Life saver, super heros and healer of our ailing house! We were in such a jam after a year of struggling with a renovation disaster. We got pipeline owner - Ms Chris Ernst's name from a friend. She literally is a lifesaver, superhero and the kindest human being! She came with Bob, a wonderful plumber and Joe, a great electrician, who basically did in one day what we have wanted to do in a year and a half with the contractors. Throughout the whole process, she was not only brilliant, but also kind, compassionate, explained everything and went above and beyond. We are a customer for her for life! I'd rate a hundred stars if we can. They don't just walk that extra mile, but they are really amazing problem solvers and diagnosticians like a surgeon to an ailing patient who has seen a dozen other doctors who can't do anything. Chris and her dream team healed our house and made it healthy again. read more

Chris and Bob came out to do an estimate for a project involving forcing plumbing into odd spaces in an ancient small urban home. The firm is recommended for exactly this sort of thing. Other tradespeople have scoffed at the idea of working in urban homes with compact setups and have pontificated about how you can buy a large new construction home in some sleepy homogeneous car-dependent suburb for less money. I'm aware, but I can walk to the MFA. I'll take my European fridge and my toilet with less-than-ideal elbow room any day. These folks clearly know their stuff and were happy to brainstorm with us. They were respectful of me as an obviously knowledgeable DIY-er but with no credentials to speak of. They said the project was feasible, they were interested, and they would write up an estimate. Afterward, they ghosted me. They didn't provide the estimate, nor any notification that they would be unable to do the work. read more

I very rarely write online reviews but want to share a huge rave for Christine Ernst at Pipelines Plumbing. I called on a holiday with water dripping through our kitchen ceiling from a leaking bath/shower faucet. Although she had no plumbers working that day, she spent almost an hour walking me through the diagnosis and an emergency DIY fix over the phone. I was blown away by her willingness to do this on her day off, her obvious expertise and patient support. Amazing! read more

Called twice over three weeks ago and they couldn't be bothered to return my call.

I've used Pipelines to handle my plumbing and heating repair and upgrades for decades. Recommend them highly. The company is a pioneer in women-ownership. They are experts in older heating and plumbing systems, and can also install new systems in a renovation or new construction. They are friendly, responsive, and unfailingly honest. It's a pleasure to recommend them. read more

DON'T USE THIS BUSINESS. Their plumbers are very nice people, but the woman who runs the company is a control freak with terrible business practices. Here's what happened: We got an estimate from a plumber who works for them, but who was too busy to come out and do the work on the side. So we decided in the interest of time we'd go to Pipelines and see if someone else could do the work instead. In the meantime, several other things went wrong that needed a plumber, as happens with old houses. Plumber came out, but they refused to accept the initial estimate, and wouldn't allow the plumber who was there to do a new estimate. For ANY of the work. Apparently the owner is such a micromanaging control freak she refused to allow him to stay - to do an estimate or the work. So, now they've lost a customer for life. Good going, there. There's plenty of plumbers in this town to choose from, choose someone else. read more

After a week of drain issues, waiting around for 'guys', and getting messages saying, "the 'guy' is running late and blah blah blah..." I connected with Pipelines to fix what the drain guys broke, and have been smiling all day. This was so easy! Chris arrived early, (in a nifty truck), explained the problem w/o being condescending, did the job, showed me the broken part that she replaced and said she'd send us an invoice. This was the antithesis of our usual plumber experience and we will call them when we have future plumbing needs. I recommend Pipelines with utmost enthusiasm and, while we hope not to need them again very soon, we're keeping 617 327-0044 handy! Another gem in the community! read more

Pipeslines Plumbing and Heating are the best! Whether you are in need of repair or upgrade: for heating (boilers, solar, radiant, & soon geo-therm), water heating (tank, off-boiler, tankless, solar, etc.), plumbing - household or small biz, kit & baths, they're the ones to call. They do deal with burst pipes, the only thing they do not do is clear drains. And, I think they work pretty much anywhere inside rte 495, def within rte 128. I have used them many times and always will. They are smart, know their trade, keep current, do a good job, do not sell you anything you don't need, help you learn how to decide what you would want, and they are considerate of kids and pets. You can trust them in your home or small biz. Estimates are accurate. Plus, hold on -- they clean up after themselves! And, if you are a customer, and have an emergency -- they'll give you phone advice; if they need to come over, they do. read more

I had pipelines come over for a 3 minor jobs... kitchen sink water flow, bathtub water flow, clogged sink. Was given an estimate of $150/hr but no estimate on how long projects would take. Bathtub needed a new part ($90) - clogged sink not able to be repaired (although I paid for the time of the plumber to tell me this) - by the time he told me we needed new parts for the kitchen sink to flow the water (which I needed to pay for his time to go get the parts, plus pay for the parts with no estimate).. my bill was at $352. I kindly asked the plumber to put it back the way it was. With no estimate, a bill for $352 seems unreasonable to me but, I guess plumbers are expensive. read more

