Norblom Plumbing

I asked the plumber to check out the bathroom venting through the attic as part of some other work I was having done on attic ventilation. In addition, I had him install shut off valves under a bathroom sink which had been installed by previous owner with no shut off valves. I also wanted a faucet replaced on a pedestal sink in another bathroom. He clearly explained the extra time required to pull the sink apart if I wanted the new drain mechanism installed, which I agreed to. As remodels sometimes go, that's when the trouble began. The previous owner had used some kind of near-permanent adhesive on the pedestal sink instead of caulk, so it was literally glued to the tile wall. He worked carefully and more patiently than I would have to free the sink from the wall without damaging the tile, but it took a lot of time and sweat. Then we discovered the same nasty adhesive had been used to literally glue the faucet to the sink. Finally it was all apart and a good thing... the old drain mechanism was about to fail, and the old metal sink drain pipe below was also close to failing. The high price reflects the unusually long labor but that was due to "old house" syndrome not the plumber. I actually give him high marks for getting everything apart without damaging the wall tile. He also gets a kudo for good communication--he explained everything, gave me options along the way, and the final bill with the excessive labor time was no surprise as I was fully aware of what he was dealing with. The only thing that could have gone better was I ended up doing the caulking after the sink was back in place because he left his caulk in the truck and it was frozen. So he left me some caulk and I did it later after it was warm enough to use. I didn't rate the price because I didn't get other quotes so I have no comparison. I've used Norblom before, and they are upfront about their labor charge, no surprises. I've been pleased with the quality of both jobs.

I really thought I had written a report on Norbloom last year as I got the name here at Angies List and specifically asked for Jim as many Angie's List people liked him. So am just writing to say that I first used him to fix older toilet and while that job provided some challenges he was very prompt, professional and helpful and got the job done. At that time we talked about my water heater and it was very old so a couple of months later I called and he recommended a good one for our needs and again installed it without any problems. He is pleasant and nice to have in your house and gets the job done without spending most of his time on his phone (have had others do this) and I will continue to use Norbloom for all my plumbing needs. Just today a friend asked for a recommendation on a plumber and I realized I had not written the report. Great company.

Steve provided an on-site estimate. He was on time, professional, and answered all my questions - including ones I didn't know I had! His quote was reasonable. The only reason I did not select Norblom was because I chose a contractor a friend had worked with recently on a few projects. That personal recommendation was the deciding factor. Otherwise, I'd have been more than happy to use Norblom!

I called Norblom Plumbing in a panic when the water wouldn't stop running from my bathtub faucet. I had just washed my hair and the water was still trickling after fifteen minutes. At first I was told that I would have to wait until the next morning, but after checking, the dispatcher said that Chris had finished up early and could be there within the hour. He got to work right away and fixed the problem. He also managed to remove a clog from the drum trap that I had been fighting unsuccessfully for several weeks. Since he worked on my taps, they stopped making the weird howling noise when the water is running at full force that had been present since I bought this house 15 years ago. From start to finish it only took him 75 minutes.

Came home from vacation to find a large water stain in our lower level. Called Norblom they came out the next day. They were prompt and professional and worked to effectively rule out any plumbing issue. After further investigation it turned out to be a leak from the vent to our roof. Norblom thoroughly investigated the issue; upon completion they cleaned all the areas worked on and left the house better than they found it. We have used them prior to this instance and will continue to use them in the future.

The joint repair went very nicely, and the plumber was very professional about explaining what he was doing and why. However, he was unable to clear the clog further down. When my husband returned, he was able to clear the clog immediately using our own snake. A little more time would have finished the job, but given their rates, maybe it's just as well we finished the job ourselves.

Very efficient. Everything was carefully explained, options were given with advantages and disadvantages of each choice, and the leak was fixed with enough extra line that would make replacing the faucet someday easier. And he didn't laugh at my unsuccessful attempt to pack the existing valves on the water lines to the washing machine.

Emailed company after business hours. Received phone call first thing next morning. Had an opening that day but owner could not be there. Decided on another date. Came promptly. Since I will replace broken part, serviceman showed me how to do it. Very courteous, helpful.

