Had the expansion tank on my tankless water heater fail and start leaking on Friday at 6:30 pm. Reached out to J. Blanton through Google. They responded and were going to escalate to their emergency team. They stopped responding after I asked about the cost. On Saturday morning J. Blanton reached out to me wanting to set up dispatch to have someone come and assess my issue. I declined as a I had set up another company to come to replace the expansion tank. The other company was totally incompetent so we sent them on their way. I called J. Blanton and talked to a human and paid for the No Drip Club for 1 year for the discount and to avoid all the extra charges. The plumbers that were dispatched were friendly and very competent. My only beef was the price charged to install a part that cost around $60. I agreed to have the work done as I was having a medical procedure done in 2 days and couldn't be without hot water. They went to get a new expansion tank and returned and took a pressure reading from my hose bib and set the air pressure in the tank to match. They installed the tank and had me verify I had hot water. They made sure the tank wasn't leaking at the connection point. The guys were great to deal with and they removed their shoes at the front door without being asked. I'd give 5 stars but still think it was too expensive. When these types of emergencies arise, I'll pay too much to get it repaired. I'll be keeping an extra expansion tank on hand so I can replace it myself the next this happens. They do get a ++ for talking to a human and not AI and got me back with hot water. The company that installed the heater told me they didn't have it in stock and couldn't get it until Monday. They would have charged as much or more and couldn't get the part until Monday. I would hire J. Blanton if I needed them again. I can't say that for the company that installed it. read more

J. Blanton Plumbing - Expansion tank installed by J. Blanton - Plumbing Near Me - Northbrook, Illinois

AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE I accidentally mixed up these guys with J Sewer & Drain Plumbing (I actually think they made their name sound the same to other respected companies in the area on purpose for this exact reason) and gave J Blanton Plumbing a call. The first thing they try to do is get you to subscribe to some BS monthly subscription so they'll come back over and over for more jobs I'm sure they themselves will try to create. I politely decline, and we move on. The lady on the phone gets me setup with a house call that will arrive the next day. Okay, great. They give a two hour or window, 10am-12pm. I get a text after 12 saying they're just now on their way. The guy gets here closer to 1 and goes to check out my toilet. It hadn't been flushing correctly, which is why I called. He flushes it once, literally one time, and immediately starts spouting off a ton of BS about what's wrong with it. "Ohh the vacuum breaker is busted and blah blah blah" look, I'm not gonna act like I have a plumber's expertise or anything, but anyone with any kind of bullshit meter could tell he was just making shit up. I'm still kinda okay tho, at this point, and just want it fixed. He pulls out his phone and gives an estimate. "okay that'll be $2300!" WHAT?!?! That does NOT sound right for a simple toilet repair. He starts going on and on about how because I live in a large building it's not the same as a normal housing repair. How he's going to have to replace a bunch of parts and maybe even tear open the wall to see what's *really* going on. My heart sinks, I'm honestly panicking at this point. I do NOT have $2300 to piss away on what I thought was going to be a simple repair. When I tell him I simply cannot afford it, he stars spouting even MORE BS about how "Ohhh see, no, this is going to be an emergency any day now. I've seen this before. Your toilet is going to have a catastrophic failure and can starting spraying water everywhere. You HAVE to avoid that at all costs." Want to know something? This all happened over two months ago. The toilet was fine, it flushed well enough, it just didn't flush perfectly. Guess that was bullshit after all. I tell him there's just no way i can afford that. He calls his boss who immediately brings the price down to $1700. Wow. That was easy, almost like this estimate is complete bullshit. He immediately pulls up a way to use a lender so that I can do like a 2 year payment plan. He pulls everything up and is staring daggers through me. Reader, I will admit to you that I am not good with these sort of things. Here's a strange guy in my home, standing over me, being really intimidating as I pull up the lender's documents on my computer. He's staring at me and the computer the entire time, urging me to sign everything right away. There's not time to think about my options. Sadly, I signed the papers due these antics. He leaves for his truck and says he'll be back in two hours. Meanwhile, I'm texting my brother and asking him if any of this sounds right, and he's screaming that no this is all wrong. It's all wrong! As soon as he leaves my building, I IMMEDIATELY call the lender and tell them to cancel the transaction. I am NOT paying for this. Thank god the lender had some sense and cancelled it with no problems whatsoever. I call back J Blanton Plumbing and tell them I'm cancelling the transaction and the services and there's no need to come back. The receptionist says that's all okay and no worries. 5 minutes later I get a call back from the man sounding really pissed/annoyed with me and trying to start the transaction up again. I told him flat out I am going to consider other options, and I'll get back to him if I choose his services in the end. We hang up. I decide to go to Youtube and see if I can't diagnose the problem myself and fix it on my own. How hard can it really be? Reader, I was able to figure out the problem and replace the parts I needed. Do you know how much it cost me? $40 ALL IN, one trip to The Crafty Beaver (love them, go there), and one trip to Grainger. WTF!!! TL;DR: -They were going to charge me $2300 for a $40 part. -They act incredibly aggressive and predatory while at your home -They aren't even punctual -They are a SCAM read more

