Zivko responded quickly to my messages and came out at the appointed time. He got the job done quickly (replacing 6' section of copper water pipe), including a run to the store to get parts he didn't have in his van. He did charge $50 more than the price range he quoted $350-$450. I figured he had contingencies figured into the range. But still a good experience. read more

I found Zivko through these reviews and arranged for him to come and fix my simple issue that I had botched (replacing the fill valve in the toilet). He fixed the part I had inadvertently displaced and determined that my problem was actually the flapper rather than the fill valve. He replaced that flapper and the one in the other toilet which was also bad. He stayed and made sure everything worked properly in both toilets before he left. All these are things that you expect from a good plumber and would not usually merit 5 stars. The best thing about Zivko and the reason I give him 5 stars is his friendliness and his attitude. All too often, as a single woman, when you deal with a man who does traditional male jobs for you, you are talked down to or treated as stupid. Zivko was perfectly fine with me looking over his shoulder the entire time he worked and he explained everything. He didn't act like I was an idiot for having botched the job myself and he helped me understand the purpose of every thing he did and every part. I got an education that I can use if I need to in addition to getting the work done. I will recommend him to others. read more

While in escrow on our house, thieves stole a claw foot bathtub by sawing through the taps. (See below.) We'd tried to cap the lines, but failed. Zivko did an excellent job finding a solution to my unique problem that enabled us to turn the water back on in the whole house. I also paid him to rehabilitate a basement toilet that I plan to replace after the rest of the renovations are competed. This old toilet now functions well and is a great alternative to having a porto-loo in our front yard during construction! Many thanks Zivko! For those, like me, who've never heard of such a ridiculous crime, here's the back story. This bath tub is the only thing they took, and they knew exactly what they were doing, mostly. They did shut the water off before cutting through the pipes, but did not open a tap anywhere to bleed the lines. Our main shut off is very old and slightly incomplete. As a consequence, pressure built during the four days between the theft and the discovery so water leaked from the attic to the main level causing considerable damage to the plaster walls and the hardwood floors. Oh, and they were very sloppy in how they got this tub down three flights of stairs and out the front door. Did they not realize how HEAVY cast iron is? Good grief. It's truly amazing what some people feel entitled to take. Worst of all, this original bathroom was in the best shape and a fairly simple restoration. My guess is that it was someone from the former occupant's moving crew that spotted it and made a plan to steal it, but that's pure speculation. (The owner was elderly and moving away; the odds of her taking it are nil.) But hey, this gave me the opportunity to meet a creative plumber I'll call in the future! read more

Needed help fixing what the last plumber messed up. I should have called Payless Plumbing first. The last plumber left the shower valve rough-in sticking out about 1/2" too far, which meant the shower lever trim would not sit flush against the tile wall. Zivko gave a ballpark estimate based on pictures I provided. In the end, when he discovered the fix was simpler than he had thought, he charged me less and also performed additional work (extended/cut bath spout rough-in, installed bath spout trim & caulked, caulked drain overflow trim, replaced shower spout). I understand when the price must sometimes go up because of unexpected situations, but I appreciate Zivko's honestly and willingness to lower the price when things go unexpectedly well. Also, he's got a wealth of plumbing knowledge/experience and has always been happy to educate on best practices for future DIY work, while on the job. Also... in response to a negative review I see on yelp about charging too much for 30 minutes of work: there is probably a reason why he charged you $289 to replace a capacitor. If you ask someone how much it costs to replace a capacitor, you may get a lower price. But if you ask someone to fix a broken HVAC unit, will you even know which capacitor to replace, or that it is the capacitor, and not another part, that needs replacing? It's like how you pay a surgeon $10,000 to make a few tiny cuts in your body. Any idiot can make a cut in your body, but you pay the surgeon because he knows exactly where to make the cuts. Anyways, I promise I'm not a shill. Just sticking up for the Zivko since I'm still sore about my mistake of hiring a slightly cheaper plumber and paying twice to fix the first guy's mistakes. read more

