Shawn's Plumbing & Heating

Great service to our neighbors.

Just like all the other reviews say, Shawn is awesome. He was able to come within a few days (we weren't having an emergency). He arrived at 10:15, texting me to say he would be a few minutes late from our scheduled time. Wow, that's a first. It was his second call of the day. When he got to the house, with the new tank, he realized that by some bit of lunacy, the person who installed the original had not put in a release valve. In other words, there was no way to drain the water in the tank and it was too heavy to move without draining. Without hesitation, he grabbed his drill anad a bunch of buckets and had the thing empty (he was SOAKED from head to toe when he was done). He then had to run to the supply store to get the new parts. WIthin a couple of hours, he had the whole thing done AND he cleaned up the mess and took away the junk. He was fast and a good problem solver, and a pleasure to have around. I will definitely call him again. Sure beats the "I can come in 6 weeks" answers from the well-known places in the Amherst area. His rates were really reasonable and there was none of the charges on top of charges (trip charge, gas charge, estimate charge). Call him!

It was a bit of an emergency and I was having a hard time finding anybody. I finally contacted Shawn and he was very responsive. Given that it was right after Christmas, as soon as I called him he called back right away. He came around that afternoon and fixed the problem that day. No other plumbers were even responding. He told me that if I had phoned on Christmas day he would have come out and I believe him. He found a way to fix the problem completely and with minimal cost. He is knowledgeable and conscientious and he does not inflate his prices.

Water from well was increasingly pulsating in flow throughout house. I telephoned Shawn and left message; he phoned back within a few hours. I described symptoms, and he diagnosed problem ? tentatively but, as it later turned out, correctly ?as a compromised well pressure tank. Two days later Shawn came to house, inspected the situation, and confirmed his tentative phone diagnosis. Minerals (e.g. iron) as well as particles (e.g. sediment) had eroded the diaphragm inside the pressure tank which, in turn, filled with water. Shawn had to drill holes in the tank to drain the water. He then replaced the metal tank with a somewhat smaller fiberglass tank. He also replaced the immediate plumbing including the pressure gauge. These replacements solved the problem of the pulsating water flow at least for the present. Shawn warned that it was possible that the well pump itself, replaced just 3-4 years ago by someone else, was creating a vacuum that drew sediment into the water that then caused ? and could cause again ? the failure of the indoor pressure tank.

I called Shawn up to replace a leaking washer shutoff valve and he scheduled me in short order. He showed up with the materials needed and wasted no time getting to work. I mentioned my water pressure was high and took the time to put in an expansion tank. He is very knowledgable; he noticed my main water line shutoff valve was not in top shape. He took the time out of his schedule to put in a second main water line shutoff valve which turned out is required by law. I was impressed and glad that he was more than willing to do additional work that wasn't scheduled right then instead of coming back another time. Shawn is professional, efficient, and excellent at what he does. I have already scheduled more work for him to do. Couldn't have been more impressed and pleased.

Shawn was the first to respond when my upstairs toilet broke. He came to the house quickly. He was professional. He had all the parts to replace the broken toilet. He worked quickly and efficiently. He charged me less for the whole job than what those who returned my call after he was on the way said it would be for them just to come out to the house.

We installed a Rinnai on-demand tankless hot water system to replace a very old water heater. This was the second time we had used Shawn. He did a great job and we now have as much hot water as we want. Shawn also told us about energy rebates we were eligible for, and that rebate helped to offset the installation costs. Shawn always answers his phone or calls you back the same day and he usually comes over the same day for small jobs (leaking tub, drip under the kitchen sink). We did have to schedule the work for the tankless hot water heater, but this was a pretty big job. His estimate was very fair and with Shawn you'll get quick service done right the first time.

Shawn was a pleasure to deal with throughout the process. I was looking for an installation of the gas fired heater I had bought to replace my wood pellet stove and possibly a gas furnace. He answered my call for an estimate promptly, provided me with good information and set up a date to install the stove. He arrived as promised and did an excellent job of hooking up my Jotul stove. I am looking forward to having Shawn do the install on my furnace hopefully in the near future. Highly recommended!