Our technicians were all very professional and effective. However, from a customer perspective, working with central dispatch was a nightmare. I have had to reschedule appointments multiple times; it seems that there were no notes on my outstanding case, and I had to reconfirm the work that needed to be done over 10 times in 5 days. Despite the professionalism of the teams on site, I couldn't work with this company again. read more

Avoid at all costs. I had a broken water heater, and I explained in detail over the phone what was wrong. I was told by the customer service person that they could repair the issue today. Instead, they sent a guy to my house with no parts or tools. He told me exactly what I already knew and then quoted $5800 to replace the water heater - double the quote from Abt. I don't understand why anybody would use these guys. read more

We had a clogged toilet. Since J. Blanton is located in Northbrook, we booked them to flush it and bring it back to working order. Simple. The guy showed up on time, and took care of the problem in exactly 5 minutes. To my big surprise the bill was for $360! he offered us a 10% discount... It turns out that after talking to their customer support, I paid for "travel time" of the plumber. He came all the way from McHenry IL to Northbrook! And they have an office on Techny Rd, half a mile from our house! So I paid for travel time a distance of 33 miles, for a guy who could have walked to my house! This shows me that J. Blanton Plumbing is not interested in honest service, but are ready to make a buck at all costs. Competitive plumbers in Northbrook quoted me $150 for the same service. Needless to say, this company will never hear from us again. Be careful! read more

Received a solicitation in the mail -- "call us to schedule routine sewer line maintenance". Called, set appointment, cleared my calendar for the day (because they won't give you a specific time until the day before); they cancelled appointment at the last minute. Made a second appointment; they texted the day before to cancel. Won't give them a third chance. read more

we had a technician come do routine service as part of our drip membership for the sump pump. about 10 minutes after he left, an alarm started blaring from downstairs. we called right away to have him come back and they refuse to send a technician back. no accountability for breaking our sump pump and customer service has been terrible. If I could give 0 stars, I would. Planning on canceling our drip membership and will be calling other plumbers to fix the sump pump that J Blanton broke. read more

I signed up for the drip club and they are no longer taking phone calls from their customers. If you are working with J Blanton, make sure you dispute the monthly charges if you are part of their club. read more

I had two faucets installed, and they charged me 1500. I called to ask for help and discuss the charges, and Blanton never called me back. I could not get past the snotty receptionist. I will never use the company again. OVERPICED, and good luck talking to anyone if you want to discuss your bill. They are sneaky. RIP OFF And the "no drip club" BE CAREFUL. If you move or sell your house, or like me, decide you never want to work with them again because they are a rip-off, you are stuck for a year. THEY LOCK YOU IN FOR A YEAR CONTRACT AND WONT LET YOU OUT IF YOU DECIDE YOU DONT WANT TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH THEM. The snotty receptionist told me this, too. She said you can't talk to anyone about wanting to stop your 'no drip club" because you signed a one-year contract, so too bad. STAY AWAY FROM J BLANTON. read more

