Dr Piper

Woke up to a slow main water leak. After the insurance recommended plumber came out and located the leak in the slab I checked Unilocal and DR PIPER looked good. Called the number and a real person answered. In fact it was Radi Mintchev, the man mentioned in most of these reviews. I gave him a quick run down… he was in the middle of a job, and he agreed to meet me at the property the next day. Radi was on-​time. Thank you. We reviewed the situation and he gave me good information about fixing the leak and/​or re-​piping the main line. His estimate was free.
This is an old house and we were not sure if we had found the main shut off valve or not. The valve was very corroded and no doubt would have failed if we had attempted to close it. I recommended replacing it. Radi gave me a good price and set to work. In less than 20 minutes he was done. We closed the new valve and the water to the house ceased to flow. Finally, an important piece of information I could use to make a decision about what to do next. This property is a two on one with pipes running everywhere. I thanked Radi for his information and we parted ways.
Radi is a nice person to begin. He was on time. He was honest. He was skilled. The reason I did not have him fix the leak or re-​pipe the main is because we only received so much money from the insurance company. We decided to re-​pipe the main and myself and several friends did a log of digging this last weekend. We made several trips to HD for supplies… laid the pipe, installed a new pressure regulator and finally found the T connection connecting the back house to the main. Mystery solved.
I would expect Radi to be nothing less than professional in all situations. Give him a call for your next job. I will.

Radi at Dr. Piper is my go-​to plumber for any job. When I found my water heater leaking all over the garage this morning, he was able to fit me in same-​day, showed up with the replacement water heater, and hauled out the old corroded one. He also replaced all the fittings from the plumbing and gas line, so those are new and reliable, and replaced the wall straps to bring it all up to code. Radi’s attention to detail is reassuring, and his promptness, professionalism, and fairness are why I continue to rely him.

Very recently we’ve got re-​piping after we experienced pin hole leaks four times. I’ve had talks with three companies and estimates. One of them is widely known Re-​Piping company and the other was known to be low in quote. Dr. Piper was in the middle in price but gave as much technical confidence as the most expensive one. Dr. Piper presented the options, plans and pros-​n-​cons in detail. It was very helpful for me to investigate further for final decision.
We have a 2 story house with 3000 ft sq. It took a day for preparation of entire house. It took 2 days for re-​piping and another 2 days for finishing and cleaning. Painting was left for someone else.
I am an engineer and watched their working meticulously. Their workmanship and work ethic impressed me. At busiest time 7 member of crew worked together and were efficient. Their job was clean and my wife and I are more than happy.
Later we found a new bath tub faucet makes hissing sound and called Dr. Piper for fix. The after service was responsive and very satisfactory. It was found a faulty gasket in the assembly was the problem.
It was regretful we didn’t re-​pipe earlier. The job was not as much messy as expected. They reviewed the house layout and figured out the most efficient routing. No more piping under the slab! No more anxiety when coming back from long trip!
I am proudly recommend Dr. Piper for re-​piping and plumbing work.

There’s never a convenient time for your water heater to start leaking and right before a Charger game the weekend before Thanksgiving is no exception! Two friends referred me to their plumbers, and I did some of my own checking with Home Depot and Sears.
Once the lever was switched and the water stopped leaking, I had some time to research and I’m so glad I did as now I’m 100% positive I made the right choice by choosing Dr Piper.
Radi was the only one who didn’t try to sell me on why his brand was the best, and the only one to tell me how to even stop the leaking! Clearly he cared about helping me instead of just selling me a water heater.
Radi and Peter arrived early, were professional and friendly and I will never use another plumber for anything! These guys ROCK!

I truly can’t remember the last time I had such great customer service. We called Dr. Piper on Sunday morning because we suspected a leaking pipe in our main water line. Radi offered to stop by to assess the situation at no cost. As part of his free assessment, he grabbed a shovel and dug a 3 – 4 foot deep hole to confirm where the leak was coming from. He gave us a very reasonable price to fix the leak. Radi knew we are on a budget, so even started explaining how we could fix it ourselves if we really wanted to save some money (mind you, this is all before he knew whether we would be hiring him). We decided to go ahead and hire him, and he went straight to work. He completed the job in a very timely but thorough manner. In addition to doing a great job, Radi was incredibly friendly and had a wonderful sense of humor. Would highly recommend!