We had an AC problem over the weekend and needed help fast due to hosting guests, including my wife's elderly grandmother. I contacted 3 places on Yelp that received high marks and Payless is the only one who responded the same day. Made it hard to compare pricing, but it was an emergency. Zivko communicated by text to discuss the problem and he arrived on Sunday morning around 9am. He quickly diagnosed the problem and more. He found other issues with the setup of our AC system that needed to be resolved and though he lacked the proper part Sunday morning he returned that afternoon and installed the broken part. Bottom line is that I was very impressed with the speed, quality and overall skill demonstrated by Zivko. We are so glad to have found a good, local, quality HVAC service! read more

Absolutely outstanding service!!! Couldn't agree more with the previous posts about Zivko and Payless Plumbing. I've used Zivko on several occassions - anything from installing water lines, connecting basement kitchenette, adding more spigots outside my house, to just recently replacing a water heater. Every time I called, Zivko always showed up on time, diagnosed the problem, and explained what needs to be done. His prices are very reasonable and he's nice and easy to work with, and most of all, very knowledgable. Everything he's done in my house, whether it was a year ago, or two weeks ago, still works. I am a very happy customer and would strongly recommend Zivko and Payless Plumbing to all my friends and family. read more

We had Zivko come to our home twice to address plumbing issues in our home. On both occasions he was professional, thorough, and able to effectively fix the problems. Zivko didn't just treat the jobs as repairs and simply left, but took the time to explain to us what the problem was, how the problem occurred, how he was going to fix it, and what to do to prevent the problem from repeating itself in the future. I was impressed by his candor and willingness to share his insight with the customer. Zivko was able to correct plumbing issues that existed when our home was first built and the errors made by the previous homeowner. Zivko was able to replace our garbage disposal with a new one he already had on hand. He was well prepared and properly equipped. His rates were also fair. If you have plumbing issues, I would not hesitate to recommend Payless Plumbing. I'm grateful that I contacted Payless Plumbing first before attempting any repairs myself. I would have likely made things worse without Zivko's help! read more

I called for some help with a busted toilet and a leaking sink. Both were repaired quickly and the prices were very fair. I would/ will use this company again. read more

Zivko is the master plumber you want no matter your plumbing need. We asked four plumbers for estimates to replace two non-standard tub spouts and his was the most competitive, so we went with him since his Yelp reviews were good. He found a solution to a tricky issue with one replacement that was the cost-friendly alternative. He talked about some of the details about why he was doing certain steps certain ways and it was actually quite interesting. He was very friendly, wore a mask, and asked permission about wearing shoes in the house. He has a high-energy personality, and is both funny and witty. He snaked the tub out no extra charge (using our snake) and did a better job than I had because he had a trick to twist the snaked a lot and inch the snake back up while twisting. That got out more daughter's long hair than I ever did by a lot! Highly recommend. read more

My garbage disposal stopped working. It was Saturday and I was expecting company that evening. I called several plumbers that said they were open 24/7 or at least on Saturday. Payless responded quickly and true to their name had the lowest price. He said he would be at my home with 90 minutes and he was. He quickly diagnosed the problem, unjammed the disposal and handed me a rather chewed up dime. The cause of the problem. I was very pleased with Payless Plumbing and will call them again. read more

What more can I say - best price, arrived on time, explained the work , cleaned up, showed end product Polite efficient outstanding read more

The installed a water heater and were helpful courteous and professional the quality of the work was great I couldn't be more pleased and if we need work done in the future I'd seek them out again. read more

We are so excited to offer yet another stellar review of Zivko. He came out to our house on the same day we had called him. In the middle of a rainstorm, he avoided disaster by snaking and recapping a drain that was about to overflow into our basement. He was fast, had quality work, and was very reasonable with his pricing. We have already called Zivko to come on back to help with larger projects as we continue larger home renovations. read more

