I've had a great experience having James K. as my primary plumber. He's helped me on multiple occasions on maintaining and upgrading all my plumbing needs for my properties in the San Francisco, Bay Area. He has always been able to explain, teach, and come up with solutions for all my plumbing issues regardless of how difficult or complicated the project can be. If you ever get a chance to have Drain Brains work on your plumbing project, you're definitely in good hands. read more

James did a fantastic job replacing our water heater, installing a Moen Flo smart control, and fixing the plumbing after a botched water softener install from the previous owner. We also replaced some toilets, showerheads, and more. James was incredibly accommodating and professional, with a great work attitude that's rare these days. Highly recommend! read more

James, owner of Drain Brains Plumbing, is a great plumber. Honest, detail oriented, and thorough. He and his crew are very trustworthy. We needed them at first because we had a couple of toilets and sinks that all needed servicing. The original builder installed our sink drains improperly (or not ideally) and he fixed them all for a reasonable price. He even troubleshot very quickly what was wrong with our toilet and fixed it free of charge because really it was nothing major. We ended up getting all that fixed plus, finally upgraded our shallow double bowl kitchen sink which we absolutely hated to a deep single bowl sink that we love. James made the suggestion of brand and was able to get the job done. We had some delivery issues along the way, but at the end of the day James worked with us to make sure we had a working sink, when the one we wanted hadn't arrived yet. In an emergency, James is there and quickly! One time we had a plugged toilet thinking it was just regular buildup of toilet paper or something. He came over and it turns out it was a phone charger device that one of our guests accidentally dropped into the toilet and didn't know! He fixed it for $250. Is that a good price? I don't know, but I felt very good after he did the repair, because he also replaced the wax ring after removing the toilet from the floor to get to whatever was blocking the toilet flow. They said, you have to change the wax ring every time you take the toilet off the floor. I did not know that! We are very happy with Drain Brains Plumbing and highly recommend! In the attached pic, see the new sink he installed! Pls don't mind the plastic spike mat, we have cats and tried to keep them off the counter. It's a work in progress if you're a cat owner then you know! But James is an excellent plumber; you can't go wrong with choosing him. read more

Drain Brains Plumbing - New sink and faucet, all by Kraus installed by Drain Brains - Plumbing Near Me

This is the second time James and Javier have helped us out. These are guys are prompt, professional, and knowledgeable. There priced fairly for the value and the service they provide. Would not hesitate to refer them to anyone and very fortunate to have met some reliable people in sometimes not an always reliable profession. Thank you James and Javier once again! read more

We had a main leak from the city line in our front lawn and were without water for days. After several plumbers gave complicated options, James from Drain Brain suggested the best solution without jackhammering our hardscape. He also set up a temporary line so we could use water right away. The work was done in just 2 1/2 days, thorough and fairly priced. Highly highly recommend James! read more

Javier did an outstanding job replacing the pipes and the main shutoff valve outside the house. I strongly recommend Drain Brains company for any plumbing job you need. read more

I had an emergency where the plastic intake valve from the water main exploded, creating a mini geyser. James and crew arrived promptly and replaced the cheap plastic valve with a heavy duty metal one. Very courteous and knowledgeable, James also helped my replace a stuck water filter cartridge in my home water filter system, free of charge. Would recommend and call again in the future. read more

I had a toilet clog in the middle of the day that we couldn't fix ourselves. I got a Drain Brains recommendation from a colleague of mine and called James mid day. Despite being busy, he was able to send his crew Javier and Eduard within an hour. Javier was very professional and friendly and fixed our clog within half an hour. He even provided some great advice about not being too aggressive with the plunger. Overall, very happy with the level of service we received, great value and highly recommend. read more

I had James come out to replace a leaking water softener hook-up valve. He was able to come the same day I called him with his partner Javier and they were quick, professional, and knowledgeable. The replacement part ended up being faulty and developed a very minor leak but James was able to come back to replace them the next day to finish the job. Along the way he provided installation and maintenance tips on installing a water softener myself and was supportive of a DIY install. He even gave me an exact parts list of what things I would need and helped measure the hardness of my water. Finally, he also noticed that my water pressure was extremely high and the old pressure relief valve was not working. He gave me a quick quote and had the PRV replaced the next day. His pricing was reasonable and I will definitely be calling him for future plumbing questions and repairs. read more

Drain Brains Plumbing - Pressure relief valve replacement - Plumbing Near Me

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My rental property had an urgent water pipe problem due to the age of the old pipes which were starting to fall apart. James did a complete refit of the pipes along with installing a new water boiler. The work was started on short notice and within just a few days was complete. The patch and paint work afterwards was great and there is no evidence of the extensive work that was required. James was a friendly and helpful person to work with and I will use his services for all my future plumbing needs. read more

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James and his team ( Thomas and Ernie ) recently replaced our entire drain line, and we couldn't be happier with their work. They arrived on time as promised and provided a reasonable quote. The job was completed thoroughly, including a city inspection. We would highly recommend their services. read more

This guy is very honest. He suggested me to reach out to Santa Clara Public Works who would do this without cost. He deserves 5 stars.

