Chris came out to take a look at a slow drain issue I'd been dealing with for years in my upstairs bathrooms. I'd already had another plumber out who hadn't fully resolved it, and I was hoping for a camera scope of the lines. Chris was upfront during our initial emailing that the routing in my house made that difficult. So he walked through the upstairs issues, gave me his honest read on what was actually going on, and sent me off with some DIY remedies to try. No charge for any of it. Straightforward, knowledgeable, and didn't try to sell me anything I didn't need. Would call him again without hesitation. read more

I was having issues with multiple drains since buying an older house. Chris was amazing to deal with. Weather was causing problems with the scheduled time for our appointment. Chris called and worked out a better time. He went above and beyond as he also addressed an issue with the garbage disposal and showed me a leak from a faucet. Great service, great price. Great experience - that I didn't expect for drain unclogging and sewer line cleaning. Highly recommended for any drain or sewer issues. read more

We had an issue with the septic that was somewhat emergent. They got us on the schedule within a few days and coordinated with the pumping company to come out the same day. They were super thorough, kind and explained what they did and what they thought the issue was. Gave us recommendations on how to move forward and provided the name of a company that could do they work. They came recommended by the septic company and we appreciate the referral. I hope to never need their services again, but I wouldn't hesitate to use them again. read more

I highly recommend Ripp. This is the third time I've had Ripp work on something for us over the years. The first time, they were hired by my landlord at my business and Chris Ripp was the one who came out to fix the issue. I only had a little interaction with him myself, but he was easy to talk to and seemed very knowledgeable. A few years later we had them out again: Chris did a repair on our home's septic tank. There was an issue that necessitated an expensive part needing to be replaced, but instead of replacing the part he was able to modify something instead, saving us a few hundred bucks. Our septic has been working flawlessly ever since. The third time, I called and reached Chris' voicemail which said he's booking out about a week but that he'll get back to us soon to make an appointment or to see if his dad can take care of it. Rick Ripp reached out to us and was able to schedule us in almost immediately (Chris even followed up with us a few hours later to make sure we were taken care of). Rick came out to unclog a stubborn shower clog that I couldn't get myself. He was very professional, just like his son, easy and fun to chat with, and the pricing was great for what we had done. He also made some recommendations on how to prevent them from having to come back in the future. I hope I don't have to call them back for a long time, but if I ever need something done that I can't do myself, I'll be reaching out to Ripp! read more

TL;DR: DO NOT hire Chris Ripp (Ripp Sewer & Drain Cleaning) DO NOT hire Mick Karls (Karls Plumbing) DO NOT purchase HomeServe insurance/coverage The full story: About 11 years ago, I bought a house in Madison (built in 1938). Knowing the sewer line was likely original cast iron, I signed up for sewer line insurance through Service Line Warranties of America (SLWA), later bought by HomeServe -- about $7/month. I'm not really sure of the relationship, but the city of Madison actually promoted Service Line Warranties of America. I'm not sure why they promoted this company over another but it seems a little suspect. For years, whenever I had a small basement floor drain backup, SLWA sent out Roto-Rooter (or similar service) to clear it. No big deal. But three years ago, backups became more frequent. HomeServe had their subcontractor Chris Ripp (Ripp Sewer & Drain Cleaning) inspect it. He confirmed the exterior line needed replacement but didn't do that work himself -- he recommended Mick Karls (Karls Plumbing). At first, HomeServe wanted me to use their "approved" contractors, but neither would directly do the work (they subcontracted it out). I pushed to get Karls approved instead -- a decision I deeply regret. What went wrong: Poor communication from Karls delayed everything. HomeServe dragged their feet approving the job. Karls did the exterior line replacement while I was on vacation in June 2023 -- completely trashed my yard and garden leaving compacted clay soil on surface that is unsuitable for growing grass or plants I spent $2,900 repairing the yard and garden. Karls backfilled without using rock, causing settling and sinking of the new topsoil and sod. Drain backups continued Later, I had Pertzborn replace the interior line (they were fantastic), but backups still happened. Chris Ripp "camera'd" the line again but gave me vague comments, not admitting the real issue was the work that Karls did. Finally, Pertzborn camera-ed the line properly -- and found that Karls installed the brand new sewer line with a BACK PITCH toward the house! There was standing water in the new line -- a total failure. More problems: Excavation showed Karls didn't place rock under the pipe causing the soil to settle and the sewer line to fail. Karls only replaced up to the sidewalk instead of the terrace, making it hard to get the right slope. Lazy, basic mistakes that even YouTube videos explain how to avoid. In August 2024, Pertzborn properly replaced the whole exterior line -- with rock bedding and correct slope from the house to the terrace. Finally, no more backups! Dealing with HomeServe was a nightmare: Dozens of calls and emails. They finally reimbursed me for part of the sewer line cost, but not the landscaping damage. Legal threats were necessary just to even get them to pay what they owed. Dealing with Karls was worse: He verbally agreed to reimburse for landscaping that had to be completely redone ($2900) Then ghosted me completely. Final advice: DO NOT hire Chris Ripp / Ripp Sewer & Drain Cleaning -- dishonest assessments, bad recommendations. DO NOT hire Mick Karls / Karls Plumbing -- unprofessional, poor communication, faulty work. DO NOT use HomeServe for sewer insurance -- slow approvals, difficult reimbursement. DO use Pertzborn Plumbing -- great communication, reasonable pricing, quality work. DO look into adding sewer line insurance through your homeowner's policy instead. Hope this helps another Madison homeowner avoid the nightmare I went through. UPDATE: When I told Chris Ripp I was going to post this review and why, he told me it was "extortion" read more