The kitchen sink and dishwasher pipes travel through a 2-3ft deep rim joist in the basement that has an air leak that we have been unable to plug. The air leak has been causing the plumbing in that area to freeze when the temp drops below 10 degrees. Worried that one of these days those pipes would freeze and burst before I got to them with my hairdryer, I emailed Norblom for an estimate on Monday (a holiday) for installing shut off valves on those basement pipes and received a reply email the same day. I asked several questions and Mike provided me with both an estimate and some other suggestions for how to solve our plumbing issue. Mike was great at answering my questions quickly and professionally. I set up an appointment with Norblom the next morning and they were able to have Darrin come out later that afternoon which was perfect! Darrin arrived and quickly got to work. He explained to me how to use the "stop and waste" couplings to drain the pipes when I shut them off. The estimate to install the 2 shut off valves was 30 mintues, and the job ended up taking 1.25 hours, but the 2 additional stop and wastes were also installed which is why the job took longer than the estimate for just the 2 shut off valves. After the job was complete Darrin advised that in the future if, after we have insulation sprayed into the rim joists, the pipes keep freezing that we could re-route the pipes to not travel so far back into the rim joist before heading up though the basement ceiling/kitchen floor/cupboard. Overall great experience and I will use Norblom again in the future should I have any plumbing needs!

The appointment was scheduled for between 7:30-8:30 am. At about 8:30 the office called to say the plumber assigned to the job had called in sick and a different plumber would be there by 9:30. The replacement arrived by 9:30. He was very pleasant and friendly, explained and showed me the problems and gave me the options for what to do to fix them. He replaced parts in three toilets (20 years old) so that they won't periodically empty and fill when they haven't been used. Also located the source of the water that was dripping into the garage through the ceiling. The grout in the shower will need to be fixed by a tile expert. He used booties in the house, cleaned up thoroughly.

Norblom bid for parts and labor was about double what I ultimately paid another plumbing contractor. I saved hundreds of dollars, even though I paid Norblom for their estimate.

Norblom was easy to work with on the phone and gave me a bid of $97 for the first 30 min and $40 each additional 15 min. It looks like they just raised their rates. Darrin called ahead about 1 hour before our scheduled block of time. He was ahead of schedule and asked if he could come early. He arrived 30 min early and was finished in 45min. He put covers over his shoes, said a quick hello and went right to work. He listened to what we had been experiencing and showed us that it was both the ball c*** and the flapper. He showed how we could change them in the future. He also tightened the bolts on our toilet and seat, which was great. He made sure we knew what he did to accomplish that too. He explained the bill and adjusted for the Angie's List coupon. Note that he brought up the coupon to be sure we did not forget to use it, that was nice. Also, he was nice and patient with our cat.

The flapper on the toilet was leaking, causing it to refill occasionally on its own. We did not want to use our prior plumber, so I found Norblom on Angie's List. I scheduled the service about a week ahead, to coincide with a day off from work. The price was exactly as quoted on the phone ($97 for up to the 1st half hour plus parts - if more time had been needed, it would have been $40/15 minutes). Andrew arrived on time and did the work in about 20 minutes. He removed his shoes at the door so as to not track in snow/slush. He was professional and pleasant. We will definitely use Norblom in the future.

