Benjamin Franklin Plumbing

Very prompt in scheduling, call back and showed up on time

Requested camera with snaking. Was told 2 of 3 cameras were down and they would try to send someone with working camera. The plumber they sent did not have working camera. Blockage cleared by then so without camera, difficult to diagnose. I was told they would send another plumber with a camera as soon as they could and would receive a call in the next couple of days to schedule at no additional charge. No call as of Friday, 4/25, so I called them. By the sound of the receptionist my call was a surprise. I was able to get her to re-schedule for the next morning with the camera. They arrived to snake with camera. Based on results they suggested that the buried house trap was off-set and would need to be repaired/replaced. Requested quote and plumber took some pictures with his table and said I would receive a call within a few days with a quote for the work. Today is Thursday, May 29, 2014 (over a month) and I have yet to receive a call. The fact that I had to call them to re-schedule a camera appointment that they said they would call me to do, coupled with the the fact they have yet to call me with a quote for the work tells me they are either too busy or don't care. One lost message is, with an apology that I didn't receive, perhaps OK, but completely ignoring a quote/response for the second visit???? From my standpoint, they are either too busy for me, or the lines of communication between the employees and the front office are in need of work. Either way... I cannot trust a vendor with a track record like this and would not, at this point, entertain a quote from them. Find someone more responsive.

People I spoke with on phone at Ben Franklin Plumbing (BFP) were very courteous and listened attentively to description of problem. Problem was not an emergency, but they understood that I wanted to have the work done that day. I received timely calls back to confirm appointment time and for BFP to let me know status of plumber (Joe) who would be doing the job. When he was on his way, Joe called me to let me know that he would be at my home in 30 minutes. He was on time (a little early actually)! Joe assessed the situation, listened to me attentively, and cleared the sewer within 1/2 hour. Joe told me of other services offered by BFP (such as to repair/reline the sewer, if necessary), but he did not push these services on me. He clearly understood that I only wanted the sewer unclogged this day and would evaluate the need for other services later. He told me of BFP's complimentary video service and what to do if I wanted them to further evaluate my sewer line for additional repairs.

They came out in a reasonable amount of time, but charged $59 for the service call plus they wanted $180 to run a snake through a 10 foot piece of drain pipe to determine if it was frozen. It was a drain pipe (which shouldn't be frozen since it's non pressurized) and if it turned out to be damaged, they would have charged more to fix the problem. So here's the rundown: $60 to drive to the house + $180 to run a snake for 3 minutes = $240 I sent them away and bought a snake at Home Depot for $27. Hopefully that clears out the clog in the drain, but either way I'm glad I didn't move forward with them since their prices are very high. If you're looking at having them clear your drains, I'd recommend going to a local plumber and not a franchise like this.

They come right on time. They are very honest and have very good experience. We have been using their service for 7 years now. We tried them in minor problems like clogged drain and major problems like leaks from drain. They do care about their costumers and we always receive outstanding job from them. They are pricy, but I think most of plumbers are.

My hot water heater started leaking on a Thursday night. On Friday morning, I called every plumber I had any experience with to find someone who could install a new one that day. No one was able to due anything for me until Tuesday of the following week (after a holiday weekend). I finally called Benjamin Franklin plumbing based on having seen their trucks around, and they offered to replace my water heater that day. I was a little confused that there was only a single model of hot water tank that I could choose from, and the price they quoted seemed somewhat higher than what I had seen elsewhere, but I went with it given that I didn't want to spend the next 4 days without hot water. In the end, I was very happy with the quality of service. They were prompt, efficient, and — most importantly — were able to send a plumber on a moments notice.

We discovered a leak from our sewer and quot;clean outand quot; and called during the evening hours on Dec. 23. The company had someone at the answering service take our information and schedule a and quot;guaranteedand quot; appointment for the following day, which, of course, was Christmas Eve. (There was a $59 fee for the appointment. It would have been, I believe, $120 for somebody to come out after-hours on Dec. 23.) Our plumber was prompt, friendly, knowledgeable and willing to explain what the problem was and what we should do to try to prevent a clog from happening again in our 124-year-old home. (He was at our home before 10 a.m.) Our issue is that we should be using an enzyme cleaner regularly to prevent the buildup of sludge in our sewer line. Technically, our receipt indicates that the company serving us was Lesko Plumbing and Heating, but I received a follow-up survey from Benjamin Franklin.