We used J Blaton for a couple jobs at our previous home and were happy -- but our recent experience at our new address has been very disappointing. They recommended and installed a $2,000 sump pump, told us the old pump was "very old," and then did not provide any written documentation despite repeated requests. When our basement later took on water, a technician said the sump pump had been improperly installed and that the connected sewer line needed immediate repair -- something their earlier scope didn't note. A few months later they scoped the sewer, claimed it was full of roots, and charged roughly $8,000 to install a new exterior clean-out. We asked J Blaton for a written report to support remediation claims against the previous owner and received no response. We later learned another plumber immediately found an existing clean-out that J Blaton missed. We also called them about a one-year-old tankless water heater; the tech couldn't diagnose the error and pushed a replacement without other options. Multiple requests for documentation and explanations were ignored. Between the missed findings, lack of follow-up, and aggressive upselling, we lost confidence in their workmanship and customer service. If you value clear communication, documentation, and competent diagnostics, we recommend looking elsewhere. read more

Great experience so far with Scott Brown! We are having our 60 year old clay sewer lines cleaned and lined . What a relief to spend time with someone going over the process and showing us our lines. read more

J. Blanton Plumbing - Scott Brown and our dog Patriot - Plumbing Near Me - Northbrook, Illinois

Do not go with J Blanton. Ever notice how they have like 5+ Yelp profiles? Sounds like someone's trying to bury all the bad reviews, including mine. TLDR, they are a dishonest plumbing company. Dishonest on several occasions. They tried to upsell me on something I didn't need and thankfully I went with someone else. More than happy to take my business to a competing plumber, who completed the job and answered my questions without issue. If you expect decency and simple responsiveness, you've come to the wrong plumber. read more

I needed an emergency clean out of my sewer. J Blanton plumbing sent a plumber. He charged me $750 before he would begin work. He worked for about 45 minutes and told me his rod broke in the sewer and it would need to be replaced for $10,000. I called Fenten plumbing. They sent out a plumber who cleared the sewer and noted that there was no broken rod in the sewer. They charged $400, saving me from the unnecessary work proposed by Blanton. Blanton was paid for a job they did not complete, did not return the money and wanted to charge me 10,000 to fix an unbroken sewer. I would never recommend this company. read more

I thought my front yard looked sketchy so asked for camera shot. Sure enough, found several gaps and one root break-through. Got a decent price with a couple discounts and year-long protection and free service. The rep was Ron Thomas and he is an honest plumber. I saw the video during and after the appt. He gave me options. read more

I hired J. Blanton Plumbing for a non-urgent repair to my main shut-off valve. They came on 10/25/25, quoted $774.78, and scheduled the work for the next day, a Sunday, despite me saying it wasn't urgent. I paid $387.78 as a down payment. On 10/26/25, they arrived around 10:30am, shut off the water, and began the repair. At 11:30am, I was told the job was complete but they were unable to turn my water back on. The technician left to get a tool he said was at the office, returned two hours later, then claimed the tool wasn't available because another tech had it. I was told that technician would come later that evening to finish the job with the needed tool. A few hours later, their office called to say the second technician had an "emergency" and would not be coming. Because they waited until late Sunday to tell me, I was unable to get another plumber that day. They promised I'd be a priority first thing Monday. The next morning, I received a 7:30am call confirming a technician would be on the way shortly, but by 9am, I received another call telling me the job would now cost $3,461.63 plus the remaining balance which was over five times the original quote. When I asked why they waited 24 hours to disclose that, they simply said the scope of the job had changed (it hadn't) but did not address why they continually strung me along saying they were going to come finish the job. I hired an emergency plumber to fix their mistake and restore water service for $1,506 all in despite the rush service. At best, this company is incompetent and grossly overpriced (3x an emergency plumber). At worst, it felt like they left my home without water to pressure me into paying a grossly inflated rate. To this day, they have refused to refund my deposit despite failing to complete the job and causing the water to be off at my home for over 24 hours. read more

J. Blanton Plumbing - Original quote. - Plumbing Near Me - Northbrook, Illinois

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Stay away from this company. A $93 sewer line check turns into an on demand call asking for $4000 to hydro jet the line. All the reviews you read are true. Stay away. read more

If I could give them -10 I would. They assessed a clogged pipe in my shower and came up with a bogus claim that the water value would cost $4800 to fix. I asked 2 other plumbers for an assessment...they both came up with approximately $300 to replace the cartridge. Come to find out there's loads of complaints about them on BBB. Complete scam. read more