Radi is very professional and flexible. He and his crew work hard and effective. Radi will stand by till the end to make sure everything is done correctly with minimum intrusion to your daily life. Highly recommended!!!

Had 2 Plumbers come in before and take a look at a Leak coming in from the street, no one knew what was the problem, Dr Piper can in and fixed the problem in less than an hour the leak was gone and he even fixed one of our toilets as a plus. Would highly recommend him, not to mention he came on a Sunday Morning.

My entire home needed new copper pipe due to a slab leak and general age of the old plumbing. Radi and his men got the job done on time, with as little disruption to our home as possible. He cares about his work and it shows. The best thing I can say is that after tearing my home apart and putting it back together he was so meticulous in the process that you can hardly tell anything was ever disturbed in the home!

Expert, thorough, professional. Dr. Piper really saved the day! He works efficiently and I recommend his work to anyone with drain clog issues. I’m so happy that my shower is working again.

Don’t bother with any other company– just call Dr Piper! Just days before Labor Day Weekend our five year old tankless water heater stopped working. The search for repairs started, but turned into a search for a new WH. Several companies didn’t even bother to come out and the ones that did, didn’t even bother to open up our water heater to see what was wrong. They just wanted us to buy a new water heater, which they couldn’t install until after the holiday weekend. Then a friend suggested we contact Radi Mintchev at Dr Piper. He came over and immediately opened up the WH to see if he could fix it. He found the problem, said he could call around to see if he could find a replacement part, But wasn’t sure any could be found since the company had gone under. He didn’t charge us for the hour of work! Radi quoted a price for a new water heater, lower than the other companies we contacted. He didn’t want us to go without hot water so he offered to get it done for us the next day. Radi came at 11 this morning and was here for several hours installing our new water heater, fixing pipes and other problems from the previous install. When he left, our garage was cleaner than it was before, and we had hot water! I would highly recommend Dr Piper! Radi was so helpful, took pride in his work, and his prices were very reasonable! Thank you Radi for the quality work, AND for hot water!

We had to replace all the piping in the house because of a leak in the slab under one of the bathrooms. Radi came out to give an estimate and explain the process. The next morning, he and his crew arrived on time, introduced themselves and started working. When we got home at 8 pm, the crew was packing up and… ALL the pipes in the house have been replaced. I couldn’t believe that they were able to install brand new copper piping throughout the house in just one day! The next day, they came back and, after an inspection, patched all the drywall, sprayed the texture, and cleaned up all the debris. I am so grateful to Radi and his crew for doing a great job and also for finishing it so quickly. We got our house back (with all new piping!) in just two days!

