Paschall Plumbing Heating Cooling — Local services in Sparks

The pilot light on our water heater went out on a Friday afternoon while I was at work. I asked my wife to call NV Energy to have them re-light it. The gas man arrived later that afternoon and informed us that a leak in our 12-year-old water heater was causingthe pilot light to go out, and that it needed to be replaced.

I asked my wife to call Paschall because I recall using them many years ago for a clogged drain. She was given some pricing options based on what kind/size water heater we wanted, and was told they could be out the next afternoon, on a Saturday.

After getting home that evening I did some Googling and discovered that the estimate we received was about $1000 higher than estimates for our area shown on HomeAdvisor and Angie's List.

I called the next morning and left a message asking if they could explain the difference. I received a call back and was told he would "go over everything on that", and suggested that if I could find someone to put in a water heater for $1200 - "then go for it". Not wanting to wait potentially for a few more days to have hot water, and knowing that the estimated cost would be explained when they arrived, I kept the appointment.

The Good: We had hot water within 24 hours of the initial call on a weekend.

The Bad: The installer arrived and all that was written on the work order was the price and description listed as "parts+labor". My wife was told that they don't break it down. Upon later inspection of the work order back page, the first line of the Terms &Conditions says "All work is done at a FLAT RATE. The price includes Materials, Tax and Labor. NO BREAKDOWN WILL BE PROVIDED." I hope that will suffice as proof of purchase for the water heater manufacturer if I ever need warranty service.

So I've done the breakdown myself (again thanks to Google). The water heater should've been $700 (high side) + $150 for tax and materials + $1500 for labor. For 1-2 guys (a helper for a brief time while the old one was removed and new one placed), I figure 5 hours total labor. That's $300/hour for a plumber!

If we would have received an explanation that emergency or weekend labor is more, or given an option to replace it on a weekday for a lower rate (assuming that's an option), I would completely understand the price and realize that Murphy's law determined that our water heater went out going into a weekend.

The lack of pricing transparency and the fact that the worker left our street-side water shutoff cover open, is why I've given Paschall 3 stars. If you're okay with flat rate pricing and are thinking about using Paschall Plumbing -...

We called Paschall Plumbing to have someone come onsite to give us a quote for adding a hose bib to our house. We were told on the phone that it usually costs between $450 to $650. When the guy arrived he had no idea why he was there. He thought he was there to fix a hose bib. We told him we just wanted a quote to install a new hose bib.

While there, I asked if they also do gas lines. He said, "yes." So, I asked if he would provide a separate quote to add a valve for a grill to an existing gas line that was capped in the back.

He went into the crawl space and was surprised by how much room was there was. He looked around and made some decisions on where he would tap into the existing water lines, etc.

He said he would call with the quotes within a couple of hours. It was 10am (Friday) so I expected a call by or soon after lunch. I never heard from him.

I waited until Monday afternoon before I called the office. I told the person who answered the phone that was waiting for the quote. She repeated that it usually costs $450 to $650. I really didn't want to get into it since I was now expecting 2 quotes and asked if she could have him provide the quotes. She said, "Are you okay with the $450 to $650?" I said I would prefer if he provided the quote. She said he wasn't there and would have to talk to him in the morning.

The following day, I received a single quote via email for $3000.

Shocked, I assumed that somehow the cost ballooned due to the second request for the gas line valve. But, since he didn't provide separate quotes I had no way of knowing. So, I responded to the email repeating my original request for two separate quotes.

The following day I received the 2 quotes now totaling $3100. ($2400 for the hose bib and $700 for the gas valve). The hose bib quote contained a note that said, "Drilling through cement foundation may be needed". I can only assume that the possibility of the drilling through cement is the reason for the quote quadrupling in price. Frankly, I don't think they would need to drill through the cement. But, since he was on site to produce a quote and the cement question has the possibility of increasing the cost by 4x, you'd think he would have reached a definitive conclusion on that before leaving the site.

Anyway, we are not using Paschall for the job(s). Then, to my surprise, I received an invoice for $132.87

At no time were we told that they charge to...

Paschall is the plumber I will continue to call with any needs, knowing they will take care of us, and be reasonable on pricing and professional/ respectful through the whole process.About a year ago, Paschall Plumbing replaced our large pipe from the water main to our house after the landscaping had bore a hole/s into the pipe causing a significant leak issue. Last week, I awoke to a loud sump pump alarm in our basement at 3am, and on a quick Google search realized we likely had a serious issue. I called Paschall at 6am, then decided not to leave a message with the after-hours service (they can do emergency work but I didn't want to pay a premium and assumed I had a little time), and instead decided to call during normal business hours. Just before I called them, I actually received a call from them - they said they saw they missed my call and wanted to make sure we were ok! I explained the issue, and the receptionist put me on hold while she contacted one of the plumbers. They had an inclination of what we were facing and were able to get Dawson here just a couple hours later: Dawson was super friendly, knowledgeable, and handled the problem with expert care. He diagnosed the issue and explained the options to me. I heard him speaking to the local plumbing supply trying to determine the proper parts for the fix. He explained that when he went into the pump bucket, he would be able to determine exactly which part was needed, but until then said it was one of two options and there was around $500 difference in the part. We didn't have much of a choice, and had him proceed with the work. He made the trip up to the supply store and was able to get us the less expensive part. I love how Dawson/Paschall had the integrity to charge us for the lower cost part that could be used in the fix. I love how they were able to fit us in on the same day. He was able to perform the fix, from diagnostic, to running to the store, to returning promptly and doing a great job replacing the sump pump. He took care of a dirty matter with a super friendly attitude and grace. If we didn't have attention on this problem quickly, it could have resulted in a...