8-17-2013..At my wife's insistence I'm calling these guys again. Our garbage disposal needs replacement. I can probably do this myself. But my wife prefers Great Western because when *I* do plumbing, I make multiple trips to the hardware store, have to re-do what I've done several times to get it right, and in the process, scream vile curses that upset her, frighten the dog, and amuse the neighbors. Chuck, on the other hand, *never* curses. ==================== NOTE: This is in praise of the Great Western Plumbing *located on Laurelwood* in Santa Clara. There is another "Great Western Plumbing" in the San Jose area.. I know nothing about that business. *My* recommendation is the Great Western Plumbing on *Laurelwood* owned by "Chuck.". Chuck, the proprietor, and his assistants have been tending to our plumbing emergencies for 15 years now. The relationship started when he used a little creative drilling to fix a bathtub drainage problem for $120 that the first outfit we called in was proposing a $1800 main sewer line job to fix. "I think that young man's proposal is probably an over-engineered solution.." was Chuck's diplomatic assessment of the other offer. Ever since then, when plumbing disasters strike, large or small, Chuck is the first guy we call. On occasions he hasn't even come out, just given me free counsel on sticking a hose down the drain and turning on the water clearing out the blockage hydraulically. Anyway, he came out again today on thirty minutes notice in the aftermath of an overflowing toilet disaster and a failure of our shut off valves and (in addition to fixing the problem, of course) provided a little dispassionate professional appraisal as my wife and I bickered over the probable cause and who was to blame over this latest water drama. Susie thinks the sewer main (though it was *not* the cause of this last mishap) needs to be replaced, because many of our neighbors sewer mains all up and down the block are beginning to need replacement. I'm sort of resistant to this expense at this time of year.. If it ain't broke don't fix it... BUT.. on the day that CHUCK delivers the news ... "Yep, you need to replace your sewer main pipe.." I'll say, "Yes sir... I guess we need to do that.." read more

I called up Great Western Plumbing when I was trying to install a new water heater in my condo. I had figured I could handle the installation myself, and was right up until the new water heater was 1" taller than the old one and one of the pipes wouldn't reach. After reading the other reviews on Yelp, I called and made an appointment. My only complaint is that the guy (I think it was Chuck) was over an hour late with no phone call. I know it could have been a lot worse, but turns out that he had gotten done somewhere earlier and moved another appointment in front of mine without notice. Once he arrived though, I told him I'd been trying to do it myself but showed him my problem, and he got right to work. Without my asking him to do so, he actually set up the new pipes such that I could more easily do a new install myself next time. He was very friendly, showed me what he had done and talked to me a bit about the part I had trouble with, and his rate was reasonable. Will definitely call again next time I have plumbing issues. read more

My husband and I just bought our fist house and were installing a water softener. Well, in the process of installation my husband nailed through the hot water pipe for our washing machine. We were able to get the water turned off with no water damage, but needed a plumber to get the pipe fixed and get the water going again. Did I mention that this was at 10:30 on a Sunday night? Well, I found a review for Great Western Plumbing here on yelp and called them up. Chuck, the owner, picked up the phone and was over within the hour. He fixed the leaky pipe and got our water running again for a VERY reasonable price. I've already programmed Great Western Plumbing into my phone; this is one service that I will use again in a heartbeat! read more

Just called Chuck for the first time and he came over on a Saturday night to help me with a failed attempt to fix our shower valves (which would have resulted in us having the water turned off until we fixed it). He was great and helped me figure out what I did wrong and the price was very reasonable and fair. He also gave me some nice financial advice through out normal conversation ;-) We highly recommend Chuck for your plumbing needs! read more

I have worked with Chuck and recently Kent on our plumbing problems. The two arrived on time at our scheduled appointment, prepared for the job, professional, and had a great attitude. Our first occasion was with Chuck. Chuck came to the rescue when our water pipes under the sink would not properly drain into the sewer line. Remains of foods and debris stayed in the pipes. Chuck came up with a creative and logical way to rebuild the entire plumbing under the sink under in hour and at a reasonable price. The problem was solved! The second issue was at a second location that is rented. Rough tents and a sink that was improperly installed caused a lot of headaches in the span of a year. I called Kent who arrived on time at our scheduled appointment and began working right away. He was very through and explained what caused the leak and built a new set up under the sink with a hour. He provided some very knowledgeable advise about other issues and saved us a few hundred dollars in contractor costs. I would not use another plumber except Great Western Plumbing. read more