After several water losses from corroded copper pipes in my 37 year old home, and facing being dropped by my Homeowners Insurance carrier for one more claim, I made the decision to do a complete repipe. After some research, I decided on copper.
A repipe is a big deal. The contractor has to figure out how to run new pipes in the walls from where water comes into the house to each and every sink, toilet, tub, shower, laundry appliance, and hose bib, without tearing up the house any more than necessary. They have to cut lots of drywall while keeping the dust under control, minimize the amount of time the water is shut off, and maintain the best technique while sweating pipe joint after pipe joint. Scary stuff. Who knows when the bad joint will show up? Stuff to lose sleep over.
Our home is about 2600 square ft., with 3 full baths, 3 hose bibs, kitchen, and laundry in the garage. At first, I got some very high bids a local plumber and a general contractor, both recommended by friends. Not only were the bids high, but they did not include any repair of the drywall holes that would be made. The more I read, the more I realized how challenging a job a repipe is; it should be done by someone who does it all the time. Based on Angie’s List and other online recommendations, I called Repipe Specialists, Inc. — so glad I did! They had Rafael come out within 48 hours. He made a very knowledgeable presentation, and gave me a detailed bid on the spot, including drywall repair (paint-​ready), that was half of the bid from the general contractor, and the lowest of all.
Rafael explained that Repipe Specialists covers a large geographic area, and does not subcontract, but uses a network of partners invested in the program. The San Diego area provider was Dr. Piper. Even before we made the decision to go with the bid, Rafael called and said that Radi from Dr. Piper was in the area and would like to walk through the house, which he did. He is a really nice guy, and again seemed very knowledgeable and competent in answering my questions. After he left, I checked out the online reviews for him, and that clinched it. Work was scheduled for the following Monday. We were asked to clear out cabinets under the sinks, and move a few items of furniture.
Pipes (all made-​in-​USA L Copper) and other supplies were dropped off in our driveway early Monday morning. The crew (Radi and two other men) showed up punctually at 8:20, and spent the day doing a very impressive job of walling off work areas with plastic sheets. They covered all tile and counters in the kitchen, and protected everything that needed protecting. They laid clean canvas cloth runners to cover the stairs, and covered the entire garage, kitchen and living room floors with plastic.
They came back on Tuesday and started cutting drywall and installing pipes. Big job, with as many as 5 guys working at one point. They were all very pleasant. They worked hard and long — until 9:45 one night (they asked if they could work late and we said yes — I’m sure they would have respected our wishes if we had not wanted that.) The water was shut off while they were working for two days, but they managed to get us water when they left every night. They finished the repipe late Thursday and called for Inspection, which happened (passed, no problems) on Friday.
Then came the drywall repair. This two day process was as impressive as the repipe itself. The teams patched the holes, some very large, with the pieces they had cut out, and applied several coats of mud and texturing. Most of the repairs don’t even appear to need painting — you just can’t see where they were. It’s amazing! To cap it off, the guys worked all day Saturday AND Sunday, until after 9pm both days, in order to get the job done, and not leave us with a mess for an extra day. They finished on Sunday night, removing all the plastic and drapes, vacuuming and washing the tile floors, putting back the few pieces of large furniture they had moved. There was a light coating of white drywall dust in some areas– partly from an additional task of scraping the dated popcorn texture off our living room ceiling we had them do — but all in all, the house was in great shape when they left.
Radi was present himself more than half of the time. He came by at least several times a day when not working himself, and was always responsive by text or cell. Everyone was pleasant, cooperative, and hard-​working to extreme. We had no concerns leaving them working in the house when we had to go out.
Radi and the Dr. Piper crew were great. The peace of mind I got from them was priceless. Use them!

Late last year, I was told by my insurance company that they wouldn’t renew my homeowners policy if I didn’t repipe my house to bypass the pipes in the concrete foundation that had sprung two leaks in the past three years — a very scary and expensive proposition. One contractor shook his head as he toured my 3200 sq. ft. place, noting that its size and complex layout would make a repipe very expensive. He didn’t even want to quote the job. But he did me a solid and recommended Radi Mintchev’s Doctor Piper service.
Cool Thing #1: Radi showed up, was personable and knowledgeable, and promptly sent me a very reasonable quote. I gave him the job the next day. Unfortunately, just over a week before he was to begin, we had an illness in the family and I had to call and ask him to postpone the estimated 10-​day project. He was extremely cool and flexible about it, and seemed more concerned about my sick family member than the colossal inconvenience to him.
Cool Thing #2: We rescheduled for June. He and his crew showed up on time and spent the first day systematically covering the floors and walls with protective plastic sheeting. The next day they got down to business, moving furniture, opening up walls and ceilings, and installing new high-​grade copper pipes. They worked long and hard for several days, each day making sure I was updated on the job’s progress. Several times, I was impressed at Radi and his crew’s innovative solutions for some of the thorny plumbing obstacles my house presented. And Radi doesn’t just supervise — he gets as dirty as the rest of the crew. These guys work together like a good-​humored, well-​oiled machine, and they finished a few days ahead of schedule.
Cool Thing #3: As a layperson, I know next-​to-​zip about plumbing, but I had a very good feeling about the work they were doing. For instance, they cut the drywall out in tight, numbered rectangles that allowed them to repair the holes perfectly and efficiently. But the good vibes were clinched near the end of the project when the building inspector arrived to approve their work before they closed up the walls. He made a point to tell me that Doctor Piper is the only company he carries business cards for, in case he’s asked for a recommendation. Then he showed me two examples of the extra care they take. Plastic insulators were installed on both sides of each 16-​inch separated wall stud where pipes went through them, and he said they’re only required to install them every four feet. And he pointed out that the pipes had been polished to minimize water noise. His enthusiasm about Doctor Piper was striking and reaffirming.
Bottom line: A very grateful and happy customer!

