Joseph Barrell PLBG & Heating

We've used this company since 1993 and haven't been disappointed. Ever. Last weekend we had a burst pipe and owner Joe sent Tony out the next day. He discovered a second burst as well, repaired them both and helped with some water removal as well. He was a life saver. We've found them to be incredibly responsive, consistently reliable and Tony couldn't have been nicer or more professional.

This is definitely an example of you get what you pay for. The owner's mechanical engineering degree and background gives the job and the business a very different feel from other plumbers we've used in the past.

I'm a die hard Barrell fan and a customer for over fifteen years. Why? For example, Mike just came by yesterday to tune up our HVAC system. He's clearly an expert, calmly deals with unexpected adversity, and great to work with. Also, when things go awry with poor workmanship Barrell has always expeditiously made us whole. The HQ team is delightful and I always recommend Barrell to friends, family, neighbors and anyone who asks who to go to for plumbing and HVAC work.

Very pleased with the service provided by Barrell plumbing! The work was done in a commercial buidling. Everyone I dealt with was professional and delivered what was promised - on time, on budget! They exceeded my expectations and will recommend them to anyone needing their services!

Barrell Plumbing installed a 2 mini-split system providing air conditioning as well as heat. We were impressed with how they were able to start and finish the work earlier than they originally quoted. Their workers, plus an outside electrical crew they hired to perform the electrical work, were professional and efficient, especially how they cleaned up after themselves upon leaving.

The units have performed above our expectations, especially after experiencing several weeks of hot, humid weather. Now that cooler weather is here, the units provide excellent heat very quickly. We are very satisfied with Barrell Plumbing and would certainly recommend them.

It's never fun when you have to call a plumber - and we've had to call many over the years for our old house. This year was the worst yet! Two weeks prior to Christmas our main drain line was clogged and the entire pipe had to be replaced inside as well as dug out in our alley. Because of the urgency we went with the first company we could get out here.

Not only did they misdiagnose the problem, but they claimed we'd have to rip out an entire bathroom in our finished basement. We decided to call Barrell since we used them in the past for smaller jobs and at this point we felt we needed to talk to someone else. Barrell identified the exact problem. Were able to fix it in two days and surgically cut three small pieces of wall in the bathroom wall rather than rip the whole thing apart. It wasn't cheap, but it was a lot of work over several days. We were very happy with Barrell and will keep using them for our plumbing work.

I have been using Barrell for years. It's a great plumbing company and I highly recommend them. They come when you need them, their prices are good and they have an excellent workforce. We recently had a major issue that had me in tears. Long story short, we had to replace our main sewer line. Joe Barrell personally came out to examine the issue. A work plan was put in place and carried out in a timely and efficient manner, including coordination with the excavation company they work with.

Communication was excellent throughout and they made an extremely stressful and disruptive process much more bearable. They did the work in stages which allowed my tenants and I to continue using water, flushing, etc. Rusty, the man who replaced my pipe, was wonderful as was Joe. I will always be a customer. Thank you Barrell!

They show up on time, do a decent job, for the price they state. While not inexpensive, they are fairly priced and stand by their work. We've had them do simple pipe repairs, hot water heater replacement, and fairly complex gas pipe relocation that involved fussy work due to a joist being in the wrong place. All work done well with no return visits required.

A shame this company has employees who don't live up to their promise: "Serving the Boston area for over 50 years, we have built a reputation for high-quality craftsmanship and professional, courteous service." Seriously some of the rudest workers I have had enter my house. Would not use them again when there are so many more competitors on the market. Take your business elsewhere.

Everyone that I dealt with was polite and professional. Costs were explained in advance, and my leaking hot water heater was replaced within a few hours of my initial call. Very highly recommended!

After pricing around for a water heater replacement, I decided to go with Barrell because the price they quoted was pretty much the same as what other companies were charging and they were already familiar with our building. But when I subsequently spoke with the 'dispatcher' to schedule the install, she said the price would actually be $500 higher than the original quote.