I've called on Kath, Kevin and the Pipelines crew more than a few times, and they really are as good as it gets - they treat me with respect, they know what they're doing, and they're fine with working within a budget. Can't recommend them highly enough on all of that. Bonus is there are no "truck charges" or other nonsense to deal with here - the work they do is what they charge for, and the pain-in-the-butt a la carte charges I've gotten from other plumbing companies are nowhere to be seen. No nickels and dimes here, and fine work besides. I love saying that we have a plumber we can trust - if it were only that easy with some of the other trades! read more

The folks at pipelines are friendly, prompt, knowledgeable, and overall amazing!! Heard about them from my neighbor recently, and they came highly recommended. I am in complete agreement, and recommend them unhesitatingly. I won't be going anywhere else for plumbing needs. read more

Pipelines really helped me out with my leaky, um, pressure thingy in my basement. It started to drip a little bit, but over time it really started to dribble seriously. A quick call to Pipelines and they gave me immediate advice how to stop the flow, immediately easing my panic. I was totally relieved. Then they came by and swapped it out with no fuss and no mess. What's not to love? read more

I would give zero stars if possible. This company has been horrible to respond to phone calls. Kath came recommended to me by a friend (who admittedly knew her from circumstances outside having used her as a plumber) and I even dropped the friend's name and still couldn't get a response. I waited several days for a call and then called back myself -- got someone on the phone who said she'd talk to the scheduling person right now and get right back to me -- and it's been 24 hours and still no response. So we've booked someone else, and had to rearrange our schedule to get the other plumber in before the holiday. That'll teach me to wait on someone when you actually need the service completed in a timely fashion. read more

Over the phone it was explained to me by Kath that unless I needed parts during my routine preventative maintenance of my boiler, I could expect my service to cost no more than $325 - $350. The service tech was great, friendly and cleaned up after themselves. I realized after she left that the neutralization media tube was never changed out. Soon after I received an invoice for $375, even no additional parts were needed. I called Kath about both of these issues. First she made me send in pictures of the still-dirty neutralization tube and later did set up a time for it to be replaced. She unfortunately was a lot less friendly during this phone call than the call I had with her set up service a month prior. She also had no recollection of our discussion on price. I guess it slipped her mind. She explained they bill by the hour. Now I know, don't chit chat with the service tech. We must have chatted for at least 30 minutes of the visit. Pretty pricey conversation if you ask me! There was a whole lot written on the work ticket, a lot of observing and checking and vacuuming around things, no real service done. I have no complaints about the technician that came out, but Kath could be a whole lot friendlier and stand by her word, even verbally over the phone. Customers remember this type of treatment when they need another service next year, and the year after and the year after... They have been around for awhile and probably have plenty of customers, so I guess they are not in the business of keeping any new ones. The search for a good plumber continues... read more

As good as it gets indeed! We had a major leak and an inconvenient time. Pipelines came quickly, we escaped major damage and avoided a weekend without water. They're great! read more

I called Pipelines at the end of July 2010 about getting an estimate done on a couple of sump pumps for the basement (flooding issues in the spring) and for some outdoor faucets being installed to water our garden. Spoke with Chris who said she was going on vacation, but scheduled us for 2 weeks later, August 12th, I believe. We were very excited as we needed to get this done and we had had basement companies come in and quote us 8K - 15K to prevent flooding. Well, Pipelines did show up, but Chris did not. Our neighbors said to be sure to schedule with Chris, which I did, but she apparently was busy. This is disappointing, but fine. I can't remember the gentleman's name that came out. He was very nice, and helpful, on time, professional, listened to our concerns, agreed to draw up our estimate--then we've never heard from them again. Ever. I would never recommend them. read more

Although I didn't have any service performed by Pipelines, they helped me preempt a service call by working an issue for me over email - for free. I appreciate their honesty in helping me determine whether their services were genuinely needed. A less honest company would probably have charged plumber rates for an issue that didn't warrant a plumber in the first place. read more

We had to replace our toilet because it was so wimpy and Pipelines did a phenomenal job- I would certainly recommend them to anyone who needs work. Seriously, I have already referred friends and people in my condo. What I love about them: 1) Before we bought the toilet, as we were scheduling the visit, the person on the phone explained what we needed to know before we bought the toilet from Home Depot. She let us know how to tell a good toilet from one that was not worth the money. She also explained how to measure to get the perfect fit. 2) Our plumber not only perfectly punctual and professional, she also took the time to explain how everything works. She pointed out that although our old toilet was a decent fixture, it was not installed properly. In her years of experience she had never seen such an awful install- it's amazing we were not having more problems. She also referred us to a few places we could send our old toilet since it wasn't that toilet's fault it was so bad- and we really wanted the new one installed. 3) Our new toilet works incredibly well. Absolutely no problems and it's been about a year. Not even a clog! 4) Some time later, one of the Pipelines plumbers parted ways with Pipelines. Pipelines was kind enough to send us a strong letter of recommendation for this individual! They were so proud of the work this plumber did for them that they not only wished them the best of luck they also endorsed this person to their customers, in writing. How many companies do you know that take that extra step? read more

