After calling, and being ignored by two Valor fireplace dealers I called Top Notch. John came to my home in Walnut Creek the next morning and resolved my problem. My 15 year old Valor is running like new. Professional and extremely competent! read more

Top Notch Energy - Fireplace Services Near Me - San Leandro, California

John came out and checked my three fireplaces. On one of them he did an install of a remote unit, it stopped working within 2 weeks and he never came back to fix it. I called, texted and sent emails that were never answered. STAY AWAY read more

John from Top Notch recently installed a gas fireplace in our house. He was very professional and provided many recommendations. He helped us ultimately a pick a beautiful unit that looks lovely and keeps us warm at night. John is very pleasant and knowledgable. He's clearly been doing this for many years! If you are looking for a trustworthy and competent contractor for installing a gas fireplace, you'll be very happy with John from Top Notch Energy. read more

Top Notch Energy - Fireplace Services Near Me - San Leandro, California

Messaged him about getting a gas fireplace repaired. Send him pictures and details of the current situation. He said his labor estimate would be 225 plus any additional parts that maybe needed. Didn't hear from him for a few days. When I messaged him again he said his estimate would be 800 because it was a older unit, This was without ever coming out to troubleshoot at all. I would not recommend read more

These guys are the best. They've been around since the 70's and no one knows more about fireplaces and hot tubs than John Notch. We've had they work on not only our home fireplace but on all of our rental homes. His pricing is fair and the quality of work top notch just like the name implies. He recently installed a gas log fireplace at a rental we have. He was prompt, clean and the tenant loves the fireplace. Oh he moved in 2014 to Dutton Avenue near East 14th: 23 Dutton Ave, San Leandro, CA 94577 read more

Top Notch Energy - New Gas-Logs insert - Fireplace Services Near Me - San Leandro, California

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Top-Notch was listed in the owner's manual I inherited when we bought our house. Fireplace was acting up so I called him. John was a little tricky to get a hold of, said "I'll try to come by today or tomorrow sometime" (In his defense I told him any time works). He came over and was super nice. Super chill kind of guy, says 'mahalo' instead of thanks lol, that kind of dude. Extremely knowledgeable. He showed me how it was set up, how to control things etc. He also then rearranged our logs on our other fireplace which immediately solved our ventilation problem - second one was after we already paid him. I recommend him, we had a great experience with him. read more

Had some issues with our Valor Gas Insert Fire. John seemed to know what the problem might be and called back to schedule appointment. He was on time and very knowledgeable. I didn't need the new part as expected, just a thorough cleaning did the trick! John also provided tips for heating support in other areas of the house. Thank-you, John! read more

Very helpful, kind, responsive. I had a very positive experience working with them on troubleshooting a problem with a gas fireplace insert I had purchased elsewhere. read more

John Notch was great. No problems removing my old wood-burning fireplace insert (a problem with spare the air days) and replacing it with a new gas insert. It works great - heats the room quickly, and uses a thermostat to go on and off automatically. They also were able to install on Saturday!! read more

We heard about John Notch's company through two different sources in town, one of whom is our contractor. Talk about efficient! Our fireplace insert went from idea to reality in about 10 days, and that included ordering the parts and a plumber putting in a line! Top Notch Energy has been doing this for years in San Leandro, and we felt totally at ease having John work with our old house (1939). He knows his stuff, and I recommend him without reservation. Lori & Mike Bonanno read more

The owner John is very rude! Came to my condo in San Leandro to repair the gas fireplace, put in a New therma couple. After he left the fireplace was still having the same problem, shutting off after 5minutes. Called him again, he came out, said maybe it needed a new gas valve. Then he text me and said it was a liability, so he didn't want to do it. He charged me $208.00 for the service call and new part. I asked him if he would refund me the service call amount $150.00. He said no, that it worked when he left. Wrong, same problem of shutting down after 5 minutes. He just didn't want to come back! He needs to retire!! Very rude! And I'm not the only one that says that! My tenant says it also! read more

John and Carlos did a great job adding a gas line and gas fireplace logs. They were professional, helpful, cleaned up afterward, etc. John listened to my needs and concerns and recommended a specific log set that is perfect. I'd recommend Top Notch Energy. read more

In a world where communication is king, Top Notch Energy is down there with the serfs. I emailed this morning about a hot tub pad, got an unintelligible reply (below) 4 hours later (which is fine, not knocking a 'same day turnaround reply'), then when I wrote back (5 minutes later) asking if he could clarify the previous message -- and if my request even fit in under the scope of his company or if I should look elsewhere -- I got a reply 2 hours later at 5:11pm saying he would be out of town and back in 11 days. So I can take my question and suck it. Nice. Some days you can get very busy, and have a very hard time giving a full response to someone. This is understandable. But going the extra mile to tell a local consumer that in a week and a half you might put a little effort into their question of whether or not to even seek out your services ranks down there with the 'Never trust this company.' Here is the email reply I got which needed clarification (and never received it): "Easy enough to prep steel mesh and call doe a powu we dl electric hook up and repairs" read more

