Francis Plumbing Heating & Cooling

I called Francis Plumbing & Heating to have a thorough review done of the plumbing system on a home we were looking to purchase. I am very glad we called, Dan (plumber) was very helpful in determining the correct changes to done, and even made some recommendations on maintenance etc. I would recommend Francis Plumbing and Heating to anyone looking for a qualified and skilled plumber!

Came back from an extended holiday to find our gas hot water tank leaking once I fired it back up. Called around and compared. Also looked at renting vs buying. Decided to go with Francis Plumbing & Heating (Colonnade Rd). Their 10 yr parts/labour/and no leak warranty is by far the best I found when making my calls. I was surprised to learn that a rental from another good company had a warranty of only 8/6/1 after which we would still be liable for repair costs. Given this revelation and that it costs a lot more over let's say 10 years, compared to purchasing, we decided to buy again. Yes, one has the up front cost but with a warranty like Francis's - peace of mind.
The purchase and installation went perfectly. We made our decision in the afternoon and they came before noon the next day! Ellen in the office was very helpful and knowledgeable. The installers, Damion and Kyle were really nice, clean-cut guys. They worked quickly and efficiently. Very professional and experienced. Given the snow and mess outside, I was happy that they laid walking mats from the front door all the way to the furnace room.
We are retired and have dealt with many companies and service people over the years. This was one of our best experiences. We will not hesitate to use this company again and will highly recommend them to family and friends.
Thank you to everyone at Francis!

I am renovating my kitchen to change the current electric stove to natural gas stove. Francis was hired to upgrade the gas line in my house in order to accommodate this new and bigger gas stove. Technician Jordy is very professional and pleasant to work with. One of the tasks is to file some paper work with Enbridge to upsize my gas meter to meet with the additional gas load.

Anne in the office has gone out her way to chase Enbridge and follow-up with my request, which is entirely Enbridge's fault. Kay and Ellen are very helpful too. I could not say thank you enough to these ladies.

I would highly recommend Francis to anybody.

Francis was great. When my furnace broke down late one night about a week ago, they dispatched a technician who arrived within half an hour, cleaned out the hoses to the furnace, solving the problem, and made some good recommendations. I didn't have an existing service agreement with them, but they had installed the furnace for the previous owner. Highly recommend them. Prompt and reasonable.

I contacted Francis Plumbing to fix a leaky dishwasher supply line and leaking kitchen tap on Monday and by Tuesday the work was done and the leaks are all fixed! The service tech was on time, polite, and tidy. I will call Francis plumbing again anytime I need it done fast and right.

Francis Plumbing and Heating installed a modulating furnace and water heater for me.

From the salesman, Ray, to the installation teams, they were great.

Ray went through all my options carefully and answered all my question. The install teams completely cleaned up and explained how everything worked. They answered all my questions.

Great service.

It was a pleasure doing business with Francis Plumbing, particularly Ellen in the Ottawa office and Brandon Willard, who oversaw the installation of our new water heater. The work was done quickly and professionally. I now know what company to turn to for maintenance of our Baxi Luna boiler.

Our A/C unit failed on June 19th. That day I made a request for a call back through the Francis Plumbing website. They called back the next day, and that same day Ray came out to see me, assessed what was need and gave me a quote for a new A/C unit. The unit was installed three days later. The installers were friendly, knowlegeable and did an excellent job of installing the A/C, including moving the unit so that it was away from some outside vents. Ray also noticed that a cold air return was needed in the basement and arranged for proper installation (at ground level), at the same time. The installers answered all my questions about the furnace fan speed, and made sure that the fan was set to proper specs for the AC unit. Fast, Efficient, Excellent service, at a competitive price. I am a very happy customer.

Needed a new hot water tanks as the old one was begining to leak. Fast response to send a technician out to see what would suit use best - tanked or tankless system. Got a quick quote for both - both reasonable costs. Settled on an Pro Rheem tanked system as the warranty and cost compared well with other potential solutions. Better quality heater than available from the box store - installation a bit dearer but I have a better system so a good trade off. System installed yesterday with no major issues - only snag was the team arrived with a natural gas not the required propane heater due to an office transcription issue. Installation delayed by about about 2 hours as the fitters shot off to obtain the right heater from the other side of Ottawa. Installation team were friendly and helpful and the heater was installed fairly quick and everything was cleaned up everything afterwards. Old tank disposed of by the team as well. Overall a positive experience.

On March 16, 2016 I had a toilet flush valve replaced by D.R. Francis Plumbing and Heating. I didn’t enquire how much it would cost when I booked the appointment because this was a simple repair and I have a service agreement with them so assumed it would be reasonable because of this. I had already ordered and received the part from the toilet manufacturer so all that was needed was installation.

The toilet is a model requiring removal of the tank to replace the flush valve. The replacement part was shipped with detailed illustrated instructions (see instructions attached) and even a wrench to unscrew the nut underneath the toilet tank. There are also several YouTube videos online showing how to replace the flush valve on this very same toilet and I watched the video with the plumber when he arrived. It was a straightforward job requiring about a half hour of work for an experienced plumber.

Before getting started, the plumber informed me that the cost of the repair would be $184 plus tax. I told him I thought that was high given the fact this was such a straightforward job as evidenced by the instructions and the video but he said that it was a flat rate. Reluctantly, I gave him the go-ahead but only because it is a tax deductible expense for me since this is income property.

The work was performed without issues just as shown in the video and the instructions and took about half an hour as expected. I was charged $184 plus tax or $207.92 with tax. Before the plumber left, I asked him how much it would have cost without a service agreement and he said 25% more. That would be $230 plus tax or $259.90 with tax for replacing a toilet flush valve!

After the plumber left I contacted Francis Plumbing and Heating. I spoke to Caroline and asked her what the cost of replacing the flush valve was for someone without an agreement. She said that it was $600-$700! I was shocked by that and told her it was unbelievably high.

The next day, I contacted six other leading plumbing firms in Ottawa. I asked them to price the same job and indicated that I was supplying the part. The quotes ranged from $120 - $150 plus tax. The other firms were up front about their hourly rate which ranged from $85 - $100 and explained that they charged a minimum of 1.5 hours of labour even for a small repair like this one.

Armed with this information, I contacted Francis Plumbing and Heating again to discuss my concerns. I spoke to Ellen. I told her about the $600-$700 quote I had been given. She said that was a worst case scenario. So I asked her what the regular cost was and she said that it was what I had been charged. Then I pointed out that the plumber had told me I was charged 25% less because of the service agreement so I asked again what the cost was for someone without a service agreement. She refused to tell me. I then asked what the hourly rate was. She wouldn’t tell me that either saying they only charged a flat rate. When I suggested that the service agreement might be a gimmick she denied it. I then added that they were not showing much transparency but she denied that as well.

Based on my research, Francis Plumbing and Heating is one of the most expensive plumbing firms in Ottawa if not the most expensive. True, they employ only licensed plumbers but the other firms I contacted have licensed plumbers on staff as well. Furthermore, Francis Plumbing and Heating shows a complete lack of transparency in its pricing and its dealings with consumers.