Shawn fixed my shower. It was very slow to drain and when showering half of the water came out of the faucet instead of the shower head. Now that is no longer the case! I'm no longer wasting half of the water down the drain, and the water from the shower actually goes down the drain now. I'm no longer standing in water after taking a shower! I've used Shawn's plumbing before for other jobs and have never been disappointed.

A++ Shawn installed a new hot water heater for my family. We had a great experience and are happy with our Rinnnai tankless unit. Based on Shawn's accessibility, expertise, desire to help and reasonable rates, I highly recommend Shawn's Heating & Plumbing (he also does cooling). Below are some examples of why we are rating Shawn so highly. I will do my best to stick to the facts and let whoever is reading this make their own decisions. Shawn was the fifth plumber I called. I noticed him on Angie's list because of his great reviews. Although it was not an emergency, just an old hot water heater that needed to be replaced, he was available to come over for a quote several days later. After visiting our home, he had an estimate for me within 24 hours after his visit. Of all the other companies I contacted in the Northampton area, (Schnieder, Wilson, Hodge City etc) only one other company (Hodge City) returned my calls and scheduled a visit for an estimate. It took them (Hodge City) three weeks to come to my home for the estimate, another three to send me the actual estimate (they promised me one week and I had to call numerous times to remind them I was waiting) and if I had hired them it would have taken another 3-4 weeks to do the work! Once again, after calling Shawn, in less than a week I had a written estimate and had answers to follow up with questions on the phone and through email. There is no comparison between Shawn's accessibility, response time and level of interest in a customer and all the other companies I called. Shawn presented us with estimates for three options ranging from simply replacing our hot water heater to a tankless heater and a larger tank (60 gal) tied into our burner with a lifetime warranty on the tank. The estimates were about what I was expecting based on research I had done. All told, he probably spent an hour and a half communicating with my wife and I on the phone and through email to answer all of the questions we had with all of the options provided. Not only did he spend the time communicating with us (mentioned above) he also provided references for the make/model we considered installing. We were able to call previous customers and ask if they liked their heater and if felt they made the right choice, after installation. All of them were pleased and went out of their way to tell us how happy they were with Shawn's work. One reference told us how Shawn helped him out over a holiday weekend when his well (100 feet deep) stopped working. Shawn spent one day visiting this person and familiarizing himself with the problem. He returned the next day with a "team" he had assembled (over a holiday weekend) to fix this gentleman's problem. I was impressed! Also, Shawn made us aware of the models that had rebates ($400-$500) if installed by the end of the year. It was December 5th when he came over for an estimate and it took us a week to decide on a unit. Nonetheless, he made time in his schedule for us. We never felt rushed by Shawn to make a decision. We felt he was more concerned that we picked the right unit for our lifestyle: hosting family and not wanting to run out of hot water during multiple showers. No rebates were mentioned by the other company that gave an estimate for the exact same make/model. Since it was not my goal to choose price over quality, experience and accessibility, I do not know if Shawn's prices are the absolute lowest available. It was more important to pay "the going rate" for someone who had great reviews and took time to understand our needs and work within our budget. That being said, his prices were lower then the other estimate I received. We look forward to having Shawn over for a service call to do some smaller work for us: toilets running too long after flushing, maybe install a water filtration unit for our house. We recently moved into our home (a lot of work to be done) and I feel lucky to have found someone as reliable and helpful as Shawn. I hope this helps you with your search for a plumber.

Did a great job on a shower installation. Price was reasonable and work was of good quality.

Shawn is simply wonderful. He actually answers and RETURNS phone calls. Every time, he responded immediately (even in the evening), worked efficiently and did exactly what he said he'd do - no cutting corners here. He originally came to house for a plumbing issue, returned to put in a garbage disposal and then returned again (under pretty urgent circumstances) to replace a hot water heater. Every time, the work was done quickly and impeccably. I will certainly have him back to do additional work here in the future.