Another great review for Payless Plumbing! I called them and he agreed to come out that same day if I was home. Since I was not home, he came the next day. He was right on time (even a few minutes early) which is always a plus. He also explained everything he needed to do and didn't pressure me to do any additional work. His rate was good and he fixed the job quickly. When I didn't have the replacement parts he ran to Home Depot to get them and then came back and finished the job. No hourly nickel and diming - he told me the rate for what needed to be fixed and let me choose if I wanted to do it or not. read more

Bottom line: yes hire them. My water heater disintegrated in the middle of the night, flooding the basement with gallons of hot water. Frustrated and tired after sleepless night, I started looking for plumbers. Payless plumbing was among my first and top choices. The company had good reviews both on Yelp and Angie's list. I emailed the owner, explained the situation, send some pictures, and received a quote within minutes. Oh yes, it was Sunday, Mother's Day. I emailed Zivko many times after that, asking additional questions and looking for options. Zivko responded promptly and always on point. Long story short, after spending several days looking for plumbers, and receiving many quotes, I returned to Payless plumbing. Their price was fair and I respected straightforward answers to my questions. The installation went great. They arrived on-time, worked efficiently, and left the place in pristine condition. They respected the codes and did not cut any corners. Great experience overall. read more

Zivko at Payless Plumbing was great. He responded to my initial contact within 5-10 minutes and was able to come fix our issue the very next morning. He showed up on time! Was very friendly, worked quickly and fixed our problem for a reasonable price. What more do you want from a plumber ... or any other service provider?? I would definitely use him again - but let's hope I don't need to!! read more

Great service. Zivko was punctual, amiable and professional. Would definitely recommend him without hesitation. Give him a try.

This is the third time I have used this company. This is a small business and Zivko works hard. He has replaced a gas water heater in my home and fixed a leak in the ceiling from the bathtub upstairs. He replaced a gas water heater at my dad's as well. He is very good at what he does and he does not upsell. Don't hesitate to use this hardworking small business. read more

My main water supply gate valve into the house started dripping after WSSC installed a new water meter. This was the first valve from the street into the house so will need to have WSSC shut off the line to the house if Zivko cannot stop the drip. With a small turn of his pliers, he got the leak to stop, and showed me how to tweak the valve again if necessary. Its a thirty year old valve, so it will need replacing in the future at some point, but thanks to Payless, I can now schedule that time instead of the valve scheduling it. Still not happy with WSSC, valve wasn't leaking before this, called their "customer service" line, not their problem. read more

Zivka was quick to respond to my request and was able to sort out the issue with my HVAC system in a morning. I also feel like he charged a fair price. I'm very grateful for his service. Thank you! read more

I joined Yelp, just to give Zivko a review! He's your plumber if you live in DC. Reasonable rates, pride in his work, does what he says he will, and dedicated to building a loyal, long-term customer-base. We've used him for annual servicing of our central AC and radiator heating units, and unlike the past two companies, he didn't try to sell us on upgrading our systems and in fact, told us favorable news of maintaining our current unit with minor modifications. We haven't needed him for water issues (knock on pipes) but have peace of mind in knowing that we have our plumber, if that day should arrive. Better to text or email him, has been our experience as Zivko's a one-man operation and doesn't like picking up calls with a wrench and plunger in-hand. Deserves all 5 stars. read more

I needed a valve to be replaced because the old one was faulty. The sillcock was also old but functioning. I contacted the owner of Payless Plumbing and Heating (his first name was Zivko) via the Yelp website and email. He responded in less than 30 minutes. I thought he'd come out with the same propane torch like I tried to use when I failed to heat the copper pipe to the proper temperature. Instead he came out with a machine that somehow provides enough pressure to clamp rubber seals inside special copper connectors. It worked like a charm! And to top it off Zivco also added a sillcock (he called it a hose bib) for a nominal extra fee. The full cost was much less than you'd expect to pay if you call one of the bigger plumbing companies. This is one very satisfied customer who will call him again when I have another plumbing project that I can't do myself. One final comment: you couldn't meet a more friendly and personable plumber than Zivco. A genuinely decent guy. read more

