We had an excellent experience with Alan Forbes. We had a problem with the steam generator of our steam shower, and I was provided with his contact information by the manufacturer. Alan responded promptly, worked us into his schedule and was able to address our problem. Overall, it was a pleasure dealing with him, and I recommend him highly. read more

Alan and Trish installed an earthquake shut off valve for me. He explained how it worked and showed me things I should know how to do in the event of an earthquake. They were fast, super efficient, very reasonably priced, and really nice folks to work with. And I have one less thing to worry about! Would definitely use them again. read more

Alan came and fixed so many issues with our boiler based system better than it was before in part of one day. Highly recommended.

Highly recommend Alan and Trish of Forbes Plumbing! Alan was recommended to me by my old heating guy who retired and boy am I glad! They have helped me out with my radiant floor heating boiler twice (two different issues). They are refreshingly efficient, knowledgeable, reliable, and reasonably priced. Plus they didn't seem to mind all of my questions and patiently explained exactly what he was doing and why, how the whole radiant floor heating system works and what all of the pipes coming out of the wall in our utility closet do. A real pleasure working with them! read more

Can't recommend highly enough! Efficient, highly knowledgeable, and excellent communication. Our boiler hadn't been cleaned in over 3 years and the igniter was fried. We remotely diagnosed the issues, then Alan came and cleaned the entire system and replaced the igniter in one trip. Price was reasonable. Overall very happy (and warm!) with the service. read more

Alan has been extremely helpful in my time of need, troubleshooting and repairing my radiant heating system. And, he's a really nice guy!

Highly recommend Alan and Trish of Forbes Plumbing! Alan was recommended to me by my old heating guy who retired and boy am I glad! They have helped me out with my radiant floor heating boiler twice (two different issues). They are refreshingly efficient, knowledgeable, reliable, and reasonably priced. Plus they didn't seem to mind all of my questions and patiently explained exactly what he was doing and why, how the whole radiant floor heating system works and what all of the pipes coming out of the wall in our utility closet do. A real pleasure working with them! read more

Alan Forbes is a great resource for radiant heating. He is incredibly knowledgeable and can diagnose issues quickly and efficiently. He is the only vendor you should call for radiant heating! read more

Alan and his wife Trish were amazing at installing our new heater. Our heater went out in the mist of the cold spell last December (Christmas day). We contacted Alan the next day and they moved their schedule around to come to our home. They moved quickly and provided excellent recommendations for a new heater. The new heater was ordered and installed within two weeks. This was exceptional given the current supply chain issues. They both worked within our schedule and finished the installation within the time they had proposed. Please note, we have a 1 year old and this was an extremely challenging time to not have heat. Both Alan and his wife helped fix the situation, were professional, and provided the upmost care. If there was a way to put more than five stars, I would. Thank you to Forbes Plumping!!!! read more

I first worked with Alan several years ago to repair our radiator heating system in a new house that we had just purchased, and he was fantastic. Kind, patient, very trustworthy, and reasonable prices. Since then, I've worked with him several more times - in a couple of cases, he gave me advice over the phone that solved my issue (at no charge!), and in one more challenging case, he was able to come over within a day or so and quickly diagnose and fix the issue. I highly recommend Alan. read more

Alan came the same day as he called him. Our hot water did not get hot. Turns out it was not an issue, he just turned it on and waited a few seconds until it became hot. Will use Alan until the day he retires, without making a vow. He is as good as it gets! A real Mentsch! read more

This may be more of a review of Yelp and how they're treating this company and people trying to reach it or others. 1) I wrote to Forbes Plumbing from their Yelp ad, saying that I wanted a quote for a radiant heating floor, and they'd been recommended by the regional manager of the Warmboard company as experienced people near me. 2) Yelp immediately flashed up four supposed competitor companies to give me quotes too -- even though they weren't recommended by the vendor. Three of those companies , Bell Bros., Boom Water Heaters, Oakland Rooter, all emailed right away that they don't offer the services I'm seeking -- so much for Yelp's algorithm. 3) Then I tried calling Forbes at the number listed on Yelp, and got a message that the voicemail box hasn't been set up yet. What kind of way is this to run or promote a business? Yelp's not doing you too many favors, but it's wasting customers' and competitors' time. read more

Alan was perfect, we had a 100 gal water heater stop working. Fixed in no time and competitive rates too. On the phone with him now to install a gas stove. read more

Used Alan at the recommendation of a friend. We have been through umpteen semi-competent plumbers over the last 30 years. This guy knew exactly what he was doing (both kitchen and bathroom issues--corrections not installation) (Jan 2013). A pleasure. And I've waited a month to post to make sure that his fixes still hold! Highly recommended. read more

Got right back to me the same day. We didn't end up working together but he was very helpful in connecting me with someone who could. He seemed like a very authentic guy read more