John zoomed over on his motorcycle, and cleaned and fixed my gas fireplace which mysteriously stopped working over the summer. He also brought out his ukelele and sang me a couple of songs! So I'm tossing in an extra star for the entertainment experience! For full disclosure: he does seem to be a little laid back about appointment times. When we first spoke, he said he'd try to get over in the evening, and then never called. By 9pm I figured he wasn't coming. But to his credit, when I called again today he came over within about an hour and had my fireplace working again within 20 minutes. Quick, effective service at a reasonable cost plus a Hawaiian holiday serenade... who could ask for more? read more

John does great work and is reasonable in price. High quality merchandise and supplies. A neighborhood business for years. Also a neighbor and friend. read more

Top Notch, too bad they allow just 5 stars, John's the best!! I'd recommend Top Notch in a Castro Valley heartbeat. Keep up the good work, John, read more

Had a great experience with John. The igniter switch on my gas fireplace broke and I was having a very hard time finding someone who would fix it. Shops either said they only work on their stuff, or I had two guys never get back to me. One came out and said he'd order the part and never heard from him again , and another I called 3 separate times who said he would order part and never got back to me. This had been going on for a year. I stopped by Johns place on Dutton as I drive down it all the time. Finally someone who got it fixed! I gave him the info, he called a week later when he got the part, came out, but needed to enlarge the hole in the metal,plate so came back a week later. Very friendly, timely and professional. I will use him when I convert my living room fireplace. read more

Top Notch Energy installed our gas fireplace and did an excellent job from start to finish. John, the owner made sure we were completely satisfied throughout the entire process. I would highly recommend them! read more

John, the owner, recently came to service my 2 Valor fireplaces. He's a really conscientious and friendly guy. I was having some trouble with one of them and he was determined to fix it and wanted me happy. It worked more or less for him when he swung by but not for me when I used it in the evenings. The thing is, John listened to me about the problem and took my concerns seriously. After replacing the receiver twice and the remote once it finally started working. He kept in touch with me to make sure everything was ok and it wasn't acting up anymore. I know if I call him to say its acting up again he'll be right over, that's just the kind of guy he is, it's not over just because he's been paid. I highly recommend him. read more

John is great. He knows his products and even with the tough stuff, he gets to the bottom of the issue and makes things right! I had a hard time getting anyone to even deal with my gas fireplace. He had to call a fireplace manufacturer in France to get an answer for me. Also it's a pleasure to work with a cheerful, friendly and competent person. read more

This place sucks!!!! We piscked out a gas fireplace and were going to have them install it 2 months before our open house. They said that would be no problem. THey came to our house 4 tiems before they even brought out the fireplace and never for more than a half hour. When they did finally bring it, it was the VERY used unit from their showroom (4 years of daily showroom use, not the new one promised and he still wanted $2700 for it). THey did a hack job without asking on our mantal and came ouf for 3 more half hour useless attempts. Time was running short before our open house and I needed this installed so I could finnsh framing the floor and finish the mantal. He promised me that It would be done the =day before the open house. Never SHowed, and we did not hear from them for a month, my messages went un returned. Months later I finaly had him remove the unit and I am still waiting for my deposit. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!! read more

I recently renovated a home in Alameda and decided to put in a gas fireplace insert. I failed to look up the yelp reviews on this vendor and made the unfortunate decision of using Top Notch! This was back in April, 2013.... I am now on the second unit, August 2013 and it still doesn't work!!! The unit works for a few hours, but then I can't get it started again only a few hours later. John has come out numerous times attempting to fix the unit, but he just doesn't have the knowledge or expertise to do so!! Save yourself the time and frustration..... Find Someone Else! read more

PLEASE DON'T DO BUSINESS with Top Notch because John Notch, the owner is a flim-flam man, unreliable and dishonest. We purchased a Regency Horizon gas insert from him in Nov 2014 after visiting his showroom (kind of a showroom). He sold us a new product based on the showroom model. Finally, he and a plumber installed it weeks later. A plumber, really?? Logically should be a heating/AC tech, right? (first flag...) They permanently scratched the granite fireplace surround, had to spray paint all the scratches on the metal surround they installed, leaving overspray on the granite as well. Because the serial number plate was never included in the parts of the "new" insert they installed, John PROMISED he'd get it for us so we could register the product with Regency. (second flag.... was it really a new product or his older showroom model??) He also PROMISED to get an owner's manual for the insert and the remote control. Few weeks ago we smelled intermittent gas odors from the insert and then the pilot light went out and the insert stopped working. We shut off the outdoor gas valve to the stove & called John. He couldn't get out for another week-two wks. Finally shows up, checks out the interior of the insert and produces an invoice for cleaning the "Flame Electrode." Two days later, pilot light goes out again, intermittent gas odor was back. We called PGE; inspector located the leaks from the interior flex pipe couplers in the gas line to the stove. Surprise, not! John came out the same day (amid threats of a law suit) and tightened the couplings inside the fireplace box, fixing the original problem. He should have checked those out before, right? And shouldn't ensuring all couplings are tight and leak-free be part of the installation??!!! BTW, PGE inspector showed me that the exterior gas piping John's "plumber" installed was done incorrectly. Great. A half-assed job! Oh, he finally got us the serial number (no replacement plate, tho). Only 1-1/2 yrs later.... no owner's manual. Do yourself a big favor and find another reputable business to deal with. I'm astounded that anyone would give John even a halfway decent review. He doesn't deserve any. read more