I've had James and Javier work on my place a few times, and they've always delivered excellent work. They are clear in their communication of the issue and potential ways to fix, and I never felt like they were trying to sell me something I don't need. They quickly identified a leak in the concrete under the house. While other plumbers said they'd need to tear up the floor and ceiling inside the house, James and Javier saw that I had a baby at home and offered a minimally disruptive solution of re-routing the pipes through the garage. This was great news because I definitely don't want my baby breathing in all the dust of a construction site! I also appreciate how they are very respectful of my house - I've had other contractors who left my place with trash everywhere, but they've always left the place as they found it. I had an excellent experience working with James and Javier. Thanks so much! read more

James from Drain Brains Plumbing provided exceptional service! We had what we thought was an issue with our shower -- backing up into the tub. We were able to get an appointment quickly and, when James and Javier arrived, they thoroughly diagnosed the problem and found the issue was actually a backup in our toilet. They explained the repair options clearly and completed the job efficiently in two days, with a clean work area. In addition to explaining and fixing the issue at hand, they provided advice on other items in the bathroom. During a subsequent appointment for our dishwasher, they quickly found the issue and, because it was a simple fix, provide their services free of charge. We couldn't be happier. Excellent work for a great value. We'll definitely use them in the future and highly recommend them for any plumbing needs - respectful, professional, reliable, and friendly! Our appointments took place in July and October 2024. Apologies to James and Drain Brains Plumbing for posting this review so late. read more

I called for a second opinion after I received a very high quote to redo the main sewer line under my house. James was the ultimate professional, explaining everything honestly and directly. They ended up doing the job for a much lower price and did a great job. Since then I've reached out to James for smaller jobs and he's always been able to take care of it quickly and for a fair price. If you're looking for a great plumber at a reasonable price, look no further. read more

I highly recommend Drain Brains and James. I've had him help me with several projects already. He is responsive, skilled, efficient, and clearly explains what needs to be done. Over the years I've had several different plumbers help me with many different issues. James has been by far hands down the best and most helpful. Anytime people ask me who they should use for plumbing needs, I always tell them they can't go wrong with Drain Brains. His rates also are quite reasonable, and the value that he brings to the table can't be beat. read more

I found water outside sewer cleanout cap and suspect clogged pipe and I texted several plumbers for help. James called me back immediately and told me it was under city's cover. He was absolutely right, the city crew came and found it was main pipe issue instead of my house problem. This shows James puts customer's value at first and would rather save money for potential customers than making quick bucks. It is rare to find such kind of service nowadays. Highly recommended. read more

James and Javier are now my go-to plumbers. They were recommended by a friend and did great work so I recommended them to another friend. I heard running water in the walls of my house, but couldn't find a leak. They were able to come the same day and told me there was a leak in my slab foundation. Instead of tearing up the floor to access the leaky underground pipe, we decided to repipe above ground. They are responsive, reliable, and hardworking. James gave me a fair price compared to other quotes, clearly explained the problem, and wasn't pushy at all. read more

We've had James over now for both a garbage disposal installation and to replace a toilet in the past year. He's very kind, knowledgeable about a variety of situations and models given the circumstance, and quick service too. We've found his prices to be very reasonable for the high quality. We plan on sticking with them going forward when other issues arise. read more

Excellent service. James and team are very professional and quickly troubleshooted and fixed the issue. Reasonable prices and great warranty. read more

Excellent service by James. He is a thorough professional and extremely knowledgeable. We had a fridge ice maker line burst and it was off hours. The fridge is built in so fixing the leak which was starting to flood the house was an emergency. Not only did James try to diagnose quickly our setup on FaceTime when we called him but stopped by immediately and fixed the leak by going under the house and stop the leak as getting the built in fridge out and accessing the back was not possible. The fridge maker company did an extremely poor job when they came to fix the issue and left without resolving it. They only removed the built in fridge !!! -- that day James in his busy schedule managed to squeeze in our work and came in and not only fixed the ice maker issue but also quickly help us install back the built in fridge - which was not his job -- he basically did a far better job then the actual fridge company techs !!! He could have easily said that it is not his job to install a built in fridge ! All I can say is just amazing and quality and professional work. read more

We highly recommend Drain Brains Plumbing! We had a leak issue with our toilet and called around to probably 10 plumbers and James was available and responsive. We tried another plumber first and he was a no-show! James was communicative and arrived on time and was able to solve our problem in an instant. Prompt and professional service. read more

Prompt service. Thorough and professional diagnosis. Super helpful and the technicians are very friendly too.