Obviously I did not go through with this company doing the work. Not sure why they would quote me one price (which I confirmed on a 2nd call) just to have them raise the price by $500 when I go to schedule.

Have not written any reviews before but am startled by the negative portrayal of longterm Plumbing and Heating Cambridge firm. I have used other plumbers for emergency and installation jobs and liked them. When it came time to replace our fifty year old furnace we started in researching in spring and chose Barrell. Other plumbers have uniformaly admired their choice of furnace and the workmanship.

I would say the reception and scheduling is old school and if you kitchen floor has less than two inches of water, even charming. No phone tree is a plus to me. That said I think their focus is on contract work. They more than lived up to the job and given our funky house it posed challenges. Crew was professional and they pointed out rebates and helped complete them.

They were stellar for the job we needed them for. Only reason I did not give them five is I don't like to gush and they are as New Englanders, not likely to want me to. Note:. They are closed on weekends, not a problem for me but it is a tip off for their focus.

Barrell Plumbing is the worst service provider I have ever encountered. The receptionist is so rude and unprofessional. She slammed the phone while I was trying to explain to her that I never received any confirmation of appointment, so they should not charge me as there was never an agreement of order. I got not only excellent services from another provider, but also email confirmation and introduction of the team that would be working on my order.

I received further email follow up from that provider to ensure I was satisfied with their service. It's like day and night compared to what I got from Barrell: rude receptionists (a woman and a man), no confirmation of appointment, $165 bill for dispatch fee and labor charge while they did not perform any services. I don't know how they can live with themselves charging people for nothing.

As others have mentioned, they are insanely expensive and borderline fraudulent. I was charged nearly $500 to have a simple garbage disposal replaced (normally about a $200-250 job, appliance included). It took the kid no more than 30 minutes to install but they later billed me for almost 3 hours of work. When I spoke with them about this they took the installers word and said he was able to prove the length of time by reporting his GPS location during the visit.

I live in the center of Cleveland Circle so my guess is he had a nice long lunch close by and, unfortunately, I had the pleasure of paying for his leisure time. What a wonderful company.

Not reliable. The plumber didn't show up at all on the scheduled date. I called the office to see if s/he was coming late. The person who answered the phone almost yelled at me that I didn't receive her calls to my home phone. It was unfortunate that I missed her calls, but I was never told that she would make a confirmation call before their crew shows up. I was expecting the plumber, not her call. Don't want to deal with these people again.

In the past few weeks, I've had a faucet replaced, air conditioner repaired, water heater installed, and we're working on the humidifier. So I have lots of experience with Barrell. They are honest (another company gave me an estimate to replace equipment that wasn't broken). The air conditioner needed a minor part replaced, and they had the work done within a couple of hours, for way less than I was expecting. Very impressed.

If you want to get RIP OFF call this company. I called them as we had heat problems as the heat was working only on and off and a young man came in with a little attitude that got better as we talked. He replaced the glass tube of the boiler as it was rusty and replace 10 air vents (one for each radiator) He went to buy the parts (not sure why they NEVER have any parts with them) and after more or less 3 hours counting the time he took "shopping" he asked me to pay $1,050.00 I was in shock and I asked "WHY so much?!

He said the air valves were expensive when I learned later they are $10.00 It gets worse. After paying them $1,050.00 and about an hour 1/2 after he left, we had NO HEAT! so I called this company again. He came back for about one hour and left. I though it was part of the $1,050.00 he charged, but to my surprise I received an invoice eventually for an additional $440.00 for an "ignition wire replacement" Two weeks after, I had NO HEAT again, so I decide to call a different company and they told me the ignition wire was old and they replaced it on 12/31 under an emergency call for less than half the price $200.00 STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY The also go by Arrell Corporation, stay away from them.