Came on time and tried to clear the plumbing. Although he was busy and just took a glimpse of the problem he still tried to de-​clog the tub for me. Didn’t charge me anything and refer me to another plumber. He work on it and water is flowing better then before. Thanks Radi Mintchev (GM)

Great experience with Radi and his entire crew. Did my research in finding someone that knew what they were doing, was not disappointed. They repiped my condo, kept the dust contained well, and it became clear after the first day that this is what they do. If you need repiping these guys are specialists. One of the workers told me I was their 105^th repiping job in the past 365-​day year. Don’t hire a plumber that sometimes does repiping, maybe for a little less, if you can get these guys and be sure it’s done right. Some of the larger companies even charge more. The crew is a great bunch of guys from Bulgaria and would otherwise be struggling in what is considered the poorest Eastern block country. These guys work hard, was impressed from start to finish. Waited a few weeks from completion of work to see if any issues. No issues — perfect job.

I cannot recommend Radi (Dr. Piper) highly enough.
I had a problem with a leak in one of my showers and called him. He took a few minutes out of a very busy schedule to come by and look at the problem. He said that it was in the tile and he does not do tile work. He did recommend a great tile man who do a fantastic job — so his recommendations are very excellent. While he was here looking at the shower he took the time to fix a problem that I had with a sink. a couple of weeks later I called him regarding a similar problem with a sink in my other bathroom. and I had company coming for an extended visit. He was «booked» solid but said that he could come by on Saturday. He gave me a time frame that he would be here. He called when he was on his way and arrived at the «lower» end of the time frame. As I said highly recommend Radi, he is fast, efficient, reliable, very cost effective.

Since meeting Radi Mintchev I will never call another plumber. He’s skilled, professional and fair. He won’t offer you services you don’t need. Does quality work at a reasonable price. For your plumbing needs HIRE THIS GUY!!!

We have a home built about 25 years ago, when it was customary to run the copper piping under the foundation. After three separate slab leaks, we decided it was time to re-​pipe our home. We got four different estimates from plumbing contractors who came highly recommended. Radi and his crew at Dr. Piper came with the very best recommendation of all. HIs estimate was the most complete and reasonable, given that he included the drywall, texture, and paint necessary to restore our home to its original outstanding condition. I was a little concerned that while Radi may do a great job with the re-​piping, he may not know how to do the hand-​troweled finish I wanted to match the other walls. He assured me that he could do the job, and furthermore, I was to pay him when the whole job was finished and I was happy with the work. How could I argue with that?
He and his crew went way above and beyond to do a first class job for us. Just to give you an example of some of the extra effort that they went to for us, we had replaced our heating and air conditioning system about 5 years ago. We had two furnaces in the attic and the two air conditioning units on either end of the house which had been replaced; however, the contractor who did that job 5 years ago left all the old ducting and furnaces in the attic, instead of removing them. We never go in our attic and were not aware of the old junk left up there. Dr. Piper removed everything that did not belong there, which was beyond the scope of their job.
Additionally, they brought in a county inspector to make sure everything was done correctly (NO other plumbers offered to schedule and bring in an inspector!). When I asked Radi if that was necessary, he said, «No, but how are you going to know if we are doing a good job?» Hmmm… good point!
Furthermore, they bagged up all their trash and removed it in their van. I had seen it mounting up over the course of the ten days they were here and was frankly dreading the task of moving it out to the curb for the trash collectors.
We waited two months to get on his schedule, and it was definitely worth the wait! They were neat, pleasant, efficient, and very hard-​working! They even worked over Memorial Day and Saturdays to get the job done as quickly as possible. We were very impressed with the job they did for us and, without any reservation, can highly recommend them!

Amazing plumber! Extremely responsive and knowledgeable. I was impressed with his work ethic and how quickly he was able to determine the root of the problem and offer solutions. My coworker recommended him to me and after working with him I’d recommend him in a heartbeat.

So yesterday I discovered that I had a small gas leak and called SDGE to turn the gas off. I talked to the technician and he told me that a plumber can fix the problem. So after a few failed attempts, not being able to get here soon and getting overcharged I called DrPiper. First off Radi was very nice and had no problem getting here when I needed him to. He was on time and even called a few minutes before arriving. When he got here I explained the problem and he got right to work. He replaced an adapter and gave me pointers on what to do next. His fee was almost 70% less than previous quotes and only wanted me to pay when SDGE turned the gas back on and verified that there was no more leaks.
I highly recommend DrPiper and want to thank Radi Mintchev for his outstanding work!