KW in Calgary

Discover a bursted hot water heating pipe in the afternoon of Dec 31. New years eve approaching and we need to get someone quick - availability and cost are the 2 criteria that need to be met. Baker Plumbing required payment in advance before they would come out, unusual but because of timing, urgency and cost - it was an acceptable risk. We found no issue with the work, however because the service call did not actually occur until the evening, they attempted to charge overtime though the arrangements were made earlier in the afternoon. We work through that issue. Long story short, after many phone calls and elapse time of 10 months, we have yet to receive a statement or bill (we receive something in an email but nothing that we have will open it up and we have lots of tools) and no refund in sight. Given the same predicament, I would not hesitate to call them again, but how often do you get a burst heating pipe on Dec 31.

On the flat areas, the corners were true, the gaps even so the contractor was reasonably proficient. The first contract was completed without a hitch but on the second contract, 2 things that happen that I think are inexcusable. They dumped the waste water from the grouting into the toilet. They may not have caused the clog but at a minimum exacerbated the problem. The waste water backed up into a brand new acrylic tub. Secondly, they never checked the floor for level. The main part of the bathroom floor was level but around the toilet, the difference between the front and back of the toilet was more than 3/8".

The traditional 2 handle control valves on bathtub were old and leaking and rather than repair them, we thought we would replace and upgrade to a single lever control since a tub surround was going to be installed. The contractor removed the old water control unit and placed the new one in exactly the same location so that when the finishing plate was added, it was touching the water spout. So now when you take a shower, you need to bend down to the spout level to adjust the temperature or flow. The wall was open, how much more effort was it to place the control valve at correct height. The tub surround installer came minutes afterwards and finished up, sealing the fate of control valve replacement. Big learning for us, just because you hire a professional doesn't mean that they are and always check on each stage before you move on even when it is pretty simple.

Fast, punctual and reasonably priced. We have gone through quite a few plumbers and hot water heating specialists over the years and there were always nagging issues like the valve stem on the hot water heating inlet control was leaking, laundry tub supply leaks, etc. The contractors came and did the main job but when asked about the odd bits, they would ignore it or do a temporary patch. Mermaid on the other hand came out to service a leaky hot water tank and address any and every issue that they saw. Mermaid did more than we asked, did it faster than any plumbers we dealt with in the pass, address not only the problem but the cause of the problem and handles both plumbing and hydronics.