Excavated as needed near the house to expose the sanitary sewer line (near A/C unit). Excavated at the location of the sanitary sewer tie in (lower in the yard) to expose that section of pipe PIPE CLEANING The remaining building sewer piping between house and the sanitary main sewer was hydro-jetted to remove all roots and buildup from the pipe walls. REPAIR: The pipe from the house to the sanitary main sewer was then lined with a 6" CIPP, a cured in one piece epoxy pipe. Also, the section of the sanitary sewer from the house trap inside to the excavated section outside was be lined. A new 6" cleanout wase installed near the house and a new 6" site tee will be installed near the connection to the sanitary main sewer. A new trap was also installed outside. Joe Lesko was very professional, courteous and he and his team kept me informed of the progress/issues all the time. They got the job inspected by the boro and the Allegheny county health dept. Since we had some rain and there was some dirt on the driveway they went out of their way and power washed my driveway. Kevin Blanarik was very prompt in the initial assessment/estimates/email communications. The job was done on the day scheduled. Overall I think it is a very well managed company. I think this process of repair causes the least amount of disruption by reducing the need to dig.

Unclogged and repaired my storm drain. Very professional. Crew showed up with the right experience and equipment. I received a call requesting to reschedule the date.

Perfect from beginning to end. He was a true professional. Kind and courteous. He photographed each step so I have proof for future legal purposes / kept the cracked pipe also. He removed all materials and replaced with the correct materials and tamped it properly, as it should have been done in the first placed back in 2001. Two days the work was 100% done - he even replaced my driveway. Just a wonderful experience after having such a HORRIBLE experience 4 days after moving that I'm still experiencing 5 months later! If you're moving to Blawnox, INSIST on having a CAMERA inspect the sewage line BEFORE you buy. Blawnox DOES NOT require it and they should to protect the buyer. DUMB!! Thank you Benjamin Franklin Plumbing for ALL your help in fixing my nightmare.

We are happy with it. The job was not completed properly the first time but they came back to finish. Mark was accomdating and apologetic.

They really went out of their way to make sure the job was done right. They had very nice service, and very nice people.

We had used these plumbers once before with good results, so was really disappointed this time around. Our water heater went so we called them to replace it. While the rep was prompt, the way he vented the water heater left something to be desired and the final price was a shocker. $950 for a 40 gallon water heater????? Really??? I spoke to a couple of friends later on who had water heaters replaced in the last few months and neither paid more than $650. I felt that we were taken advantage of and I hate that feeling. We will never use them again.

I bought my furnace off of them. I also bought my air conditioning unit off of them. If you call them they will tell you when they are coming and they are right there.

This wasn't an emergency, so I scheduled an appointment for a few days from the initial call. Plumber came when scheduled and did the repairs requested. It took about two hours and the work went as planned. The work was acceptable and the leak stopped.

Was having water back up into garage and basement toilet and I also had a home inspection that indicated I had a gas leak and needed some other pumbing work. After rescheduling with company a few times due to my work schedule, the Plumber, Mark arrived promptly. He was very professional, and he did all of the work in a timely manne. He had set prices for some of the work, including the gas leak. According to the home inspection there were a list of items that needed to be attended to, and Mark helped me to prioritize what items I should repair now since I could not afford all of the work at one time. He spent time educating me about what a regulator does, and why eventually it should be replaced. Very pleased with the work and I felt Mark was extremely professional and skilled.

