Who we are

A Portland shop that works on water heaters and nothing else

Most of the companies quoting your water heater will also clear a drain, re-pipe a bathroom and service a furnace this week. That is a good business — it is just not the one that gets your hot water back in a single visit.

A technician in work gloves tightening a fitting on a water heater supply line with an adjustable wrench

Why we exist

Narrow on purpose

The company started in 2009 for a boring reason: water heater calls were being treated as filler between bigger plumbing jobs. You would wait two days, a van would arrive without the part, and you would wait again. Doing one thing meant we could stock for it properly and turn up once.

The part is on the truck

Thermocouples, gas valves, upper and lower elements, thermostats, T&P valves and anode rods for the units Portland homes actually run. That is what makes a same-visit fix normal rather than lucky.

Flat rate, not hourly

You are quoted a number before a tool comes out and that number does not move. It also means a job that turns out to be harder than expected is our problem, not an adjustment on your invoice.

No commission

Technicians are not paid a percentage of what they sell. There is no financial reason for anyone here to steer you toward a replacement, which is why we quote both numbers side by side.

Permits, every time

Every replacement and installation is filed with Portland BDS and inspected. It is in the flat rate. Skipping it saves us money and costs you a disclosure problem when you sell.

What we stand for

Four things we will not trade away

These are not values on a wall — they are the four decisions that cost us money and that we make anyway.

Say when not to buy

Roughly a third of the calls we attend for “a new water heater” need a part worth under $200. We fit the part. The replacement will still be there in four years, and so will we.

No after-hours surcharge

Charging double because someone is standing in a flooding basement at 2am is not a business we want. The flat rate is the flat rate at any hour.

Do it by the book

Permit, strapping, expansion tank, pan, T&P discharge. Every time, whether or not anyone would have checked.

Own the mistakes

Occasionally something goes wrong. When it does we answer the phone and we come back. Every job carries a one-year parts and labour warranty and we honour it without an argument.

Credentials

Licensed, bonded and insured

Oregon CCB #229847 — Construction Contractors Board licensed
Bonded — surety bond on file with the State of Oregon
Insured — general liability cover, certificate available on request
Permit-pulling authority — we file with Portland BDS in-house
Energy Trust of Oregon trade ally — we file rebates on your behalf

Every one of those is checkable, and you should check it. The Oregon CCB publishes a free licence lookup: put 229847 into it and you will see the licence status, the bond and the insurance expiry for yourself. Ask any contractor you are considering, including us, for the number and then go and look it up.

How a job runs

Where we work

Portland, and that is the whole list

We are based at 526 SE 6th Ave in Buckman — close-in southeast, a few minutes from the bridges and inside the city on every side. There is no travel surcharge anywhere in Portland and no zip code we treat as the edge of the map.

Central by design

Buckman is about as central as Portland gets. Being there rather than in a suburban industrial park is why same-day works across the whole city rather than just the close-in quarter.

Hours that match the problem

Scheduled work runs Monday to Saturday 7am–7pm and Sunday 8am–5pm. The emergency line is answered 24 hours a day, and there is no after-hours surcharge.

Old houses are the norm here

Buckman, Sellwood, Woodstock, Alberta, St. Johns — a lot of 1910–1940 stock with tight basements, undersized gas lines and venting that was legal three codes ago. That is the normal job, not the awkward one.

The Portland skyline and the Steel Bridge over the Willamette River at sunset

Service area

Every Portland neighborhood

One flat rate anywhere inside city limits, with no travel surcharge.

Hawthorne Division Belmont Buckman Sellwood Woodstock Mt. Tabor Montavilla Alberta Irvington Laurelhurst Hollywood St. Johns Kenton Overlook The Pearl Nob Hill Downtown South Waterfront Multnomah Village See the full service area →

Free quote

Tell us what the heater is doing

No diagnostic fee, no trip charge, and a flat-rate price in writing before anything starts.

A licensed technician, not a salesperson
Repair and replacement priced side by side
Permits and rebate paperwork handled
Nothing owed if you decline