I got their mailer and saw a great price for sending a camera in my sewer and cleaning it out. Well then they come out with scare tactics trying to say my sewer line collapsed and that they have to dig up my basement and it would cost us $25,000 but the company would give me a break and it would only be $11,000. The next day a real plumber that I trust came out and said they were lying and just trying to sell their new product a sewer liner. Please don't work with these people it will cost you in the end. read more

They came for a leaky toilet base. Asked for $589 to replace the wax ring on the toilet. I asked him how much an hour do you charge? The ring is $10 at Home Depot. This was a rip off. I told them goodbye and I will never come back. I understand you want to make money but this was ridiculous. Stay away. I don't know how did they get all these good reviews on Google. Makes me not thrust the reviews. Stay away. read more

J. Blanton Plumbing - Item needed to be replaced - Plumbing Near Me - Northbrook, Illinois

I fell for their $93 bait and switch offer. They said it would cost $93 to rod my main sewer line but "found" bigger issues. They said my pipe was 95% clogged and there was a huge crack and it needed to be excavated to fix which would cost $20k or I could line the pipe which would cost $10k. I told them I would think about it. They called back and said another option was to hydrojet it for $3600. I called 5 other plumbers and their estimate was half that. Told them I would think about it more. They were very pushy and told me time was running out. The tech also bent/broke the sewer line cap and didn't say anything until I found it myself. I used a different plumber to hydrojet the sewer pipe and he said the crack is very small and not an issue. I am appalled and in shock how such a big company can maliciously try to rip people off. read more

Professionals came to prepare estimate, review possible remediation after flooding and repair. Each visit was preceded with a time estimate by phone or text. Estimate included replacing sump pump, water heater based on age and wax ring on toilet in one visit. Follow up service was offered for a fee with a discount on the immediate work. Alternatives were offered and considered. Features were explained. Test procedure for sump pump with alarm was demonstrated. Clayton completed the work the completed the same evening in one trip. read more

My regular pumbing company, that is great, Stephen's Plumbing and Heating was busy so I tried Blanton and it really cost me. I needed several jobs that I will list below with the Blanton quote. Replace toilet fill valve/flapper $624. Replace a garbage disposal $688.50. That's labor only as I had already purchased the new device. Replace a leaky Delta faucet cartridge $810. Clear a bath sink drain $350. Rod a tub drain $450. That's a grand total of $2887.75! I declined and the Blanton plumber immediately dropped the price to $250 per drain to rod both drains. That was still high but I chose to have lines rodded as he was already there. He started the plumbing work around 9:35am. He opens the sink pop-up and finds paper in the pop-up stopping the water and removes it. No rodding was necessary. He does have to rod the tub. Both jobs are complete and I sign for payment 21 minutes later at 9:56am. He charged me $500. I realized the billing error, that I was charged for 2nd roddings, and called the office in the afternoon. The phone rep was very nice. He took the message and said someone would get back to me. He called me back and got more details and said someone would get back to me then... radio silence. Luckly, Stephen's Plumbing and Heating came out and installed the new garbage disposal. The instal was $189 and that included a redo of some piping to meet new guidelines. That upgrade would have been an additional charge to the Blanton $688 quote. The Blanton employee seemed to be a more aggressive salesman than plumber. I'm sure that if I'd had all work done with Stephen's it would have been much better priced, probably under $300...I have attached the invoices below. Sent from my T-Mobile 5G Device read more

J. Blanton Plumbing - Plumbing Near Me - Northbrook, Illinois

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DON'T CALL J. BLANTON Canceled 3 schedule appointments on me in 5 days. Don't waste your money on the No Drip Club you don't get VIP Treatment like they claim. Look elsewhere trust the reviews. read more

Did not clear sewer as promise. Just wanted to upsell me to much more expensive services.