Yesterday afternoon I called this company (based on recommendations from yelp) to hook up our new kitchen faucet, disposal, and dishwasher and hoped they could get someone out the same day or next day. I was home sick and it would have been convenient to have someone there when I was already home. They arranged for someone to be there within 2 hours. Kent arrived and began work right away. He fixed what my partner had tried to do, got the right parts, got everything connected and working. Two and a half hours later he finished and everything was working perfectly. Besides the fact that they were able to schedule someone so quickly, Kent was professional, knowledgeable, and nice. It turns out, this was the same company and the same plumber that I had used a couple years ago for a bathroom toilet installation. They are going to be my plumber from now on. read more

I've dealt with Chuck three times now, and he's really a stand up guy. Promptly returns your calls, shows up when he says he will, and knows what he is doing. Most recently, I called him because my garbage disposal ground to a halt. Rather than just make an appointment, he suggested and walked me through re-cycling the rotor and hitting the reset button. Saved me time and money. Will I call him again if something else goes haywire with my plubming? You bet! read more

Fast, courteous fixes! I called Monday morning, and by Monday afternoon Kent was at my house (in San Jose) helping me figure out why water was coming out of my air gap when the dishwasher was running. 30 minutes later and a new pipe later, my dishwasher was working fine, with no more water coming out. Thanks so much Kent & Great Western Plumbing! read more

Chuck came on time, did the work , fixed two leaks, and one clogged toilet.. Great work, a gentleman. read more

This was our second experience with GWP, but this time around the service was for our home. Simply put, Chuck is the best. He was professional, knowledgeable, and took his time to show us our options. He even gave us advice on getting our toilet installed without taking any money. We insisted on paying for his time, but he would not take it. His response was to call him when we have a real problem. We now have a real problem and will be calling Chuck back. Not only do you get to hear Chuck's great stories and jokes, you get sage advice about life. Now how do we give Chuck 6 stars on Yelp? read more

Needed water line installation for the refrigerator in my new town house. I called few plumbing businesses and great western plumbing was one of them. Chuck had the best quote among them. He came at 4pm as scheduled and saw the kitchen configuration and said he will call me to give a quote!!?? Next day until 1pm I didn't receive a call and called 5 plumbing companies and setup appointments as I wanted it done fast before I could get refrigerator to new place. I received a call from Chuck, at 1:30pm! Finally!!! He said it will cost $}%#. that was awe' reasonable for a smart consumer like me! Oohkey; cheapo like me! I added few more things on his plate before the call could drop... And booked the earliest possible appointment... Before he does google search for how much he should charge... He installed waterline, fixed the problem with commode. No more gentle reminders from my pregnant wife every 5 mins! Didn't have to pay arm and leg after a down payment for mortgage. Thank you Chuck! read more

After my kitchen sink started leaking, Great Western Plumbing/Chuck was recommended to me by my landlord, and the whole experience was so pleasant, I felt undercharged. I have rarely had a service professional show up when they say they will - comcast was late multiple times (I've moved around a lot), AT&T was late multiple times. the various stores where I've bought furniture were almost always late, etc. Chuck showed up pretty much on the dot, did a thorough assessment of the problem, and then replaced all the piping under the kitchen sink in about an hour. He took his time and seemed to know what he was doing and do it well. He also kept things clean and cleaned up the little debris that was produced during the job - I really appreciated that. I had an easy time talking to him, and would recommend him to anyone in a heartbeat. read more

Chuck has done four jobs for me so far and has aced every one. Including a deep snaking of a parafin cligged sink (don't ask), a new water main valve and frozen and corroded shower knobs. All were done perfectly, promptly and with friendly curtious service. I would recommend GWP to anybody. read more