Kevin came out to look at the system and give us an estimate and discuss the procedure regarding the permits. Kevin sent me the application to submit to the township. An installer came out to install the deduct meter and Elaine ( in the office) organized all the different inspectors (3). This company was on time, professional and friendly. They wore clean uniforms with name tags and bootie to prevent trailing dirt from the outside. They were fair priced and they even had an online coupon. We will absolutely use Ben Franklin again. Please note, I used the company located in Wexford. There are other Ben Franklin Plumbing companies

We detected a gas leak. We called the gas company who came to turn off the gas. We called Benjamin Franklin upon a recommendation from a neighbor. They were able to come the next morning to repair the problem.

The water heater they suggested was Noritz NR71 [N-0631S]. The installers showed up on time; they worked quietly and efficiently. They explained all the steps, answered all my questions, and then got to work. They had to shut off the gas, water and the electricity, but they told me a few minutes ahead of time what they were about to do, and also told me a few minutes before they were turning gas, water and electricity back on. The installation wasn't just replacing the old one. The old one was vented from the basement thru the chimney, but that's not allowed any more. So the location had to be moved, and they had to drill a vent-hole in the thick foundation wall, and then run the cold-water pipe to the new location and then back to the pipe that supplies water to the rest of the house. They promised to complete the installation in just one day, and they did. Despite my initial misgivings about the cost, the new water heater is way better than the old one was, even when it was new. I've never had any problems with the Noritz. I'm sure the technology is better now than it was 20-some years ago when I got the other one, but the new one is *so* much better, so feel that it was worth the cost. They took away the old water heater, for recycling, and cleaned everything up from both the old and new water heaters. Note: the cost included replacing a faucet in the basement sink. Anyone who's really brave--and has the tools and balls to drill a hole in their basement foundation (or through a wall if the tank is installed upstairs), run water, gas, and electrical lines to the water heater according to all building codes--can save about 2/3 of the cost by getting the water heater online and installing it yourself. Keep the phone number for Benjamin Franklin Plumbing handy, just in case. I applied for a rebate from the State of Pennsylvania for installing an energy-efficient device, and got rebate of $200. I thought that with the cold weather, the water wouldn't be as hot coming out, or would otherwise not perform as well. But I have found that the water is just as hot (if not hotter) in cold weather, so the water heater performs well no matter what the temperature of incoming water is. In conclusion, I think this is an excellent product, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing provided excellent service, and I think this was a good investment, and I'm glad I went ahead with it.

Asked for an estimate on a tankless water-heater and they provided it promptly and professionally. Howvever, we considered that the price was way too high, much higher than we expected; particularly as we are not sure we will remain in our home more than a few years. So we declined but appreciated their response

They proposed to connect the drain pipe to a sewage gas vent pipe running within the remaining wall. This pipe was leading the sewer gases from the basement sink up to the roof. They claimed that there was no space in the wall to have the drain connect to a real drain. We thought this was strange, but had no reason to counter. They sent one plumber to do the entire job. This man was sloppy -- at one point, a copper pipe fell from the kitchen ceiling, not by accident, but because he was chopping it out. There were many people around, and he hadn't alerted anyone to the falling pipe, which could have fallen on someone. When the other contractors had left for the day and he remained, he seemed even more rushed and sloppy. He tested the upstairs sink only a few seconds and left the pipe not flush within but protruding out of the wall along its length. I only noticed this after they had gone, so they had to be called back the next day to fix it. During the fix, when he had to cut open the pipe again, there was a small clog, and the plumber did not try to catch the water leaking from the pipe, but let it drip down through the floor. The next day, I detected sewer gases emanating from the second floor sink. I called the plumber back in to fix it. The drain was also clogged so much that the upstairs sink wouldn't drain. They were called in a second time to fix this, and we demanded that the plumber be more tidy. He did catch the leaky water, but he did not clean up the material from the clog. He left it in a pile under the pipe. At this point, we were suspicious of the whole pipe setup, and demanded that they reconnect the sink drain to a proper drain instead of to a sewage gas vent. They were called in a third time to fix this, and we demanded that the plumber be more tidy. He did catch the leaky water, but he did not clean up the material from the clog. He left it in a pile under the pipe. They were prompt to fix the situation, and the owner even came over to hash out a solution. He acknowledged that the old setup of having a "wet vent" connected to a sink was a violation of plumbing code. They found a way to connect the drain pipe to a proper drain pipe and still keep it within the wall. In retrospect, this seemed the most sensible solution, though perhaps to the plumber, at the beginning, it may have seemed like more work. We inquired about whether they had pulled a plumbing permit, and when the plumbing inspector would come. They indeed called the inspector, but were careful to be present during the inspection (as opposed to our other contractors who are confident of their work, and often don't show up). Overall, we feel the company was cutting corners and coming up with short-term, rather than long-term, solutions. We also noticed that when one man worked alone, he was sloppy and disgruntled, but when his apprentice came, he did a better job.