Summary: Hire someone else. Incompetent, missing basic equipment to do the work. Lied to. They claimed Gas detectors cast $ 3,000,00, when they in fact a low cost one can be obtained for around $ 102.00 from amazon.com. I am certain Norblom Plumbing will be available, but suggest it is much better to wait & hire a competent plumber, particularly if you are having gas work done. They have no gas detectors. 1. Ball Valves: When I called in the order, I requested high quality ball valves be install on 2 bathrooms sinks. The sort that have a lever and are sweated soldered on. Given the discussion and reluctance to add sweated ball valves, by the plumber when he arrived, I am not sure they arrived with the requested ball valves. It is always enjoyable to have to also review what you want with the plumber after you already requested specific ball valves. After being told it would be essentially ridiculous to add the high quality sweated valves I asked for, I agreed to have what appears to be a much lower quality valve. They could be OK, I will not know until I add new sinks and plumbing, and then after 10-15 years to see how they stand up. 2. Cook Top Gas leaks: When I called in I noted I could only smell gas under the gas cook top, not from the top, and asked it they can do this sort of work, i.e. find and fix gas leaks. They replied they did and were qualified for gas work. The first plumber used what was reported to be soapy water to find gas leak. No gas leak was located/found. He noted the regulator could be bad, but did not know. He offered to remove the regulator and simply use the regulator built into the gas stove. I figured the regulator has been put in for a reason and simply not for show, so I declined to have him remove the regulator. He tightened up all the fitting just to be certain the fitting were tight. In finding no gas leak, he suggested I call a Gas stove appliance repair person, as the leak must be in the Gas Stove top. I hired a Gas Stove top repair person who arrived with a low (~ $ 100.00) cost Gas detector and he could not located any leaks in the gas stove top. He ran the detector across the gas line and regulator and immediately located not one, but 2 gas leaks, one in the fitting just off the regulator, and a larger one in the top of the regulator. He was very helpful, unfortunately, he is not qualified to do gas plumbing. I called Norblom plumbing back, and noted the gas leak has been confirmed by the Stove top repair company., Norblom stated they do not check regulators? No comments as to why not. Then I asked if they would come back and fix the leak by replacing the regulator and fittings. Of course they would, at first they would offer no discount or guarantee for their work. Then they agreed to reduce the first 30 minutes from 90 something to 40 something , then 40 after that. See fees again later... 2nd plumber from Norblom plumbing arrives: 12-22-2010 Again plumber offers to simply remove the regulator and use one built into the gas stove top. I again declined. I also asked it if is typical to have a gas shutoff value so the gas to the entire house does not have to be shut off? No clear reply to this question. Replace regulator. In looking at the new-replacement regulator, it appeared rather old and dusty. I asked if it was new. Reply: Oh yes it is new, it simply has been sitting on the shelf for 15 years, we do not replace many of these, as most houses have a gas tree in the lower level where the gas comes in. That?s what I want a 15 year old regulator!! Work continued. It took 15 minutes at most to install and test for gas leaks with the infamous liquid soap solution soap solution. Then we went around to see if the various other gas fixtures would turn back on. Fortunately the furnaces turn on with no problems. The water heaters were unfortunately another story. After 30 minutes of trying. He gave up. Apparently our water heaters are rather unique? He forgot to check the gas clothes dryer, fortunately without any intervention, this started again with no problems. Ok so the Plumber is about to leave, me of course with no hot water: Bill from plumber: He now informs me that while they bill on a half hour for the first 30 minutes, after than it is then every 15 minutes. Of course since I am not paying the full rate for the first 30 minutes, I also get to pay for every 15 minutes. The best they can do is 10% off labor cost. I am to say the least dissapointed. Now I need to: 1. work to restart my whater heaters. 2. Hire someone else to check their work and perhaps install a new Gas regulator. Just the way all of us like to spend a half day vacation!!

Noticed the burst water pipe on a Monday, called on Tuesday, got an appointment for the very next Wednesday morning. Great phone service - very friendly. Plumber arrived exactly on time, and got to work immediately. It's a little thing, but I LOVE the fact that he had shoe coverings (I have nice wood floors). He explained everything to me - why the pipe burst, how to insulate so it doesn't happen in the future, and what he was doing to fix it. He replaced the burst pipe, and when we turned the water back on, he noticed a shut-off valve was also iced and was about to blow soon. He replaced that as well - would have been bad if he didn't check it as I would have had another blow-out and would have had to have them back again! He didn't charge me for the copper pipe, which was awesome. He also gave me an Angie's List discount, which is great. I mentioned offhand that I'd like to replace my electric stove with a gas one soon, and he volunteered to go down to the basement to look at what would be involved in running a gas line up to the kitchen, and gave me a quote of time and labor on the spot! I'll for sure be using Norblom to do that in the spring. Very professional service. Efficient and friendly. He treated my house like it was his own, which I really appreciate. Great work.

Emailed on Sunday with a leaky kitchen sink/ They called back on Sunday and gave several 2 hour windows that they could do on Monday. Darrin called at the end of the 2-4 window to say he was on his way. He replaced a combination ABS/PVC/metal mess with a PVC drain and disposer kit. He used my fill valve to repair a toilet. Very, efficient, professional, and on time. I will use them again. As with all plumbers, I am always amazed at the prices they are able to charge. But there is no "trip charge" or other mysterious fees.

When I called, I was offered an appointment for the next day. Jim called to say he could get to the house early if that worked for us. He was extremely pleasant and efficient. He knew exactly what the problems were and fixed them quickly. He also told us how to prevent problems in the future. This was a great experience!

I e-mailed over the weekend when I discovered the problem. They arranged a window of time for the visit that worked with me, called em ahead and came on time. He quickly found the problem, and applied a silicone something to protect the area until I could get it fixed.

Work was completed efficiently and competently. Plumber was very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful in all respects

I liked how he was trustworthy and told us the correct information. He could have easily charged us about $700 to do unnecessary work and we would not have known based on what the inspector said. I have been very impressed with them and they do good work and everything has worked well when they have fixed it.