The best plumbing service I've ever seen. We had a plumbing issue (running toilet) two weeks ago and Ken came out to fix the problem. It was working well for a couple weeks, but today it stopped flushing completely. I called Chuck, and was happily surprised that they answered the phones on a Sunday. I explained the situation to Chuck and mentioned that Ken had stopped by a few weeks prior. Chuck said he could be by in a couple minutes (?!) to fix it. I was so relieved, given that we only have one bathroom, and I didn't feel like joining the dogs outside. He was there in less than 30 minutes to assess the problem. He determined that the chain had snapped, and quickly replaced it. As he was leaving, he asked to see the invoice from Ken. When I asked him how much I owed him, he replied "nothing". I asked twice more, and he would not let me pay him. I was so impressed with the quick arrival time, expedient service, and refusal to take payment (given that they had recently come out for an unrelated problem). I would recommend them to anyone who needs a highly skilled plumber who feels that business integrity is more important than a quick buck. read more

Giving 2 stars b/c I don't want to be too harsh here. Called @ 7am and set a 2:30 appointment to have kitchen drain cleared. Nobody showed so I started calling around 3:15 and when I got a hold of someone they told me that I was not put on today's schedule. Next appointment 3 days out. Surely just a clerical error but darn annoying when you have a clogged kitchen sink. Calling another plumber now... read more

Chuck is a really nice guy. I called him up first for a quote on how much it would cost to fix my water heater which won't stay on. He quoted $110 and came right on time at the appointment time. It took a bit of time for him to fix my water heater, but he got it done and put things back nicely. Great guy and wouldn't mind call him up again next time. read more

I will never be able to fully express my gratitude to Chuck and Ken for the marvelous, dependable, professional, reasonably priced service they provide. I have used their services on two occasions (including an emergency on a holiday weekend) and they have always come through for us. I challenge anyone to find tradesmen with more smarts and integrity than Chuck and Ken. read more

*** UPDATE 1/3/16 *** Bumping up review to '3 star' (average): got a call today from Great Western. Apologized for not getting back to me. Apparently he's been sick and also in process of converting phone Answ system. Doesn't resolve my issue (Allstate did that), but at least it shows some consideration and customer service. ********************* Sorry, got nothing positive to say about "Great Western Plumbing", and I don't like to write negative reviews. I called 2 plumbers on New Year's Eve before noon. NYE is not a holiday, but many people knock off early. I get that. I got a cheerful greeting from 'Debbie' on the answering machine at 'Great Western Plumbing' with a promise to call me back (in the recording) and left a message. Never got a call back. I figured they'd be closed New Years, so not too surprised they didn't call. Called again on Saturday around 1:30p. Left another message. Never got a call back despite 'Debbie's' ascertaining. The same with the 2nd plumber (leaving same review for them given the same poor performance). The fact that I had a significant leak (about 0.5gal/hr) and requested in my message at least acknowledgement of my call didn't gain me anything. I found another plumber (Allstate) who called me back within 15min of my leaving a message and had guys at my house 1.5hrs later shows some plumbers understand business (and will get a great review). At least acknowledge when someone contacts you. If you're busy, let me know. Wasting my time waiting for your promised call is inconsiderate. Sorry 'Great Western', but based on this experience, I think 'great' just means North. read more

It was a late evening call. I was told that Ken will show up in 30 minutes. And he did. After a quick and accurate review, he went right to work and got my plugged sewage line cleaned in a 30 minutes! Good work! read more

I concur with what the other reviewers have written. Chuck just came over and did two things: Fixed a leaky toilet seal, and looked at a noisy/vibrating pipe problem. About the toilet, the reason I called a plumber instead of trying to replace the seal myself is that the existing seal was almost brand new, and I figured something must have gone wrong for it to have failed that quickly. I wanted a professional's eye on it. So Chuck and I talked about the history of what's been done to the bathroom; he didn't start doing anything until both he *and* I were clear on everything, and on the same page. And when he was done he gave his best guess as to why the other seal had failed. I really appreciated the fact that he was willing to take the time to have that conversation and figure out the cause, instead of just going in and replacing the seal. About the vibration, my primary concern was that I was worried that it might be causing damage to the pipes. He understood where I was coming from, and he went into my crawlspace and looked at how the pipes were braced, and he got me to demonstrate the vibration while he was down there looking at it. His opinion was that no damage was being done to the pipes; he didn't try to sell me work I didn't need, he just explained what was going on, reassured me that the pipes were fine, and gave me a couple of pieces of advice to mitigate the noise in the future. My impression of Chuck is that he's honest, competent, communicative, and won't try to sell you anything you don't need. I will definitely be calling him the next time I need a plumber!! read more