Avery and Julian did a great job during the maintenance visit they were very knowledgeable and thorough and even flushed my water heater while they were here! thank you J Blanton and thank you Avery and Julian read more

BEWARE!!!! DO NOT USE THEM!!! This company has technicians who work on commission. The technician determines the price...way overpriced. They take advantage of the consumer in a time of need. We were charged $2,000 for a "Hot Shot" to our pipes. A small machine was hooked up and a button was pressed for $2,000! The next day, the faucet was not working again. I called multiple times to speak with a supervisor. I finally received a call back after stating I would go see someone in person. I was told he would work on a refund. I never received a call back despite multiple messages. I've contacted my credit card company and will also open a grievance with the Better Business Bureau. This company should not be operating and needs to be investigated. I urge anyone else who has has an issue (seems to be a ton of others) to also contact the BBB. Save yourself a headache for overprices service... STAY AWAY! read more

I cannot recommend this company at all. I got a quote for service on 09/03/25, and even though it seemed rather high, I gave them a check for downpayment on the service that would be done later. Then, the next day (09/04), I called to cancel the job with J. Blanton because I found someone cheaper (CJ Plumbing, which came promptly, did the job well, and charged me a fair price). I asked J. Blanton to send me my down payment back. They reassured me it would be processed quickly. Fast forward to October 17th, 2025 - 43 days after I requested my refund - and I still do not have my money!! I have made numerous calls, and I emailed the accounting department, and no one ever returns my calls or tells me where my refund is. They have now had the use of over $3500 of my money for 43 days, and they did not provide me with any service. As far as I am concerned, this is akin to theft. read more

Received absolutely horrible service and was overcharged. Have talked with several people at J Blanton and have little to no response back. Would not recommend using J Blanton to anyone. My next step would be to post pictures of the horrific mess they left in our restroms. read more

Excessive charges and high pressure to purchase annual maintenance agreement, will not use again. my regular plumber was on vacation, so I called Blanton. After listening to a pitch on the phone for annual maintenance (and declining), the plumber made the pitch again, and somehow the bill including the annual maintenance was about the same as without. $750 for replacing SOME of the toilet fill/ flapper assembly! They told me an entirely new toilet was only $1000! They did adjust the bill downward when I complained, but it remained very high. Will not use. again. read more

Ron Thomas came out to Naperville and did a great job for us. He did a thorough evaluation and did not pressure us for unneeded services. He was also very friendly. We also appreciate how they support local pets in need. read more

Long story short, I am out $1500 for a toilet to be pulled, the tube of toothpaste clogging the toilet to be pulled out, and the toilet reset. And for the "plumber" to scope my sewer with a camera. A scam company who sold the business to an investment guy. read more

Thorough camera inspection and adequate time spent to provide explanation of possibilities/options

We had a major emergency on a Saturday afternoon and Blanton the day. They came out and looked on Saturday and then did the repair on Monday. We needed pipes replaced all over the house. Greg was the technician that did the work and he was absolutely outstanding. He was kind, polite, and worked his butt off! He also cleaned up beautifully after himself and took all of the garbage with him. I have a new respect for plumbing and the hard work of this young man! read more

J. Blanton Plumbing Company technicians go out of their way to make sure that their customers are completely satisfied with their plumbing services . There was a second issue that I needed to address with my plumbing needs and Jake the technician took care of the business in a professional timely manner. read more

J. Blanton Plumbing - Plumbing Near Me - Northbrook, Illinois

DO NOT USE THIS PLUMBING COMPANY! I called them for a simple slow drain issue in my basement utility sink. What started as a minor inconvenience turned into a $3500 nightmare. They insisted I needed a new utility sink and routing, claiming it would solve the problem. Not only did the new sink not fix the slow drain, but I think it actually made it worse! To add insult to injury, the brand new sink they installed leaked. Then, they had the audacity to give me another estimate for $4600 to "fix" the slow drain, which now required tearing up my basement floors! At this point, I had completely lost trust in their competency and honesty. While they did offer to come back and "fix" the problem, I wisely sought a second opinion. Now the slow drain issue is resolved for a fraction of the price and without needing to replace the sink or tear up my floors. This company's "solution" was a ridiculously expensive and completely unnecessary replacement and routing, followed by a leaky installation and an even more exorbitant estimate. They clearly lack the expertise to accurately diagnose and resolve plumbing issues and appear to be more interested in padding their bill than providing effective service. Save yourself the money and the frustration. Avoid this company at all costs! read more

