Spokane Plumbing and Heating came to our rescue yesterday (New Years Eve) and if we could give them 10 stars out of 5, we absolutely would! They got us through an extremely sketchy situation with so much kindness and compassion.
Our kitchen sink backed up late in the evening on 12/30 and they got back to me within minutes when I reached out through yelp after 11pm. We all assumed that it was a standard clog in the sink and that it would be easy to tackle, and so they squeezed us in between jobs the next day. BOY DID WE ASSUME WRONG.
My husband and I live in a house that was flipped right before we moved in and the seller before us cut some pretty significant corners to save them money, but we had no idea what was in store for us. Spokane Plumbing and Heating came over and quickly assessed the situation and tried to snake the pipe. They noted immediately that some of the plumbing under the sink was put in incorrectly and that our pipes were a 1/2" too small, but we didn't think it would turn a simple job into a 7+ hour ordeal.
The small snake didn't work. The medium snake didn't work. They left and got a brand new snake which they thought would get the job done. It did not. In fact, it got stuck. They had to pull out the dishwater and install another access point directly into the pipe so the snake would (in theory) not get stuck. This theory did not pan out, and the snake got stuck and they couldn't free it up. That's when they had to start cutting into the ceiling in the basement to access the pipes, where they uncovered an absolute nightmare. Before flipping the house, not only did our seller use pipes that were too small among other issues, but they also piped them at an UPWARD SLOPE, causing the gunk to completely block the pipe solid. They cut the pipe out and drained the sludge from it, then reinstalled it and went to finish snaking it because surely that would be the fix, right? Wrong. The snake went through the portion of pipe they removed only to hit another clog which could not be moved. They had to go back down to the basement, cut into more ceiling, and do the same sort of process again. The second time they cut into the ceiling, they found even MORE issues. It was absolutely insane. Thankfully, that time it worked and they were able to fix the clog and put it all back together for us, tidied up, collected all their trash, and left the house looking essentially the way it looked when they arrived, minus the holes in the basement ceiling which we need to rip open anyway, so it's kind of moot anyway.
The reason I wish I could review them at 10/5 stars is because they did everything I described above and they never once stopped being considerate and compassionate to the situation. We were absolutely horrified by what they discovered and with each passing hour it seemed to be getting worse and worse, but they kept reassuring us that they would not leave us hanging and that they would be able to figure out the problem and fix it. They also reiterated over and over that this wasn't our fault and that we had been totally screwed over by the seller, which really helped to hear. I spent probably 5 out of 7+ hours watching them work and they never lost their sense of humor, even when the job continued to become more and more frustrating. They happily educated me when I asked about a million questions to try to understand what was happening. They could have easily become annoyed and irritated with the situation but they didn't do either of those things in a way that was directed at me. They were also extremely pet friendly, and as a house with a lot of little fur babies that is always a bonus. Our kitties became fast friends with them.
This took a simple snake job and turned it into something which took 2-3 people (2 to start with and then they had to call for backup) over 7 hours to complete. My husband and I just sat helplessly watching the hours tick by and wondering how we would even begin to cover the bill, but at the end of the evening when everything was said and done, they only charged us a fraction of what they normally would have charged. They said they couldn't in good conscience charge us for what their base rate would be because of the situation, which seriously was a life saver. I have no words for how grateful we are that, now, of all times, a small business chose to take a loss on the job to save us from an astronomical bill. They extended unbelievable kindness and compassion to us and our situation.
In short, if you need a job done reach out to Spokane Plumbing and Heating. I'm not kidding, they are going to be the first people I call for any plumbing and heating in the future forever after yesterday. If you're wondering if they are the right person for the job, they definitely are. If you're looking for a small business to support, please support them. They really, truly deserve this praise and more. read more