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John Ruze
via Google We're totally grateful to Gene Johnson Plumbing! We had a sudden terrible leak under one of our apartment buildings. I consider myself a good handyman, but this was above my abilities. Colton Todd sent out one of his best, and he (Sean) knew exactly what to do. Sean had to build a new T-piece, knew just what to purchase and installed a terrific (I think a) PEX piece with high quality (and cool) fittings.
It's odd, when I've asked fellow Landlords, also Realtors to recommend a plumber, they (almost always) scowl and say there is absolutely no one they could recommend! Well, now there is, Gene Johnson Plumbing. They were terrific, professional, timely and saved our butts.
John, Manager, Truaire Apartments, Lakewood, 98499
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Cathy Eckbergvia Google Our technician arrived promptly the morning after we called, he figured out our problem in a short amount of time and then arranged to come out the next day and replace our failed pressure relief valve. We messaged our neighborhood WhatsApp group to see if others noticed increased water pressure. Hugo went above and beyond when he went to our neighbors to test their water pressures to see if they had issues. Some did. I’m sure it will lead to follow on work. He was courteous and efficient. We are happy with his work.
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Peter Heymannvia Google Summary: Gene Johnson sent a tech (Matt Hunter) to address our home heating system, which was sending no heat at all to many rooms in the house. Our system is a wonky spaghetti mess of piping, controllers and pumps that theoretically delivers hot water to legacy cast iron radiators, new floorboard radiators, and seven in-floor hydronic loops. It has not worked as intended since we bought the house 15 years ago. It has likely *never worked right since the last house renovation 25 years go (2000), given the horrid "design" that was implemented then. Matt was the first tech ever to figure out how it all works. He repaired every failed component and problem that could be fixed, given our disastrous configuration. We are completely satisfied with Matt's work and privately are enormously grateful that this money hole has now been tamed.
Our house dates to 1918, so challenges in upgrading the heating plant in 2000 were a certainty. However, the zoo in our HVAC room is nearly indecipherable. I have hired one HVAC company after another over last 15 years to make sense of it, at great expense.
Ninety percent of past techs gave incomplete explanations, proposed the replacement of a pump or controller, or the addition of a valve, and then left. Some were honest enough to simply offer a theory of how it works, while admitting they didn't know, and then left us with a big bill.
Enter Matt Hunt. Not sure if Matt looks the part of genius plumber, but then I've never seen one till now. He's a little nerdy perhaps (like me) and also a dirt bike racer. Whatever: Matt alone successfully unraveled the mysteries of our home hot-water distribution plant. He confirmed that the entire house is controlled by two thermostats, which are, incredibly, located just 16 feet apart on the first floor. (One controls all hot water distributed on the north side of the house; one controls all hot water sent to the south side. Go figure.) Matt explained why heat often doesn't reach the upper floors even when the system is "working" (if it's warm on the first floor, naturally, no heat is available to the second and third floors).
Matt discovered that the pressure in the water distribution lines was only 4PSI (target range: 13-22PSI), determined that the cause was huge amounts of air in the pipes, and the culprit was a broken refill valve. The new valve includes a pressure gauge so we can now see when the pressure in the water lines has fallen so low that the system can't deliver hot water to the upper stories. He also spotted problems with the air eliminator, i.e. the "burping" component that normally should purge some/most of the air. He has proposed replacing that (agreed).
Matt drained the pipes on all floors; refilled the lines; purged all zones of air; and replaced the (broken) thermal expansion tank. Heat began to flow again to all rooms. He demosnttated that heat only happens on the upper floors provided that the two first-floor thermostats that control distribution to the entire home are below target temps and are calling for heat.
Matt mapped every radiator and hydronic zone to the main thermostat controlling it. He also determined which rooms/areas the hydronic thermostats control. (Of course, the hydronic thermostats, which are sprinkled around the house, are comic: they only perform as intended when the primary thermostats on the first floor are delivering hot water.) Matt gave us a detailed written explanation of what each component does and how it's controlled.
Matt did all this in less time than some prior techs took to try and ultimately give up.
Our home heating system is a design wreck and will never deliver heat around the house reliably. However, with the fixes (and insights) mATT delivered, we now get heat when we want it with some work-arounds (like cooling down the first floor therostats). Further, we understand how to spot problems and fix the system going forward.
Thank you, Matt!
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M Brienvia Google Darius came out today to deal with our toilet repair issue. This company has great communication, quick response time, and although I was not expecting a repair expense at this time I felt it was a fair price for what was needed. Darius is courteous, professional and just a fantastic person. Very respectful of our place, fixed what was needed and left it clean and tidy. This is the second time I needed Gene Johnson Plumbing for our house and I highly recommend them for yours. Cheers.
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Annie :3via Google Daniel from Gene Johnson was fantastic! He took the time to give us a thorough estimate and answered all our questions up front. On installation day, he did an excellent job running the natural gas line for our generator.
Throughout the process, Daniel was responsive, professional, and kept the work area neat. I especially appreciated his focus on safety and attention to detail, ensuring everything was installed properly.
I highly recommend Gene Johnson!
