Business Description:
Service, that's what Gary's is all about. We are a full service plumbing and heating company in Bellingham, Wa. We get it done right the first time, 24/7!
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plumbing, heating, and cooling
Gary's Plumbing and Heating, LLC
4760 Pacific Hwy, Bellingham, WA 98226, USA
(360) 734-9700

Service

Total Experience

Will Recommend

Carol B.

Bellingham, WA

Gary's Plumbing and Heating, LLC

Challenging, but ultimately effective; Gary's battles through

I have used Gary's Plumbing and Heating, LLC a couple of times before. This last time they came out I had two separate projects for them to do for me. The first project was the installation of a new electric furnace. That project went very smoothly. My appointment was scheduled at 8:30 AM and the technician arrived at that time. The tech was courteous and efficient, and he didn't leave a mess. By 10:30 AM, the installation was completed and the tech was leaving. Everything is working fine, and I am satisfied with how the installation went and how everything is working. One minor nitpick is that I wanted them to replace the thermostat, and they did a good job with the installation of the thermostat, but I don't care for the actual thermostat at all. I had an old circular style thermostat, and it was very easy to see the tick marks and set it to the exact temperature that I want which is typically 68 degrees. The new thermostat is a square box, and the 60 and 70 are very close together, and that makes it hard to find exactly 68 degrees. One of these days, I will find a thermostat that I like better, and I will have it installed, but it is just a minor nitpick and not a huge deal.

The second project ended up fine, but the process did not go nearly as smoothly. That project included installing a new faucet for my bathtub. I do not like chrome faucets because of the hard water I have here, and if you do not do a perfect job of wiping it down after every use, it gets build up, and I don't like that. So, I spent a considerable amount of time shopping for a faucet that I like. I found a faucet that is basically a laundry sink faucet, and it has a rough brass finish. Furthermore, the spigot has a connector to which I connect my personal shower so the faucet should never get wet, but if it does, and I do not wipe it down right away, I will not have to worry about all of that buildup. I had the faucet and all of the attachments needed for the job. I had even taken a picture of the faucet into Gary's to show it to them when I made the appointment so there wouldn't be any issues with the installation since it was not a regular bathroom faucet.

The tech that arrived to do the faucet installation project was Jeremy, and he didn't want to install the faucet I had purchased. He said I did not have the right kind of shower valve, and he wanted to put in a big shower valve - one whose function is to reduce pressure on the hot water side so you could not scald yourself in the shower. I live in 1979 mobile home, and the interior walls are not thick. They are actually very thin - like tissue paper. I did not want a big, heavy shower valve installed in there in my bathroom. Also, I like to open the cold water line to a little more than a trickle then add hot water until it's nice and warm, and I'm fine with using the low water flow. That is another reason why I bought the faucet that I did. I explained this to Jeremy, but he kept insisting that I couldn't use that faucet, and he ended up leaving without finishing the job. I was annoyed by this because I had to move things out of the bathroom in order to complete this project, and they were scattered around the hall and in other rooms, and I could not put them back because the job was not done. Furthermore, I had already removed the handles that were there in preparation for the project, so I was stuck with having my bathroom items scattered throughout the house and not being able to take a shower.

I called Gary's, and they got Gary on the phone, and I told him he needs to see it for himself. Gary agreed to stop by and take a look at it, and we agreed on a time when he could do that. He came by at the agreed time, and I showed him the faucet and how I was going to use it. I let him know that I understood I will have holes in the wall from removing the handles, and I will deal with that by putting flex tape over it. After talking to Gary and showing him everything, he said that they could do this, and it should work out fine for me. He left, and I called back in to schedule a new appointment to finish up the project.

The tech that showed up for the job the second time, Vince, has been doing plumbing for 30 years, and he thinks outside the box. He was able to install the new faucet and all of the connectors I wanted to make it work how I need it to work for me. He did a good job cleaning up the old plumbing and making sure any mess he made while doing his job was cleaned up before he left. The next day it was dripping, but I called Gary's and Vince came over and retightened that fitting and now it is all good and everything is installed and working just like I need it to. While this project was challenging to complete, it ultimately turned out just fine, and I appreciated the way Gary followed through to make sure I had everything working the way I needed it to. I would recommend Gary's Plumbing and Heating, LLC to someone who needed a plumber, and I will still use them again!