Shawn is fantastic. As a first time home owner, and someone who is new to the area, I had absolutely no idea who to call for plumbing work. I had recently bought a new hot water heater eligible for a rebate through the MassSave program, which requires installation by a licensed plumber. I saw Shawn?s A+ reviews here on Angie?s list and decided to give him a call. Shawn fit us in on a day's notice, and finished the job in half the time and for half the money we expected. I had previously called another company to get a rough quote of how much a hot water heater installation costs and what?s involved. The other company refused to even give me a quote, since someone would need to see the heater and ?look it up in their pricing book?, which they refused to do over the phone. Shawn not only gave us a quick and informative quote, he also rearranged his schedule in order to come to the house the very next day to install our hot water heater and also to hook up our dishwasher and the water line for our refrigerator. Shawn does quality work and is extremely professional. He was very informative as he worked, taking time to explain what he was doing and why, which I found very important since I am a new homeowner with no plumbing experience. Since Shawn also does heating work, he pointed out our aging oil tank and a few other projects that we should think about doing at some point down the road. There was absolutely no pressure to commit to another job, just Shawn going out of his way to educate a new home owner. When we do decide to replace our oil tank, or need any plumbing or heating work done, we will certainly be calling Shawn. If only he did electrical work as well, I would have a one-stop-shop for all of my home improvement needs! Shawn was great to work with. I have a lot of respect for his knowledge, professionalism, honesty, and his high standards for quality work. He showed up right on time, finished early, and gave us an incredibly reasonable price. What more can you ask for? We will definitely use his services for whatever jobs we need done in the future, and I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a good plumber.

I was very happy with the outcome of all the work. Shawn also pointed out other areas I could improve the funtion of plumbing in my home. He was very good at explaining and it was clear that he was comfortable with plumbing and heating service. He was very good at responding to my intial call, and also able to get my kitchen operational a week from when I first called.

Shawn arrived when he said he would, and after installing the heater in the basement, pointed out that air intake might not be adequate. We talked about the air purifier, and Shawn suggested a different, less expensive way to achieve the desired result. I plan to have this installed before the heating season starts.

My issue was very difficult. I hired another contractor prior who didn't do a good job. Shawn came out and wanted to fix the issue until it was perfect. He did a great job and I was very happy I found him. He were supurb.

Shawn was recommended to me by a friend who happens to be in the plumbing field. I called and spoke with Shawn on a Wednesday night and the job was complete the following Monday! I was very happy with the level of attention he gave me. This guy know's what he is doing and I would def refer him to a friend. Good quick service and at a great price, what more do you want! very happy customer.

We found Shawn on Angie's List, looking for a highly-rated plumber in our immediate area. Shawn lived up to his rating. He returned my call the same day and made an appointment for the next afternoon. He arrived on time and solved our problem within ten minutes of walking through the door. We definitely will keep him in mind for future plumbing needs.

We needed the work done because the pipes were leaking badly. Called several other plumbers, including a national chain. Shawn called back 30 minutes later and said he could do the job on Monday and gave a time. He showed up right on time, assessed the job and got to work. He even spotted something that I missed ( a cracked joint that he pointed out to me) and replaced that also. The whole job of replacing the drain pipes, the cold water supply pipe and hooking up the reverse osmosis water filter was done in about an hour and a half. He cleaned up after himself and tested all the connections and pipes for leaks. All through the process he was very courteous and professional. Excellent experience, highly recommended, would definitely call him again. By the way, The national chain returned my call about an hour after the job was finished, 4 days after the initial phone call.

Shawn arrived promptly a day previous to delivery of appliances to disconnect old dishwasher, microwave, and to close of gas connection. After delivery of appliances the next day, Shawn arrived promptly to install. The microwave resulted in his having to connect new brackets and create new placement for electrical cord. He made sure all appliances were leveled, positioned perfectly, and in running order. Shawn cleans up after his work, is professional, friendly, and a perfectionist which is exactly what I was looking for. Someone who takes pride in his work. Will definitely use again.