Went to my basement on Friday night to get a screwdriver and stepped into a puddle of water...not good. Saw that my ac unit was condensing and dripping water from the pan, all of which was nicely soaking into my carpet. Knowing that I didnt have time to screw around, went to yelp and saw the reviews for local shops, Payless plumbing and Zivko getting high marks. Though it was after hours I left a message and expected a phone call in the morning. 2 hours later I get a text from Zivko that he can be at my house at 9 am to diagnose the issue. I was totally impressed with his expediency. 9am comes and he's at the door on the dot and quickly finds the issue. Not only does he fix it but explains to me potential risks of the original design of the system that led to the issue, then went on to fix the root cause so it would not happen again. What was fantastic was his thinking of how the entire system operates, not just looking for a problem and fixing only that issue. Zivko thinks about the big picture and what he needs to do to fix your problem today, AND prevent it and others from happening in the future. His rates were fantastic. No matter, throughout the whole process I got the feeling that his goal was to his best work, not to take my money. Which i would happily give to him again for any plumbing needs in the future, he is a fantastic guy to work with. Don't even give it a second thought, call Zivko and Payless if you need this service. read more

Zivko is simply awesome! We reached out to him after reading his positive Yelp reviews. He is very responsive and knowledgeable. He diagnosed the problem and gave us a great price for replacing the water heater and pipes. We weren't able to stay home for the inspection due to work schedule conflicts. He proactively waited at our house for the inspector and communicated the results to us right after. Of course, the inspection passed! He will be only plumber we call from now on! read more

Good work, and they do a good job of setting up appointments. You can do it all online, instead of trying to play phone tag.

PPH has serviced my home on several occasions and he is AWESOME! He's prompt, informative, communicative and friendly. Always great service and competitive prices. read more

Based on other Yelp reviews, I decided to contact Payless Plumbing to replace the valves in my house. Initially it was 4 and Zivko was a really nice guy and was able to get them relatively quickly. Called him a few days later to replace another 6 valves and, again, he was able to come by quickly and get them replaced. Was also very helpful in explaining the issue(s) as well as offer up some advice to me for replacing a couple other items in the house. Overall, really happy with the jobs he performed as they were both done quickly and reasonably priced. Now that he's replaced all the valves in the house I can move forward on a couple other projects. Great guy and excellent plumber. read more

I needed an external drain snaked on a recently purchased home. I haven't moved in yet, so going to the house to meet contractors is time consuming. Zivko was willing to stop by the house and perform the job without me there and within just a few hours of contacting him. He was efficient, polite, and spoke with me on the phone afterward about what he saw and with tips about keeping the drain clear moving forward. He also sent me pictures and a video of the work he performed. Couldn't have asked for more! Great experience! read more

Great service! He is a very nice guy. He took the time to explain the situation before making his recommendation. He also let me know that in the future I should consider replacing the toilet and not to waste the money trying to fix it. He was thorough and detailed with his analysis of the issue. I also appreciate how responsive he was to my reaching out via Yelp. It was same day; quick and easy to set my appointment. read more

Very polite, but when our AC broke, he could not fix it. We paid the diagnostic fee, so we used up money and a lot of time by trying Payless. Despite that, in the end, we still had a broken AC. When we did have it fixed by another company, it turns out that the issue wasn't anything exotic. It was a run of the mill issue. read more

I never write reviews, but this company does really good work. I don't have a lot to compare it to, but it took the plumber less time to remove and install the old toilet than it does for me to change my car battery - so he was in and out very quickly. The work was also really well done, he had a difficult situation with the way our floor was, but was able to handle it no problem - and was very up front about costs and explaining things to us. read more

I have never left a review before but Zivko more than warrants it. I have had him come by for plumbing needs (a faucet replacement most recently) and plan to use him for my heating and A/C needs as well. Always shows up with a smile on his face and explains everything as he goes. Works fast and well. Prices are reasonable. He is extremely responsive (I suggest using Yelp to contact him the first time around and from then on you can just contact him directly). He shows up on time. He gets the work done efficiently. And he is just a nice guy on top of it all. Believe all the other reviews. He is that good which is sometimes a rarity in this space. I wish everyone I worked with for my house was as good as him. read more