Inconsiderate, incompetent, unprofessional and unreliable. My experience was a disaster. That is why I am writing.

Someone told me to call these guys saying that they were helpful and sold chimney liners. So I called for some information, exploring how I could get an insert and chimney liner for not too much money and do the installation work myself. Although I have never done it before, I have done many home repair jobs including masonry, plumbing and electrical and find that there is sometimes a learning curve, but people are generally glad to be helpful with information. John was brusque, impatient, condescending and inconsiderate towards me. He basically told me I was wrong to want to try to do this myself and that "I should call back when he could sell me something." read more

John was informative and helpful with a solution and responded quickly to texts. The gas fireplace looked and worked like new after pilot, burners and glass were cleaned. Most amazing, he stopped by to deliver a new remote I needed on Christmas Eve, so I'd have it for Christmas. read more

John asked me to write a review back in August when he came out to service my 2 valor fireplaces. I gave him a glowing one because he replaced a receiver and serviced them in a timely manner. He was very pleasant. Now that neither are working he wants me to replace the receiver again (only 90 day warranty). Since the fireplaces weren't being used until the weather became cold and I had no idea they were having problems and on top he's being nasty about it. He sent someone (who admittedly said he was not a technician) out today on 12/12/18 after my service call was placed well a week before thanksgiving. (the receiver would still be under the 90 days had he responded more quickly). He said he doesn't care about yelp reviews because he's been in business over 30 years but I should have saved myself some grief and paid more attention to the negative ones he has. I totally got the run around and now have to hire someone else. AND even though he abandoned the job because I refuse to repurchase the same parts again he's trying to chase me down for a service call. So much time wasted and so disappointing. Beware out there! read more

John installed my Valor gas insert last year. He did a sloppy job. He balanced the unit atop wobbly stones so when I moved the unit which needs to be done for cleaning, it fell over. When I confronted him he said he didn't have the right materials. I fixed it myself. He said he'd give me refund but he never followed through. I just called him again for some stupid reason because I couldn't get my unit to work. He listened to my issue and quoted me $95 for a service call. When his technician Nick arrived he had batteries and an invoice in hand. He pulled out the unit and replaced 4 AA batteries in a hidden attachment inside the unit. John failed to tell me this was something which needed to be done periodically. I started to write the check for $95 but Nick said it'd be $165. Can you believe he charged $165 for a service call to change 4 batteries. You'd think John would have asked me over the phone if I'd tried changing the batteries! I bought the unit from him just a year ago! Horrible customer service. Definitely out for himself. No regards for the customer. I should have listened to my friends who said go to Kidd fireplace. read more

The proprietor aims to please and does great work! The shop sells high quality products at fair and reasonable prices. He took his time to tell me about various options and to figure out the best product for my house, taste, and budget. The installation including surround, ventilation and remote, was done well. After the install, he followed up with a phone call to make sure it was working as expected and to find out if I had more questions. I expect this winter to be a warm one. read more

John from Top Notch solved a foggy glass on my heater by cleaning it as opposed to just replacing the glass. Another company had told me all I could do was replace the glass. He suggested I get an automatic control for turning my heater on and off rather than using the floor controls. He then called the manufacturer to find out if there was a part to update my old heater so it could be controlled by modem. They had a kit and he ordered it and returned later to install it. Being 70 years old that automatic control has been a godsend. Can't remember John being especially late for appointments and he answers emails very fast. read more

John is a big joke who says he has 30 years experience yet spent 5 min. Max checking out my hot tub. Doesn't know anything about 110 elec. spa's though mine is less than 6 years old. Asked him to check out the jets as they are weak.. he says, you got warm water what else do you need?? I ask him a question about my chemicals that I had lined up, he says, all you need is vinegar and baking soda! Jets not too strong, he say's put a hanger in the hole, though I showed him the tool used for jet cleaning. WTF, I guess he wants ppl to ruin their spa's so they can call him? This dude is a joke and a rip off! Said he gave me a deal at $100. I feel totally ripped off! Ok If he works on fireplaces like he does spa's, stay very far away from this guy. Wish I'd had his business name prior to hiring him but his craigslist post did not have the name for me to yelp. My loss and your gain with yelp post - DO NOT HIRE THIS FLAKE! read more