Had a main line leak in basement fixed. Pipelines showed up within an hour, and were quick to to diagnose and repair. Extremely pleasant experience (all things considered!), and would recommend without reservation. Courteous and friendly. read more

I was very pleased with my service from Pipelines. They had been to my home before for a "consult" which they did not charge me for, and now returned after I had had a bad experience with another plumber. Within 1/2 hour the issue was resolved and most importantly, explained to me. I truly appreciated that Kath viewed that part of her job was to educate me about the system and what she did to resolve the problem. The fee was fair and I did not think exorbitant for the professionalism and service. read more

Jen at Pipelines was recently scheduled to come out to my house to do an annual and much belated check/flush of my heating system. With older Floridians arriving at my home the following week, they understood my need for service and went out of their way to make sure the appointment was scheduled so that my family was comfortable. While my guests were here, their toilet began to leak (doesn't something always happen when guests are in the house?). Once again, it was Pipelines to the rescue - their service is outstanding. I always count on them to notice the plumbing improvements they know I'll want to make, give me great advice, provide products that are meant to last and stand behind their work. They are smart and thoughtful and understand that plumbing is one of those systems that we civilians always expect will work smoothly - that is, until it doesn't. That's when it affects the way we live, how we function and our personal comfort - I'm happy to trust that responsibility to Pipelines. read more

Pipelines has been a saving grace for me several times. I have called their on-call number and they have talked me through simple fixes over the phone. I haven't actually had them come to my house yet because they have always been to help stop the problem before it's a true emergency. We will be calling them this spring once all this snow thaws to fix the pipe burst to the outside faucet. read more

This winter we had a pipe burst in the wee hours of a frigid morning and Chris came over asap. She was knowledgeable, thorough, professional and pleasant. Chris/Pipelines has a great reputation in our neighborhood and that is why we called her right away. We were fortunate to have her expertise on the job. We will definitely call Pipelines again if/when the need arises! read more

Very good. Responsive, reliable, took good care to locate, repair and test our problem leak. Pricing was very reasonable indeed. Highly recommended. read more

Chris loves what she does and has been plumbing longer than any MAN you know! She knows modern methods but also has the strength of history with the trade. You can have absolute confidence in her skill level and competency. Her grace and insight are unparalleled. read more

Utterly incompetent. We called for a leak - their "plumber' came out to assess the situation. After more than 1.5 hours (at $115/hour), she said we needed to have the wall opened up and then she could work on the problem. She recommended a general contractor to open the wall. I called a second plumber since the problem sounded serious and would be several thousands of dollars from start to finish. That second plumber discovered a leak in the tub's overflow drain and fixed the problem in under 30 minutes from start to finish. I think they have gamed the review systems here and other places. read more

Today I managed to break part of my toilet while trying to fix a different part of my toilet. In a panic, I called Pipelines, Inc. and left a message. Chris called me back quickly, and had me email her some pictures. When she called again to discuss, she told me, 1) "it's not nearly as dire as I thought it was," and 2) that she'd be happy to come and fix it, but that I could probably fix it myself. (note: I'm not that handy, but I passed the phone to my friend, now to be referred to as Wonder Woman, and Chris gave Wonder Woman detailed info on what to do.) Chris could easily have taken advantage of the situation to make some cash, but she didn't. She was very patient, and gave some helpful general advice about replacing my toilet/bathroom reno, in addition to free repair help. The only reason I didn't give five stars was because she didn't actually come to my house to do the repair. Next time I need a plumber, I will be calling Pipelines, Inc! read more

I have been dealing with Pipelines Plumbers for around 15 years. As a homeowner in Belmont for 29 years, I had dealt with other plumbers. Pipelines is by far the best and I plan to use them forever. They come when they say they will, do fine work, cleanup when they are done, don't charge "an arm and a leg" and are courteous and not patronizing. I like it that several of their plumbers are female. It was good for my two sons to see that plumbing is both man's work and woman's work. I feel confident in giving Pipelines people a key to my house so they can work when no one is home. They are among the best people in the building trades that I have used. read more

Piplines where great. I highly recommend them. Chris was very responsive and helpful with the burst pipe. She not only explained the issue quickly but provided information on how to solve the problem. I'll definitely be calling them again. read more

I've used Cath and her team for many plumbing issues in my home over the past few years. They respond quickly, always educate me about my plumbing, resolve the issue, and give accurate quotes for the work. I highly recommend this plumbing company. read more

This may sound like hyperbole, but I mean it - Pipelines are the best plumbers in Boston. They've fixed a variety of things in my old house (furnace, tub, sink, radiant heat). They ask for pictures, do research, come once and fix everything without leaving one hanging. More than once, they've talked me through a simple repair sans charge. I feel lucky to have found them. read more