We were having continuous sewerage problems with back-up in our utility room floor drain. I was referred to Ripp Sewerage and specifically Chris Ripp, he came out to our house, diagnosed our problems, did his work and we haven't had any problems since and I have to say he solved our problem! I can't say how thrilled we are to be able to do business with such a honest and capable business! Bob Schwartz read more

My basement was flooded with rain water and Chris did a thorough job of clearing my basement drain. He was responsive, knowledgable, and even vacuumed the areas around the drain to prevent further issues. He is now my go to person for drains. read more

We needed a 911 to unplug the bathroom tub and sink in a rental. The tenant could not take a shower and was getting impatient. Fortunately, Ripp Sewer got out there quickly and fixed the problem! We are very happy!! read more

Our basement floor drain has been super gross since we bought our house and it recently started backing up; Ripp Sewer and Drain Cleaning was recommended to us and Chris did an awesome. He ended up finding some golf balls that the previous owner apparently lost in the drain that were impeding the drain's flow and he helped cleaned up how gross it looked. Plus, he was super friendly. I'd give more stars if I could! read more

Chris Ripp was incredibly helpful, responsive and reliable. I'd highly recommend Ripp Sewer and Drain Cleaning. He offered me other tips to keep things flowing nicely and definitely knew his stuff. read more

Chris Ripp came out and was very professional. I enjoyed talking with him and he was very informative and explained in detail what was going on. Ripp Sewer and Drain Cleaning prices were very reasonable. This is the 2nd time I've used their service and have been very pleased both times. Thank you very much. Ben Marshall, Wisconsin read more

We had an issue with a leak and a plugged drain under the kitchen sink. I called a plumber that came and fixed the leak, but he did not deal with plugged drains. The plumber gave me Chris's number. Chris was awesome! He didn't just unplug the drain, he talked to me about what typically happens, how to be more proactive keeping the drains clear. Because he was so happy to talk, I mentioned that we have slow drains in our bathroom that I frequently try to clear with liquid plumber, but they never seem to drain all that much faster. He said, "let me show you something, for $1.99 you can fix this problem yourself". We have two sinks in our bathroom In a minute he fixed the first one, and then he walked me through fixing the second one. This level of honesty and professionalism is refreshing. Also, he was fair and reasonable in his pricing. Thanks Chris! read more

Chris was amazingly courteous, kind, and excellent at his job. Not only did he fix our problem, but he cleaned, mopped and bleached the mess. He knew I was pregnant and said he wouldn't want his pregnant wife dealing with poo. I hope we won't have another emergency any time soon, but their card is on our fridge just in case. Can't say enough good about this company! read more