Alan Forbes is an extraordinary plumber and human being. Alan has serviced our radiant heating system several times in the past and we have always been impressed by his caring nature and real knowledge of his profession. However, how he recently helped me solve a difficult problem over the telephone rather than with an expensive bill, defines the character of this man. Alan took the time over the telephone to help me diagnose a disturbing tapping noise coming from the radiant heating unit in our master bedroom that had been disturbing our sleep for months. The consistent regularity of its night time "sonata" was both maximally frustrating and seemingly impossible to fix. There wasn't a You Tube video that I did not watch on radiant noises. Alan listened carefully to my complaints and descriptions and accurately told me the problem was most likely electrical and not heating and recommended using the fuse box to help locate the culprit circuit. Bingo! We chased down a faulty exterior lighting fixture that was activated by a light sensor on the wall outside our radiant heater. When it got dark the sensor's attempt to activate the light made a tapping sound like dripping water in the wall. OMG...last night's quiet was a dream come true! Thank you Alan Forbes for your brilliance, you kindness and honest concern. We will not forget. read more

Alan helped me out over the phone saving me unwarranted repair expenses. He went above and beyond what most contractors will do these days. I highly recommend Alan and Forbes Plumbing. read more

prompt, courteous, skilled, reasonable. Great experience

Alan is amazing! He was so kind and competent! Came out and worked magic on our radiant in-floor heating. He helped us fix an issue that had left an entire bedroom without heat. He was quick, thorough, and well-priced. So easy to work with and communicate with. Will definitely keep using him for all our radiant floor needs! Can't recommend him highly enough! read more

We installed radiant heat flooring in our house an needed a plumber who had experience with hydronic mechanical systems. I found Alan on Yelp and saw the numerous positive reviews, so we called him up. The job entailed installing a new on demand hot water system, as well as the rest of the hydronic system (designed by another company). Alan and his wife were very nice and easy to work with. But they made a few big mistakes that ended up leaving us without hot water for twice as long as we were originally told. The company that did the mechanical system design did have a few mistakes, so I don't hold Alan responsible for those. But there were problems such as he had mis-wired a few of the controls which led to the system not functioning properly and then had a lot of trouble identifying the problems. I expected more from someone with so much experience with hydronic heating systems. In the end I figured out the problems as Alan left to start other jobs he had set up. Its pretty unprofessional to walk away from a job that isn't done, especially when he made the mistakes. He had also provided an estimate for the materials cost on the install. The final bill I received was 3x the original estimate. So needless to say, I was pretty unhappy that he would be so far off on his estimate and not notify me ahead of time. I understand that the materials costs would be pretty much the same no matter who installed it, I again, just expected that someone with his amount of experience wouldn't be that far off in his estimate. I deal with contractors for a living and typically they need to provide a change order if they are going over budget. I'm giving 2 stars instead of 1 since he's a nice guy and things all work now. But I don't think I'll be calling him anytime soon. read more

Professional, friendly, passionate about his craft of radiant heating and plumbing. We worked with Alan and Trish his partner on three projects at our house. The first was replacing a 80+ year old boiler with a modern high efficiency boiler. It was great to see Alan get so excited about the different technology and him being patient as I asked all sorts of geeky questions. He is a true craftsman and people literally say "wow" when they see the complexity and professional layout of the pipes in the boiler room. He would make Mario and Luigi proud! The second project was putting in-floor radiant heating in the rafters below our second floor. This was a really creative yet simple solution using Ultra-Fin radiant technology. Our upstairs is extremely comfortable. He did a bunch of research to see if it could work with our old floors and Persian carpets. The third project was we renovated our ground floor and utilized a mix of old radiators from our house (that got freed up from the in floor radiant) and new radiators to heat a two bedroom apartment. He did all the selection of products and worked well with our general contractor who enjoyed working with Alan as well. He also let me use Nest thermostat's and trouble shot their quirkiness. He came back lots of times without charging to fix the buggy thermostat. He also did a minor repair on my laundry to help me out so I didn't blow myself up. We look forward to staying in touch with Alan as a friend. read more

Alan has been absolutely wonderful with our old, cranky radiant heat system. When we purchased our home we were told by the building inspector that it was in fine shape, and of course it wasn't (by a long shot!)!!! Our heater would make so much rattling noise that our daughter would sleep in our room, as it sounded like a plane was taking off throughout the house. Alan got our heater to work nice and silently, and for that we are forever grateful! read more

Spoke with Alan over the phone and he answered in one ring. Gave me advice on what I could probably do by myself to fix the heating system, essentially free advice from an expert. I appreciate this immensely and if it doesn't work he'll make time to get out for a visit. Very appreciate the good faith advice and you'll have my business moving forward. Aaaaand what Alan recommended ended up working perfectly. Was able to fix my radiant heating all on my own, knowing nothing at all. What an all-star and good person to help me out. Much appreciated. Call them! They are the best. read more

