Job was bigger than original thought but he stayed until my issue was resolved.

Fry was able to schedule the visit quickly, arrived on time, and I have had no problems with the dishwasher since. Was more than what I expected to spend for this type of work (and more than the max a contractor friend told me to spend).