Our water heater tank started leaking at around 8.30 last night. By 9.30 Barrell had a plumber in place draining the tank to prevent further basement flooding. By noon the next day, Barrell had 1) confirmed that the tank (installed by a completely different vendor!) was under warranty, 2) had picked up a replacement in Boston, 3) and had it installed. Again, Barrell is not cheap.

But they pulled in a warranty tank (that they had not installed, and free-of-charge to us) without us having to fill out any paperwork, and had it installed in business hours. Impressive.

I have used Joseph Barrell for 14 years. (pronounced Bar-Rell) and only because finding a good honest plumber who doesn't charge an arm and a leg is so difficult. Barrell's has a very mixed group of workers, some nice and efficient, others useless and inexperienced, but one thing always holds true, whatever the job past changing a washer, they will "have to go back to the office to get a part".

Even when you make it clear exactly what the job is, they never carry anything to do the job: you pay for them to travel back and forth. I have had them work on three properties and it's always the same. They are very trustworthy and I would let them (and have in fact) have a key, but seriously they are extremely expensive. They are better/cheaper than Winters but that's the best I can say.

About 12 years ago I paid for 3 hours of labor for a high tank toilet the 22 year old couldn't fix. Then about 4 years ago again I got a very inexperienced guy to fix a radiator. He did but didn't check the new valve and it began flooding my kitchen. When I phoned I was asked, after I explained, if this was really an emergency and the woman was very rude.

I said "look ask him to come back there's a waterfall!" I have hundred's of dollars of repair to be done for that mess. Reasonable question is, why do I hire them? Because when they are willing to do a job (which they aren't always) they usually manage to get it right, they show up when they say they will and even though they play this going back to the office surcharge game, they charge what they say they will. Sad that it's hard to find better.

I bought my house in Somerville 4 years ago and filled it with tenants. When the heater broke on a weekend, I was up a creek - so I called about twenty plumbers, and Barrell were the only ones who were willing to schlep out here. They are pricey, I agree. This is not my problem with Barrell plumbing & heating. They did fix my heater in a hurry, and I give them points for availability and being willing to schlep out here, even if I am being charged ~$100/hr of their driving time.

I asked the guy at the time if I needed to replace my heater - and he said it was fine, its not an old heater, it should work great. However, my problem is that my heater broke again the next year. And the next. And each time I called Barrell plumbing, because workmen with any sense of professionalism should warranty their own work. Each time they schlepped out here, charging me ~$100/hr of their driving time, and decided that they needed to replace a different part of my "perfectly fine, not too old" heater.

Each time I wound up paying them over $400. This year my heater is broken AGAIN, and after having Barrell plumbing come out to look at it for the last three years, I refuse to be suckered by this company again. After having the SAME professionals come look at my heater three years running, work on it, and then tell me everything is fine, I must believe that their shoddy workmanship has contributed to my heater failing every year for the past 3 years. Barrell Plumbing gets 2 stars because they WILL 'fix' your heater in a hurry. But if you want your heater to stay fixed, I do hope you get someone else to look at it after they do.

Overpriced, unfriendly dispatcher, difficult to schedule, try someone else, there are plenty of alternatives

At first I was fairly happy with their scheduling and customer service. I called and was able to schedule an estimate quickly and easily. I wish I didn't have to schedule almost a week out, but I understand companies get busy - that is usually a good sign, right?! Well, fast forward two weeks later, several phone calls, a handful of messages and I cannot get my quote to save my life!

All this company has done is wasted my time! I took time out of my day to meet you for the estimate. I have called to follow up on the estimate and inquire why my quote has not been delivered when promised over 5 times. It is a rather extensive quote - so it is not like it is not worth the time and money. Just bad business practice. Save yourself the energy and time - find someone that wants to do that work.