I've used J Blanton in the past (for big multi-day & small jobs) & recommended them to many friends, but won't be doing so anymore. Technician was kind but spent more time trying to upsell me on a plumbing subscription than it took him to replace an emergency gas shutoff valve for our stove, which he charged over $1200 for! It was an emergency given my wife is pregnant and due in 3 weeks (without a stove or hot water) so we were stuck agreeing just to be done with it, but that pricing is insane... When I asked for a quote for sewer rodding from an access in my unfinished basement, he quoted 3x what the previous owner had paid last year & we had quoted from Goode in-person last month. The technician was kind and understanding but it's clear J Blanton has raised their prices exorbitantly and are pushing new schemes like the subscription. This definitely isn't his fault but greedy choices from leadership instead. Check their most recent Yelp reviews (instead of just Google) and you'll see similar complaints about their pricing compared to peers. I'm bummed because they are good people & again, a nice technician but I'm so disappointed by the company and won't ever use or recommend them again. read more

avoid this place. they came out to rod and video inspect the sewer line. told my wife the line was collapsed and could not get the cap off the inside clean out. never did anything or charged a fee. I called again and scheduled another look and they never showed up.. said they were low on service people and wanted to set up again. no thank you and please stop sending your phony mailings. read more

These guys are more like salesmen than plumbers. They came out and quoted me for a bunch of different items after their routine visit turned up all sorts of emergency problems that had to be addressed. By the time they left, they had worked up over $40K in recommended work. They wanted $1000 to reset a couple toilets, one of which they installed themselves 9 months prior. They wanted $1400 to "jet" my sewer, even though they were out here 9 months prior and rodded the line. Everything to them is an upsell opportunity and they make up problems that don't really exist, as confirmed by 2 other independent plumbers that came out after them. Always ALWAYS get a 2nd and 3rd opinion when you feel you're being taken for a ride. Oh and they offer $50 starbucks cards for a video review on Google. They're shameless. What sucks is I've used them for years and they seem to be good plumbers, but their relentless upsell tactics and insane quotes are such a turn off. Use with caution. read more

horrible, horrible horrible do not use this company . we had a time frame from 5 to 7 they could not get in touch with the technician to give us an ETA! it was nine at night and still had no information fr the technician! At that point we would have waited if we had a time read more

Be very cautious before proceeding with J Blanton. Although it is easy to read all of the "glowing reviews" of their service, make sure to read the many stories that resemble my own. I had water coming up in my basement and could not get my regular plumber to come out immediately. Upon searching the web for a reliable, fair plumber, J Blanton would continually come up as a top result. I figured the 4.8 star rating was good enough to trust (more on that later) so I gave them a call. The friendly agent who was polite and willing to waive the $50 service call fee to send an agent out seemed to be a positive start, thus the two star ceiling. When the tech came he immediately started to raise some issues. He demanded I sign a $330 charge to fix the issue with a simple rodding. That seemed high, however again in a panic to fix my house I didn't really have any other choice. That $330 quickly turned into a $8,000 bill to excavate the floor and fix the drain, among other services. This was obviously a big number, but tech continued to throw out high numbers that I would be responsible for if I used another company (i.e. I would be on the hook for every itemized action that was already done, even though the underlining problem was not addressed). I reluctantly agreed to move forward and was on the hook for 50% of that budget. When the team came to complete the service I was (wrongfully) hoping that this would finally come to an end. Instead, they took a few hours to tell me that the job was not possible to complete and would require a $40,000 complete excavation of my house and backyard. At this point, I was willing to wait to have my regular plumber come out and some other companies to offer their opinion. Both companies confirmed that the work *could* be complete and that J Blantons was most likely trying to line their own pockets with a higher commission. When trying to resolve this issue with the company, it took two weeks to speak with anyone with any sort of management credentials and would refuse to offer any sort of resolution to this issue. The best thing this business does is marketing and taking advantage of customers that have little knowledge of the industry. They obviously spend a ton of money on Google Ads (and likely paying for Google reviews) and a call center that responds 24/7. After that, you are stuck with a salesperson acting as a plumber using scare tactics and leveraging a plumbing knowledge gap. That marketing budget has to get paid somehow, I suppose... read more