Courteous, friendly and quick. Not only fixed the problem but explained why it had happened and how to prevent it from happening again. Top notch professional. read more

Great experience from start to finish! The owner was very quick to respond to my quote request and came to our house to evaluate the problem within a few days (he could have come sooner but my schedule couldn't accommodate it). He was also very knowledgeable and fixed the issue during the same visit. Our water heater is working perfectly now and he also followed up a few days later to make sure the issue was resolved. Would definitely recommend this business, and will plan to use them again in the future! read more

Called Payless Plumbing to deal with a blocked kitchen double sink. Zivko called back within an hour and said he would be over in 40 minutes. What should have been a simple 1 hour snake clean out with a 60' wire turned into a 6 hour marathon. About 20 feet in it became really difficult. Turns out my original contractor (since gone out of business 8 years ago) took some shortcuts and installed T junction and capped one end of the drainage pipe. The snake turned the wrong direction and ended up punching through the cap and then kinking. After removing some drywall and drop ceiling tiles Zivko was able to cut the snake in order to free it and completely replace the damage pipe and junction and remove the blockage. He very kindly reduced the cost as the snake clean out did not fix the original problem. Payless is very committed to its customers - highly recommend. read more

Zivko is a tremendous plumber. He's very personable and always suggests to you the most affordable options.

Disclaimer: I haven't used their service at all. This quote is based on customer service alone. Last year I had a whole house humidifier installed and it stopped working this season. My toddler just had surgery to take out her tonsils and adenoids, and one of the recommendations to help soothe and heal was to ensure adequate humidity levels in the house. I didn't have enough time to troubleshoot because we're expecting another baby very soon so my time is spent preparing and taking care of the toddler, etc. Long story short, I needed to get it fixed ASAP because she was having a rough time sleeping, and waking up in pain. I sought quotes on Yelp and got about 10 responses, but most of them wanted "additional information" even though I shared the location of the home and the model/age of the humidifier (seriously, what more information do you need?). No, seriously. What more information would you like? Could you at least ask specific questions? I'm pretty technical and handy about the house so I typically would know what relevant information to share, but I was stumped. Some other quotes I got were giving me a charge for diagnosis. Some wanted me to call them to discuss first. And then there was Payless Plumbing and Heating. They simply responded letting me know the problem was most likely that the water needed to be turned on. They were absolutely correct. Even if I didn't use their service I appreciate the kind gesture of sharing what the issue was so I could troubleshoot it. If I had listened, I would have saved myself some cash, but I didn't believe it was the issue because I hadn't turned off the water and I'm the only one who does these things around the house. Wife has never stepped in the HVAC room. Well, it turns out when we were getting some renovations done in the basement, the contractor must have shut off the water at some point. I do recall them shutting off water to the whole house, but didn't imagine they'd also shut it to the humidifier. Either way, thanks guys! read more

I've used Payless Plumbing multiple times and can't say enough good things about them. Always clean and courteous. Prompt response. Knowledgeable and willing to think outside the box. read more

Great service, explained everything. Arrived on time and was available the day of. Thanks

Our central AC stopped blowing cold air. We noticed the fan on the unit stopped running. My family member is usually one to fix things for us when things break down, but unfortunately, we couldn't go to him because of a family emergency. We went with Payless Plumbing because of the good reviews whose authenticity I highly question at this point. Made it on time for appointment and was very responsive with communication. I would prefer to be told the price of repair after checkup to see if I wanted to proceed. Didn't think it would be that much as I watched him install a generic capacitor to fix the fan. I thought maybe that's why he went ahead and did it without telling me the price. I was definitely surprised when my total came to $289 some less than 30 minutes later. This was the price for part, labor and diagnostic. Called around afterwards to check if this is the normal rate. The ones I contacted quoted $150 for parts and labor including diagnostics. I definitely feel overcharged and will try one of the other companies I contacted next time there's a problem. I'm looking for a reliable company I could trust to turn to, and this one is unfortunately not it. read more