Clifford Brudno Co

First some info about the situation - I live in a high rise condo on the 6th floor. My hot water heater and A/C unit are in the same closet, so it's a tight fit. The filtration system needed to be installed in a bedroom closet that backed up to that utility closet, so this was not a simple project. Clifford started by telling me I should replace my hot water heater as it was old and could die at any moment. "And wouldn't it be awful to do all this work to install the filters and then have to replace the hot water heater next week?" A scare tactic, but an effective one. My 30 gallon lowboy water heater is 10 years old, and electric heaters typically have a lifecycle of 10-15 years (I looked it up.) so it could go out next week ... or it could last another 5 years. So I asked how much a new hot water heater typically costs. That's when he went off the rails. Everything he said after that was either flat out wrong or just bad advice. He started by telling me that they don't make water heaters that will fit in my closet any more. The new ones are bigger with more insulation, so we'll have to consider moving it. (Did I mention the high rise condo? Move it where?) Or I might want to consider a tankless heater. He checked my breaker box and said the breaker for the utility closet had enough amps. He told me to check with building maintenance to check for .... blah, blah, blah something about amps. I stopped listening because I realized this was some big upsell. Besides, I knew my next call was to building maintenance to find out what approved options were available if you couldn't buy hot water heaters to fit in our closets anymore. He left and was going to call me the next day with estimates for various options. I started researching and found out 3 key pieces of information: 1. A few manufacturers still make 30 gallon lowboy water heaters with a 20" diameter. (So either he lied or doesn't know what he's talking about.) 2. My hot water heater was replaced with the wider (more insulated) 22" diameter water heater 10 years ago, so fitting in the closet was never actually an issue. 3. Electric tankless water heaters are generally not recommended without upgrades to a home's electrical service, and even then, they usually cannot deliver hot water fast enough. (Again, it's possible he doesn't know what he's talking about and didn't make a bad recommendation on purpose, or maybe he was just recommending the most expensive option.) When he called 2 days later to discuss options, I told him that tankless wasn't an option and that they still make water heaters to fit in my closet. He asked if I wanted to go pick one up or have him do it. That's when I told him I decided not to replace it. Yes, I know it could go out any minute, but it could also last another 5 years so I would take my chances. I asked him to just give me a quote for installing the filtration system (which is all he was ever supposed to do.) At that moment he suddenly remember that he was really booked up and probably couldn't get to my installation for a few months. Did I still want the quote? Of course I didn't. The $750 price listed above is what another plumber quoted and actually charged me ... wonderful experience. I'll review that one, too.

If I had time I would write them a page of "happiness". This is the second time that I have used this company and have always been satisfied. They always have good suggestions that I use. During the remodel, he had his wife come to my house to help with the "girl" aspect. Even though she is not an electrician, she had wonderful ideas.