On this rainy, cold January day my water heater stopped working. My neighbor attempted to fix it but the pilot refused to light. I found Great Western Plumbing on Yelp and called the company based on the positive reviews. Chuck arrived within one hour of my call and resolved the problem. He was neat, responsive and his fee was reasonable. I am so relieved and excited to now have a reliable plumber I can call upon in need and I will recommend him to everyone I know. Thanks, Chuck! You're a star. read more

Sink job done well. If he has the time he gives lot of tips useful in life.

Based on other reviews, I called Great Western Plumbing. The piping behind the washine machine in our rental property had leaked and caused significant water damage. I needed to have the old PCPB piping replaced with new copper piping and a new valve installed. Kent came out, he showed up on time, gave me a quote and went to work. He finished in an hour. Total cost was $119.25 ($95 for labor and $24.25 for materials). He was courteous, professional and I thought reasonable for the job he did. I will definately use them again. read more

The guy is true expert. On Monday, my house has clog issue on washer's waste pipe drain. I couldn't use water in any situation because the dirty water will come out from my toilet and shower sink. So, I call Great Western Plumbing and he scheduled me a quick appointment to check out. Very quick, he found the issue was the tree toot cause the clog problem and he ran a snack in my toilet. Half hour later, everything work perfect and no more clog issue. I highly recommend Great Western Plumbing team. read more

I am usually extremely organized but I forgot about the 4:00 appointment I had with Kent -- the owner's son-in-law at Great Western Plumbing. I got home around 5:15 and saw a note on my door from Kent saying he was there at 4:00 and waited until 5:00 and to please call to reschedule. It was so nice of him to wait to see if I would get home and the note was so professional even though I missed the appointment. I felt so badly. I immediately called his office and they were able to reschedule me for later that same evening with no extra charge. Kent was very nice and personable. He fixed our plumbing problem for a very reasonable fee. We will definitely use them again! I would give them 6 stars if I could. =) read more

Chuck has been our plumber for the past 5 years. He is absolutely the best. Knows his business and charges a fair price for his work. Great guy to talk to. Very business like but personable. His work is first class. read more

Called GWP early Sunday morning 2 weeks ago and the person I spoke to said they had service calls already booked and they might be able to get to me by mid or late afternoon. He promised to call by 3:00 pm to give a status update. 2:50 PM and Chuck from GWP showed up! He listened to my laundry list of stuff - fix bathroom drain so the plunger would work, fix a leak on the kitchen drain, replace broken garbage disposer [I already had bought a new one but hadn't installed it - glad I had Chuck do it], and slow drain in kitchen and garage (both on the same drain line main). Chuck made sure old disposer was broken (motor wouldn't even hum). Chuck completed all the work pretty quick. He cleaned up all the work areas, and was an extremely nice guy to boot! The drain in the kitchen and the garage sink had NEVER worked this good even when I first moved in 11 years ago (house is 49 years old). Chuck said that the plugged portion of the drain felt very stiff like it was plugged with fabric fibers from the clothes washer (I have lint traps on the washer hose and in the drain tub to catch even more, so most of the lint must have been there already). It was amazing to watch as he was snaking the line (had to do it from the roof) to see the water he had slowly running in the garage drain slowly rise in level and then WHOOSH! All of sudden the water went zooming down the drain! The price was VERY competitive. I'll definitely call GWP if I need plumbing help in the future. read more

I liked all the great reviews on Yelp, but I'm afraid I have to disagree with the recorded message. My call is NOT important to you. Apparently none of my calls were important to you. Finally went with a different company which gave us prompt, great service. It's nice to know who to call in the future. read more

I called on a Sunday when my kitchen drain was leaking badly. Chuck fixed the problem quickly, explained what he was doing, and charged a low amount because he said it was a very simple job. He is a nice, personable guy and I will certainly use this efficient family business again. read more

