What our neighbours say

Replaced our 40-gal tank with a Rheem after ours sprung a leak the week before Christmas. Ray came out same day for the diagnosis, had the new unit installed the next morning. Price matched what his written estimate said to the dollar, which I really appreciated after a different plumber the previous year added $400 on the invoice “for parts.”

Pipe burst at 11 p.m. on a Wednesday — temps had dropped hard and a copper fitting behind the laundry room wall let go. Called the number expecting voicemail or an answering service. Janine picked up on the second ring, took my address, and said Ray would be there in under an hour. He was on site in 45 minutes. That’s the thing — it was actually a plumber who answered the phone, not a dispatcher reading from a script. Had the line patched and water back on before 1 a.m.

Had them swap out an old vanity faucet for a Kohler Elmbrook I’d ordered myself. The work was clean and the new faucet looks great. One thing: they showed up about 20 minutes late, though to their credit Janine called ahead to let me know and gave me an accurate ETA rather than leaving me guessing. Work itself was exactly what they quoted. I’d still recommend them and would call again — just factoring in a small time buffer.

Old cabin up off the highway, slab on granite, no crawlspace. I had a water meter that wouldn’t stop spinning and zero idea where the water was going. Ray used an acoustic locator and a thermal camera to pin the slab leak to a six-inch stretch of copper — no drywall opened, no guesswork. Up here you can’t exactly call three plumbers for quotes; you need somebody who knows what they’re doing the first time. These guys do.

Same kitchen drain had backed up twice in two years — the auger-it-and-hope approach wasn’t cutting it anymore. Silverfork ran a hydro-jet and then sent me a camera video of the line so I could actually see what was going on. They told me straight up that I had root intrusion further down the sewer lateral and recommended a liner contractor — not themselves — for that part of the job. I really appreciate when a trade doesn’t try to upsell work they’re not the best fit for. Drain’s been clear for seven months now.

We’ve had our 1971 cabin up here for 22 years and the original galvanised supply lines finally gave out — low pressure, rust in the water, pinhole leaks every few months. We got three quotes; Silverfork was the middle price and the most detailed proposal, line by line. Carlos and Dean handled the whole repipe over three days: new copper throughout, two new shutoffs, and they tied into the main where it enters the foundation rather than patching from the meter. Work was tidy — they swept up each evening and didn’t leave tools or fittings on the floor overnight. Ray did the final inspection himself on day three. It’s the biggest plumbing job we’ve done on the cabin and we couldn’t be more satisfied. Galvanised-to-copper is exactly the kind of work these guys are built for out here.

Needed two toilets swapped for high-efficiency models to qualify for the EID Water Wise rebate. Silverfork installed both, then helped me fill out the EID paperwork — they charge a flat $50 for that, which is completely worth it because the rebate form is not intuitive. Smooth job, in and out in a few hours. Would use again.

The work itself was done well — new 50-gal installed clean, area left tidy, good warranty documentation. No complaints on quality. My hesitation is price: I checked a couple of shops in Placerville after the fact and came in noticeably higher than what I found elsewhere for the same unit. To their credit, the written estimate came before any work started and they honored it exactly. If something breaks at 9 p.m. in winter I’d call them without hesitation — they’re worth the premium for urgency. For a planned job I’d shop around first.