Plumbers Who Won't Drain Your Wallet

Need a plumber you can count on? Here are 24 of the best in the Chicago area

By Robert Krughoff

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24 Top-Rated Plumbers

Got a leaky faucet? Overflowing toilet? These premium plumbers won't leave you in the lurch.

Methodology*

Name	Address	City	Phone	% of customers surveyed who rated company "superior" for overall quality	Amount you might expect to pay for work for which the average Chicago plumber would charge $100
All Suburban Emergency Plumbing	322 Shadow Hill Dr.	Elgin	630-620-8233	84	$87
Arrow Plumbing	547 North Ave.	Libertyville	847-549-9600	90	$90
Bob Dorr Plumbing & Heating	824 W. Main St.	St. Charles	630-377-0796	88	$83
Burmeister Plumbing & Heating	4220 W. Lawrence Ave.	Chicago	773-545-1943	89	$99
D'Andrea Plumbing	2N630 Lloyd Ave.	Lombard	630-469-4810	100	$93
Ernie Peterson Plumbing	2421 Delany Rd.	Waukegan	847-244-4234	90	$74
Fettes, Love & Sieben	4325 N. Lincoln Ave.	Chicago	773-935-7260	84	$103
Forte Plumbing	8142 Grand Ave.	River Grove	708-456-6880	96	$90
Jack Waters Plumbing	446 W. 194th St.	Glenwood	708-798-9100	79	$99
James H. Beutjer Plumbing & Heating	30W270 Butterfield Rd., #117	Warrenville	630-260-1773	100	$96
Karl Meyer Expert Plumbing	333 Ridge Ave.	Elmhurst	630-530-1540	94	$80
Larsen & Sons Plumbing & Heating	4823 N. Damen Ave.	Chicago	773-561-3580	100	$103
Local Plumbing	23663 S. Ashland Ave.	Crete	708-748-3232	90	$73
Michels Plumbing	225 Gale St.	Aurora	630-801-9700	93	$89
Midcity Plumbing	321 S. County Line Rd.	Franklin Park	708-452-8680	93	$93
Ostman Plumbing	1607 Techny Rd.	Northbrook	847-272-0276	95	$70
Preferred Plumbing	P.O. Box 7910	Westchester	708-562-1271	87	$94
R & S Plumbing	3850 Berdnick St.	Rolling Meadows	847-358-7530	83	$95
R. J. Kuhn Plumbing, Heating & Cooling	585 State Rte. 31	Oswego	630-554-3336	90	$98
S & K Plumbing	28464 N. Garland Rd.	Wauconda	847-821-8249	87	$98
Santucci Plumbing	3021 Commercial Ave.	Northbrook	847-272-3090	90	$99
Simon Plumbing & Sewer Service	5200 160th St.	Oak Forest	708-687-3378	90	$74
Thompson Plumbing	625 E. 65th St.	Willowbrook	630-969-0249	94	$90
Tim's Plumbing & Sewer	P.O. Box 55	Hazel Crest	708-799-4010	86	$81

*These 24 plumbers rated highest among the 199 companies evaluated in Chicago Consumers' Checkbook magazine and at Checkbook.org. In analyzing Chicago-area plumbers, Checkbook asked area consumers to rate several aspects of their service experience as "inferior," "adequate," or "superior." More than 8,000 surveys were compiled over a six-month period from February to July 2005. Each of the plumbers listed was rated by at least 16 customers. The percentage of customers who rated the overall performance of a company as "superior" is given on our list. Checkbook also considered complaints on file at the Better Business Bureau for a recent three-year period and with the Office of the Illinois Attorney General for a recent two-year period. Between the two offices, none of those listed here had more than one complaint on file. To compare prices, Checkbook's shoppers, without revealing their affiliation with Checkbook, contacted plumbers and requested price quotes for specific jobs. Prices were then compared among companies. Our table shows how each plumber's prices compared with the average, which here is scaled to $100. For example, a company with a price of $90 on the list quoted prices 10 percent lower than the average quoted price.