Chuck replaced a backyard galvanized pipe August'14. Three months later Nov.. water started welling from underneath soil. Called Chuck if he could come over for look but he said he's now into big jobs and won't be available until Dec. Called mid Dec., said he will be there on the 22. No show on Dec22, no call whatsoever. Jan '15, call routed to receptionist ? who's scripted reply is" he is very busy , leave contact no. " as usual no reply. Spring is here and I need to turn on the water supply from this pipe to my sprinkler system, so one more try to contact Busy Chuck, guess what, again the receptionist with the same script. Decided to dig into the source of moisture to ascertain the cause, the PVC elbow joint where Chuck screwed in the replacement galvanized pipe was cracked n leaking -most likely from over tightening. Not only this, but even a novice like me can see that there should have been pipe tape applied to the part of pipe that was embedded in soil which was missing and yes, the pipe is already corroding. Long story short, Chuck is nice when he has time to spare, he will even spend 30 mins chatting away, but now that he's on to 'Bigger things', don't expect anything.. So the advice, spend a few more bucks and get a real plumber, in the end you'll save more! read more

Called at 7am this morning and they came out at 10am for a pipe in our backyard that developed 2 pin hole leaks. Come to find out the job was a bit more tricky than anticipated and essentially the entire piping for the faucet needed to be replaced. Without question Chuck took care of business and was beyond reasonable with pricing. As this is our second experience with Great Western Plumbing I would highly recommend them for any of your immediate plumbing needs!! read more

Chuck is awesome. I called him at 3:30 on Saturday and he was at my house by 4:00. He got right to work and explained to me all the parts. I thought his price was more than fair as well. He was a total lifesaver! read more

Had a crisis this morning where I woke up to a flooded bathroom from a toilet leak that ran all night. Called early this morning, Chuck came by shortly thereafter. Chuck was so kind - he walked me through what had caused this and provided insight on what I can do to avoid this in the future. He also gave me tips on updating equipment and what to look for should I decide to upgrade my toilet. I now have peace of mind and know that I can rely on Great Western Plumbing should anything else arise. Thank you so much Chuck! read more

What a nice service!! We found the water flow of three showers are recently slow down. We thought about water softener may solve the problem. We called and Kent came the next day. He explained us how the softener/filter system work and the cost. He said we may not need it. Very honest! There was no charge on this consultation. After 2 days, two of our three showers didn't work. I called in the morning for urgency. Kent came in half hour and found the problem right away. At the same time, he explained and showed my husband how to do it by himself next time. He fixed all the problems in our three bathrooms quickly. Plus the price is very reasonable. No doubt that I will call them whenever I get plumbing problem and highly recommend great western plumbing to friends. read more

I had a very positive experience with Great Western Plumbing. They came and fixed /repaired a kitchen sink installation problem that two previous plumbers messed up and couldn't resolve. These guys are tops. read more

Chuck was awesome. He helped us with a fairly difficult kitchen faucet installation that required several hours of work. We have an older sink and the old faucet had a manifold that was under the sink rather than above as most do now. Chuck takes great pride in his work and was very careful and meticulous. The new designer faucet was installed perfectly. Thank you so much. Of course, I have to mention his charge was extremely reasonable, especially for the time it took remove the old, corroded fixture. Thanks again Chuck! read more

I chose Great Western Plumbing based on Yelp reviews; and I am so glad I did. Chuck is the best plumber I have ever dealt with: very professional, pleasant in interaction, high work standards. He replaced PVC piping with copper one and did some toilet leakage repairs for me. Great job, creative solutions, on time, no mess. read more

Had a problem with a leaky toilet, we called Chuck and he came within an hour. He did a super job and was very friendly. Definitely would recommend him. Very happy customer. Thanks! read more

I had an appt at certain time, I called continuously number losted & no one answered.. 1/2 hr later I left a VM that I need to cancel the appt. Unreliable is what I would say :( read more

I had a leak in the bathroom sink that a handyman left me and chuck came out that same morning to repair it. Later as I was remodeling my kitchen. The sink wouldn't come apart from the counter top. Chuck took the sink and top to his shop. He brought back the sink ( no damage ) and installed it on my new counter top. He also put in a new garbage disposal and kitchen faucet. He was great to work with, and a real pro. read more