James from Drain Brains answered my call. At 1st, I thought an inspection would be delayed, but he accommodated us and made the inspection the same day. He showed up and began scoping our main drain, where the problem manifests. This service is essential to know where the problems are and where the sewer line leads out to the street. Other inspectors charge nearly $400 for this service. There were no strings attached either, no inspection fee. Drain Brains takes care of all the permitting and includes this service in the cost of the job. They know where to go and who to talk to. Within 2 weeks our sewer line was replaced. The process was very interesting because they did not need to dig a trench. They only dug a hole at the front of the house and then one out at the street. I don't minimize the effort and struggle it is to dig these holes either. It is definitely something I could not have done. They have a machine install the new piping underground with lots of pulling power. We were only disconnected for a few hours. They put the whole front yard back together too, reconnecting irrigation lines and puzzling back together our paver walkway. I am thoroughly impressed and recommend Drain Brains. Thank you! read more

A real pleasure working with James. He provided great service for my issue with a troublesome bathroom sink that wasn't draining every so often. He communicates expectations and possible outcomes clearly and upfront, provided very fair assessment for my situation. He's also extremely thorough and takes great pride in his work. I highly recommend Drain Brains and he is now in my contact list! The sink has been draining fine nearly a month after you worked on it. Thank you so much for solving our problem! read more

Drain Brains Plumbing evaluated and replaced my garbage disposal and they were great. The cost was reasonable, the communication was excellent and the service was done efficiently and professionally. I would definitely hire them again in the future and recommend them to anyone. read more

James is wonderful and so helpful! He has helped me with many issues with my old home with the plumbing! He is very quick and prices are very reasonable. He is very respectful of the property and responds to the needs of the customer! I would strongly recommend James and Drain Brains!!! read more

I've worked with James for a few years, he's like a friend to me now, he's honest, fast and always clean up after the job is done, highly recommended read more

5++ James and Javier are top notch humans and excellent plumbers! They tackled a complex, ever changing plumbing issue in our 105 year old house that required skill, smarts, artfulness and diligence. They worked overtime while we were out of town so that we could return home to intact plumbing. They left our home clean, and even re stuccoed our home and repainted it where they had to remove the external walls. This was a long standing issue that was thankfully fixed with their diligence and smarts. Thank you, we are grateful for your excellent communication, skill, care and kindness! The Steffens read more

We've been looking for a good plumber in the Bay Area for a while and are so glad we found Drain Brains! James is extremely knowledgeable and a real professional in every sense of the word. What sets him apart is his attention to details. Simple things like making sure things are level and plumb and aesthetically right. (Yes, aesthetics do play a part in plumbing, as it does in everything else!) But the best thing of course is that James makes sure the job is done right. Which means no leaks! I know we'll be calling on Drain Brains from now on for all our plumbing needs. Thanks James! read more

James came in on a very short notice and fixed my water softener leakage issue. Highly recommend.

I had a great experience with Drain Brains. I've worked with them for several jobs now. James was very professional, diagnosed the problem quickly and finished the job efficiently. I particularly enjoyed how easy communication with James is -- he's knowledgeable and clear in explaining the issues and even gave us tips for how to maintain and prevent future problems from happening. I enjoyed working together with him and he's now our go-to plumber. read more

I have been using them for years on projects small and large, from installing a faucet to a big sewage line repair. They have always been dependable and honest. I'm completely satisfied with them. read more

Drain Brains replaced all the drain pipes in the crawl space and installed new clean outs for us. James and Harvey are very knowledgeable and skilled, have tons of experience to address unforeseen problems, and have a great work ethic. We highly recommend them for any plumbing work! read more

James and his partner did a great job in replacing my hot water heater and putting it up to code. I had called many companies and decided to acquire his services because he was honest, reliable and respectful on the phone. There was a concern that I had with my old water heater that exploded that I forgot to tell James. But he was intuitive enough to know my concern and fixed the problem without me telling him. He gave me very sturdy materials to replace the water heater and the copper pipes. His price was awesome and reasonable. He gives me a two year warranty when everyone else quoted me with one year warranty. Overall James and his partner did a great job. Will definitely call him back for more plumbing projects I have. And if anyone needs a referral, I will definitely recommend James to them because he was very knowledgeable, informative, courteous and respectful to us. So if you're reading this review you should definitely call James because he will give you a great price and will do an awesome job for you. read more