I found a leak from my shower into my basement, had already worn through wood of ceiling. Alarming! He came over the same day, saw that it wasn't a major issue but just loose shower controls letting water drip behind the tiles and down to the basement. Fixed it then and there for a reasonable fee, and tightened a loose sink faucet into the bargain. Was friendly, informative, and quick. He also suggested ways I could replace the funky tiles in my shower on a budget - not work he would do, just sharing what he knew about it. Nice guy.

Work was done very well, I really like the heating unit he recommended.

I live in a house built around 1850 which had an old, forced-hot air system that seemed incapable of delivering enough heat to properly and evenly heat our home to keep us comfortable. I knew it was time to replace the furnace and I was having a hard time finding a furnace that I believed would truly improve our situation. I had several local heating contractors come out and make proposals and offer suggestions as to how I could make my house evenly warm. (Half of the house was very, very cold and the other half was tolerably cold, upstairs was usually okay.) I received various proposals which ranged in price from $6,000 - $8,000, but none of them bothered to do a heat load and I was unconvinced that a new furnace (even with a new ECM blower) would really make a difference, because I believed the problem was mainly my duct work, which could not be reconfigured because of the structure of the house. I also don't believe that forced hot-air is an effective heating system because of the lack of moisture in the over-cooked, delivered air. I had the sinking feeling that I would spend $8,000.00 and still be cold. I decided to consult with Shawn's Heating and Plumbing and he proposed putting in an entirely new system which would entail a highly-effeicient Buderus boiler and panel radiators throughout the house. I researched the boiler and found that it would save me hundereds of gallons of oil each year and would therefore, eventually, pay for itself. Shawn could have offered me another hot-air furnace but he did not try to sell me another such furnace because he could see that it would never effectively heat my house because of the duct layout and other factors. He did an extensive heat load and figured out exactly how many BTUs each room needed to be comfortable. He spent hours with me going over the science of this whole system and he helped me get a 0% interest loan from the state through the MASSAVE heating program. Shawn and his crew worked very professionally. They were very clean, courteous and reliable. Because he and his crew were so experienced with these systems, they are able to intall them in less time than you would think. They know what they're doing. They removed all the old duct work which was a horror and I was glad to see it go! I have hired many, many contractors over the years and he is by far the most conscientious tradesman I have worked with yet. He seems highly knowledgeable about new technology and his plumbing work was top-notch. He has stopped in and called several times to see that things are running properly. We've had a couple of pretty cold nights since we installed the system and I am thrilled with the results. Every room in the house is finally toasty warm. It was a big investment, but I got exactly what I wanted. I feel that it was better to spend more and be completely satisfied than spend less money, still be cold and end up gaining nothing.

Excellent. Shawn showed up when we said he would and had a detailed proposal within a week [and opposed to weeks, months, or never for some other places we called]. The proposal was specific to our house (BTU load etc..) and living style; not just a drop-in/swap-in system. He worked with us to have the job start as soon as our financing came though, and helped with the gas company rebate paperwork. We are happy with the more even heat. Shawn and his team worked around us with minimal disruption (we work from home) and were carefully to make sure the system worked for us and looked the way we wanted it. They cleaned up each day [in fact our basement looks better that it has in years!]. The system has an outdoor-reset and computer tuning controls, so has needed adjustments as we tweak it for our house/heating; Shawn has continued to be very responsive (even after he was fully paid!) and has checked in a number of times just to make sure everything is going well.

Shawn came within a few hours of our call, went out to buy the exact kind of water heater we wanted, and installed it the very next day. (Other plumber we had called said they MIGHT be able to come to look at the problem in a few days!) He also got an electrician to come and do some needed work the same day that he was doing his part. And, he helped us fill out the form to qualify for an energy efficiency refund from the gas consortium. He was both personable and professional. He recognized that the existing gas line outdoors would never pass inspection and was dangerous, so he took it upon himself to get advice from the town inspector as to what needed to be done. Upon his return shortly after that day, he installed a steel pipe to meet safety standards and also painted it to look good (which was not true of the old, bright yellow piping.) I would definitely recommend his work to others in this area.