Nice guy. Showed up when he said he would. Followed up afterward. I'll probably call Alan again for problems beyond my limited ability. PLUSES: Fixed drippy faucet, fixed leaky P-trap, tightened fill line into toilet. MINUSES: Replaced the toilet flapper with a near-match part that he had on the truck. It wasn't the correct part. This was on a Friday; he told me he would come back at no additional charge if it didn't seat itself properly and stop leaking within a couple of days. FOLLOW-UP: Alan phoned on Tuesday to see if the flapper was still leaking, and reiterated his offer to return. That was classy! As it happened, I had already purchased and installed the correct part, which, honestly, I should have done before I called him in the first place. read more

Prompt Efficient Knowledgable Have used Alan's services before and will again--if problems arise (and don't they always?) read more

Alan did an exceptional job on our radiant heat project! Versed in modern boiler technology, he created an efficient and elegant system for our heating and domestic hot water needs. I highly reccomend his services; professional, prompt, clean, and an excellent communicator. I will not hesitate to contact him again for any plumbing related needs. Highly recommended. read more

Forbes Plumbing, has our highest recommendations. I don't generally do recommendations but felt it's important to recognize those rare individuals who know their stuff (plumbing, boilers, radiant) and have the fortitude to promptly see through issues. We had a new home builder that installed high-end boiler, radiant, and plumbing system in a new home that was not working correctly - long story why the original builder did not fix the issues. Alan promptly came to our house and provided recommendations for a system that, while new, had several issues before we could have hot water and heating. Alan diagnosed multiple issues and did extremely high quality work. It's rare these days to find individuals that do quality work and show up as promised! Alan ultimately resolved all of the issues, always being considerate of the costs, resulting in resolving our hot water, heating, and plumbing leak issues. I would trust Forbes (Alan and Trish) for any plumbing needs! -M- read more

Alan is awesome. He has been keeping our radiant heat and hot water systems going for 20 years. When it was time to replace them with more efficient systems, first he supplied all the information and patiently answered every single question I asked him about components, options, installation, functions, etc. Then he and Trish did a first-rate job, and worked during the holidays to ensure that we had heat and hot water. Plus they are really nice, in addition to being so competent and professional. read more

I called Alan to help with a plumbing problem (recalcitrant toilet flush lever) at my mom's house in Berkeley. Alan was great to deal with and very responsive. He was available quite soon after I called. He kept me apprised of any time delays on the day, arrived earlier than he said he would, fixed the plumbing with no problems (an earlier handyman my mom had hired had insisted that the whole toilet had to be replaced and the pipes rebuilt, which is why I'd intervened). Alan said it was a simple matter of the flushing mechanism (flapper valves, lifting rods, the whole thing sounds vaguely steampunk to me). He fixed it quickly and efficiently, and also fixed a water pressure problem on a faucet in a different bathroom. He also had no problem with dealing with me via phone (I'm in Los Angeles). My mom was delighted with him. Just delighted with him. He was kind, respectful, and just wonderful to her, and I couldn't be happier with his service. His fees were also very reasonable. I'm very happy to find such a reliable, honest, and dependable plumber. I know we'll be calling him when other issues crop up. Highly recommended. read more

Got Forbes Plumbing from YELP. Got back to us right away. Great experience - knows what he is doing; arrived when he said - understands boilers and radiant heating. We were without hot water and heat. He was knowledgeable, reassuring and supportive. He said he would get us hot water and heat and he did!. Wouldn't call anyone else. Highest recommendations. Excellent. read more

We've been clients of Alan's for a number of years, and he is simply the best in the business. We have a 22-year-old radiant heating system that has needed periodic repairs over the years, all of which Alan did flawlessly. But the time came to stop applying "band-aids" and replace the boiler with a more modern, much more energy-efficient model -- which Alan and Trish did in their usual professional and timely fashion. They are a pleasure to deal with, and the work is done with great care and attention to every detail. Simply put: the best! read more

We have found Alan Forbes to be the most careful, trustworthy, competent plumber of all the many local folks we have previously tried. We completely trust him to come into our home when we aren't there and complete any job perfectly and leave no mess of any kind. He has a world of experience with various plumbing jobs and is also a friendly guy to have around while doing a job. read more

Alan has come out to my older home several times to work on faucets and water pressure issues. He has been friendly, knowledgeable, helpful, and very fair in his pricing. I can recommend him happily. read more

Alan at Forbes Plumbing has helped us through several projects and is consistently professional, thorough, comprehensive, and informative in terms of recommendations and alternatives. He is an expert plumber and a specialist in radiant and hydraulic heating. We give him top marks! read more

We have been using Alan Forbes for many years to service our 100 year old home's radiant heat system. The first time he came to our house, I asked whether he thought we should replace our boiler, which is nearly as old as the house. He could have said yes, ensuring himself a good payday for replacing it, but he advised that he just do a minor maintenance. Recently, when the boiler finally died, Alan explained our various options and helped us pick the one that best suited us. Although we were committed to using Alan from the start, we got bids from two other people just to compare. Alan's quote was the lowest. He removed the old boiler, installed the new unit in our basement in less time than he had estimated, and left the work area much cleaner than how he found it. Alan is friendly, reliable, knowledgeable and honest. As long as he is in business, he will be our plumber. I recommend him without hesitation. read more