Anyone know a great plumber/hot water heater repair man in Manayunk or nearby?

I have used Struse plumbing for the last couple of years. They installed our water heater. Ray is very courteous and does good work. They were at my house within 15 minutes last Sunday when I had an emergency leak.

Glad your experience with Struse was ok. On the other hand, I had a rotten experience with them. It was like my brother Daryl and my other brother Daryl--largely idiotic. I went with Harker and had superior service.

John Szollose

I second Harker.

Peejay, I am looking at replacing my water heater in the near future. I have never done this before. Will plumbers install a new water heater that I personally buy , or does the plumber typically supply the water heater?

You are usually better off letting the plumber supply the heater. Contrary to what the "big orange store" wants you to believe, 99% of the time, their prices aren't that great compared to the distributors that professionals use. Even if the plumbing co. subscribes to the type of business model where they pad out the parts costs to cover overhead or unseen labor, supplying your own parts usually doesn't save you any money because they will just get it back on the labor side of the bill. (Aside - Many people in various trades use such a business model--some people use it unscrupulously, but that doesn't necessarily make it a bad system. Just go with a company or individual who has credibility and relax. )

A water heater install quote will typically include delivery of the new unit and haul-away/disposal of the old unit.

I recommend Philip Shafer. His phone number is 215-487-2960 and email is philip.shafer@verizon.net. He does excellent work at reasonable rates and is from the Manayunk/Roxborough area.

__________________
No matter where you go, there you are. (b.banzai)

Philip Schafer did a great job for me and seemed very trustworthy. www.philipschafer.com

He's always available when I have an emergency.

I meant to endorse Stimmler. All those plumbers with names that begin with "S" - hard to keep them straight. No knocking Szollose though.