They were very good. They made sure they didn't get my house dirty and they work really well.

I called Benjamin Franklin Plumbing to get an estimate on buying and installing a new tankless hot water heater. The gentleman who came to the house was very professional, and explained everything in detail, answering all of my questions. My then-current tankless water heater, which I had had for more than 20 years was failing, so I knew I needed a new one, and I wanted to stay with a tankless water heater. The bad news was, venting through the chimney was no longer an option, so the location of the tank would have to be moved to an outside wall, which meant running both the water line and the gas line to the new location, and drilling a hole in the foundation--really thick sandstone--to vent to the outside. I had one other contractor come out for an estimate, but they really didn't know what they were doing, and they never got back to me with an estimate. I looked online for a better price, as their quoted price seemed a bit high; but in the end, I decided to go ahead with the deal. They came early one morning to make the installation. The two guys--Jeremy and Brian--were totally professional. They told me when they would be shutting off the water, the gas, the electricity; and when they would be turning each back on. They showed up on time, they did their work, and they finished by mid-afternoon, as they said they would. I was very pleased with their work, and the new hot water heater is working just fine. Although I still think the price was a bit high, included in the price are five annual 'tune-ups'--they will come to the house, flush out the system with a vinegar solution to prolong its life, and do whatever else is necessary for maintenance. Their installation includes pipes and valves surrounding the unit that make maintenance much easier. The whole system is modular, allowing for trading out bad parts (or the whole unit) if necessary. So it's an installation that really takes into account future maintenance, which, as far as I can tell, seems to be unique with Benjamin Franklin Plumbing. Their customer service seems very responsive and efficient (Mary seems to remember every customer and every detail). They also told me about the rebate program for purchasing a tankless hot water heater in Pennsylvania, a program that is still in effect. I'm in the process of filling out the paperwork, which is not nearly as hassle-free as installing the thing to begin with. If it all goes well, the state reimburses me $200. Most reassuring is that they know what they are doing with tankless gas water heaters.

Absolutely the best service/work experience I have ever had. Kevin and his employees were professional, punctual, and even took into consideration our future remodel plans for the space. He was very good at explaining to us exactly how the tankless water heater will work and how things will be a little different. They explained everything they would do, exactly how long it will take, and had all the costs up-front, with no pressure. They were a pleasure to work with, very easy to communicate with, their company handles e-mail and other electronic communication beautifully, which is important to me because I often can't be on the phone making calls during work hours. Their work was a masterpiece, all the new pipes lined up and ran evenly, clean, and efficient. They were done in exactly the number of days promised. I have since had to call them for support on an error code on the tankless water heater. They know their equipment and they were able to respond to me over the weekend, during a snowstorm and diagnose and resolve my problem over the phone without having to come out and charge for a service call. I reccomend them to anyone I know who needs plumbing work. Good job guys!

I called Joe to work on two slow drains. We set an appointment two days later and he arrived on time. He cleared both drains, but also informed me that the faucets and traps were quite old and fragile. Recommended replacing both and I agreed to this. I chose faucets from a catalog he produced and he placed the order immediately. Knowing that the following day was my last day of vacation, he gave me priority scheduling and returned first thing the following morning to install both faucets. He gave me a discount on the second faucet and did not charge me for the service call on the second day.