The actual plumber that came to my house was great, he showed up early, fixed everything, was very nice and effiicent. troubles came when the bill came and i was charged for an extra half hour. i talked to several people at the office who wouldn't help me get it resolved. in fact, they were somewhat rude and condescending on the phone. finally after complaining to several people, someone finally called the actual plumber who was at my house and vouched for the correct time. they ended up taking the extra half hour off my bill. but, it was a lot more stress involved than it should have been. if you work with these folks, make sure you pay the plumber when he's at your house, so there's no confusion on the bill.

I rarely write Yelp reviews, but I'm so happy with Barrell that I'm making an exception! The furnace in our condo late broke late on a cold and frosty night. I left a message on there emergency line that night, but called back early the next morning. (That was the only negative - they didn't call me back that night, but I didn't really make it sound like it was important enough to warrant emergency service, so no big deal.) They gave me an 11-1 service window, but around 12:45 I got an apologetic call that the repairman was running an hour late. James, the repairman, came at 1:45 and after listening to what I thought the problem was, he got right to work.

He patiently answered all my questions and explained how to fix the problem in the future, without treating me like a dumb girl. I will absolutely use Barrell again in the future! The minimum charge is for 1 hour of service, and it cost $140 for my 1 hour. I don't know if that's a good price, but it seems fair to me! Cash on delivery only, by credit card or check.

Best plumbers I've had the fortune to know for over a decade. These fellas know their stuff & practice it well. They turn around parts orders like they've got elves working for them. Once you've gone Barrell, I can't imagine why you'd go anywhere else (unless the lot of dumba$$es in your condo association suggest otherwise & gush over companies that pale in comparison - even on Angie's list!).

I had a clogged drain pipe that meant dirty dishwater from condos upstairs in my building was coming into my kitchen. I called Barrell at 8:15am, a friendly plumber arrived by 9:30am, and I was writing the $300 check by 10:15 after the guy snaked out the line. As I felt this was urgent, I didn't shop around for a better estimate, so I don't have a sense for how these guys compare from a cost perspective. However, they were extremely prompt, friendly both on the phone and in person, and got it done quickly.

The plumber also gave me some helpful advice for preventative maintenance and how to avoid the problem in the future. Overall, I would recommend these guys for all the positive reasons above, although if you have more time for your plumbing job I would shop around to see how competitive they are on cost.

My condo building now uses Barrell. They're excellent. I've lived here more than 20 years and we've had ongoing air racket problems in the heating system, which Barrell has fixed. I never thought it would happen. One time, during an emergency, caused by an owner shutting her heat off in subzero weather, she called on her own another plumber, who botched up our system.

We brought Barrell in, but unfortunately they sent an inexperienced, young plumber, who didn't help solve the current problem. But very soon afterwards, Barrell sent over some of their experienced plumbers, who resolved the problems caused by the plumber the owner had called on her own. Barrell knows what they're doing, just ask for experienced plumbers.

But to be fair, recently they sent over to my unit a young plumber (even tho I requested middle-aged), who was excellently trained and skilled. And nice to boot--he even showed me what to do with my disposal so it wouldn't appear broken again.

Plumbers - they have you by the cojones, simple as that. When our disposal died (and by died, I mean it didn't even turn on, just flat out decided to call it a day), I sent a few emails, made a few calls, and the folks at Barrell were responsive and kind. We set up an appointment, Joe A. showed up, fixed the disposal, and then charged me an insane amount of money, including travel time.

I said "but you were only here for an hour" (an hour which included plenty of chatting, phone calls to the office, etc). I begrudgingly wrote the check (again, they have you by the cojones) and headed off to work. Anyway - being that I can't keep my mouth shut, I sent an email to the folks at Barrell and asked about the billing. The following morning I got a phone call from Carl in billing apologizing profusely.

He also said he would discard the check I wrote and re-bill for the work less the extra hour we were billed. Given this is a plumber, one hour is a significant chunk of change. Needless to say, I was plenty happy with the results. I would give them five stars, but the fact I even had to go back and question the bill warrants four stars.