Amy, who answered the phone, was well informed and immediately emailed me a list of their water heater choices (Rheem, Bradford White, and AO Smith), sizes, and prices. There was also a detailed and comprehensive list of possible extra charges. This made it so easy to understand. Norblom's pricing was in line with the other two companies I called. In the end I chose the plumber closest to my home, which was not Norblom, but I would have also felt very comfortable going with them.

I was looking at replacing my laundry tub and floor drain as well as a few other projects so I contacted Mike because I was so pleased with Norblom's work when I had used them last year. Mike sent Steve out to walk through the request and provide an estimate. The estimates were timely and detailed. In addition to the laundry tub and drain job, I had him estimate a new water heater (energy efficient and traditional) and the replacement of some bathroom fixtures. In the end, my budget only allowed for the priority projects of the tub and drain. After a couple of e-mail exchanges, they scheduled Darrin for the job. Darrin arrived on time and was very friendly and professional. He got to work right away. The laundry tub that was ordered had legs and since the replacement of the floor drain required the concrete to be broken up and repoured, he let me know that he could mount the tub to the wall and be done the same day or if I wanted the legs, he would need to come back in a couple days to complete the job after the concrete had time to dry. I opted to have it mounted to the wall and I'm really happy with the decision. In addition to it simply being done rather than having to wait a couple more days, I think it looks better than it would have with legs. Happy accidents. And, I experienced another futurity thanks to Darrin. While he has working on the drain, I had a new gas range delivered. I was planning to hook it up myself, but since I had a plumber in the house I thought I would ask if he could add it to the job. He installed it and also installed a new shut-off valve. I certainly hadn't budgeted to spend that much on the installation of the range, but it was convenient and he also brought the hook-up up to code, which is a good thing. When he was all done and everything was tidy, he walked me through the project, letting me know little things like why the laundry faucet will spray if it is turned up to high. He also provided me with a few maintenance tips and asked if I had any other questions. I really appreciated his thoughtfulness. I am very please with the work.

I originally wrote a report back in 2009 right after the work, but it appears I never submitted it so I am trying my best to recall my review. The details are little fuzzy, but I remember quite vividly how excited I was by how smoothly the job went and my amazing sense of relief that came from its completion. I had two separate issues: a blocked floor drain missing its plug and a very very scary leaky street-side main shut-off valve. As for the shut-off valve, I had been living in fear of that valve since I bought the house seven years prior. I was told by inspectors and handy people (unrelated to Norblom) that it was going to be a huge and expensive job so as long as I never touched it, it would likely be okay...not very reassuring...but I closed the door to the little room that it was in and tried to forget the risk of a potential plumbing disaster. As the very slow, intermittent leak seemed to become more pronounced, the weather was getting colder, and my husband and I were preparing for an extended vacation, I could no longer bear the anxiety that came from the long neglected project. What if it blew when we were out of the country? So, I e-mailed a couple shops that had good reviews on Angie's List. It's been too long to remember which ones, but Mike at Norblom was the most responsive. I sent pictures to them so they could help me understand what would need to be done. Jim was the plumber who responded. He said that the pictures were indeed scary and he had spent much of the night before thinking about how we would handle it. As it would happen, it turned out to be the best case scenario and he handled it beautifully. As for the floor drain, it was too blocked to snake. Bummer. Jim recommended it be replaced, which I opted to postpone to another day. There was a teeny tiny mix up with the coordination of the city turning off the water that felt like a little bit of wasted time, but Jim worked quickly and he was in and out faster than I expected. When I got the bill for $333.84 (excluding the city charge for turning off and on the water) I was downright giddy. Yes, I felt a bit foolish for having procrastinated as the valve was living on borrowed time and had it given way it would have been a home disaster. But, overall I was absolutely relieved and so thankful for Jim's great work. Three cheers!

Poor initial customer service and poor follow-up lead me to look elsewhere.

I contacted Norblom and they sent out a person to give us a free estimate. The price was right, so we hired them and scheduled them to come out. They were able to complete all of the work in one day. We were thrilled we didn't have to go overnight without water! They sent out 2 guys who worked a 14 hour day. They didn't have the sink so planned to come back later. When I was insulating the pipes I noticed there were 2 colds plumbed to the sink. I called Norblom and they came out the next day at 7am and fixed in (and were very apologetic). This enabled me to finish the sheetrocking on time, and to complete the sheetrocking prior to installing the sink. They way the conducted themselves and handled their mistake makes me very happy to recommend them to someone else. I think how a service provider hanldes small problems show the true character of that contractor.