Harry Clark Plumbing & Heating Inc.

Excellent work at a moderate price. We have used Harry Clark many times over the years. Multiple plumbing repairs, new main furnace and duct-​work, and just 2 days ago on New Years Eve a gas valve replacement for our 53 year old secondary furnace.
We know that if we need it done right, we call Harry Clark…

Very disappointed in Harry Clark this week. Have used them for years with reasonable satisfaction. Furnace went out this week during this cold spell. Soonest appointment was two days later. Appointment confirmed for 10am-​12. They never showed up or called. I called and they apologized but had no excuse. Looks like recent poor experience with them by others may be substantiated. Too bad.

I wish I could give them zero stars, but Unilocal does not allow that :(
I had very much hoped to have a positive experience with Harry Clark, as my realtor recommended them when I bought a house and needed to have the sewer lateral replaced. Unfortunately, the initial experience having the lateral replaced was negative, and then months later it all turned terrible.
I do not recommend Harry Clark at all. It seems like they were good way back when, but they are not good any longer.
I got a bid from HC to replace the sewer lateral using the pipe bursting method which is the easiest, fastest and least expensive method. I thought, though I will admit that I may have heard incorrectly, that they said the job would take 2 days total. The HC crew came out and started work, dug up some dirt and cut a hole in the sidewalk. They piled the dirt up against the side of the house which is less than ideal. Then they disappeared. A few days passed and there appeared to be little to no progress and there was never any report to me by anyone on the crew or by a supervisor or the office as to any progress, next steps, or delays on the project — basically it was a mystery.
I emailed the office after a few days to inquire as to what was going on and was told that a supervisor would contact me which never happened. The next day the crew was out again and I believe they mostly completed the job. However, they also damaged my gate. I emailed the office with a picture and to their credit someone came out the next day and replaced and painted the damaged gate board. At this point the job was still not completed and there was a big metal plate in the street covering up the hole they dug there and some orange cones left around here and there. This was the situation for about another week. My neighbors were annoyed as was I, and we all were wondering when the heck HC would come out and patch the street, pick up their cones, and complete the job.
I contacted the office again and was told that it would be completed in the next few days which it was. Overall, it took way longer than I was told, there was no communication, and my fence was damaged. My new neighbors who had similar work done by another plumber had theirs completed in 2 days. Overall, not great or particularly professional, but I thought everything was completed and good.
Fast forward about 12 months and things get bad: My elderly neighbor had a suspected sewer leak between our two houses. I arranged for a different plumbing company to come out and do a FREE inspection (HC does not do this!) and they discovered that my neighbor’s sewer and mine were joined together! When the houses where built in 1926 this was allowed, but it is NOT allowed any longer. Harry Clark had illegally, and against building code re-​connected the two sewer lines together and somehow managed to get the city and EBMUD to sign off on the work. The city says they would never sign off on this, so clearly HC hid the illegal connection. This is a big no-​no. So, to keep it short, many many months of emails and calls back and forth with the city of Oakland and HC and other plumbers for professional opinions and there is still no resolution. I offered to Brad Marshall, one of the owners of HC, that they could either refund my money for the illegal, not to code, unprofessional work they performed while trespassing on my neighbor’s property, or they could come out and re-​do the work properly. At this point they have gone silent and are not responding.
Next week I will be initiating a complaint with the Contractors State License board, initiating a claim with the Bonding Company that Harry Clark uses, initiating a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and filing a Small Claims case. What a pain in the butt. My realtor is obviously no longer recommending HC and a house inspector friend of mine has removed HC from his list of local service providers.
And, my neighbor is getting ready to sell her house, and the current joined sewer laterals are definitely going to be a problem.
Based on my experiences with HC it is my my opinion that Brad Marshall and Harry Clark are dishonest, unprofessional, unreliable and do not stand behind their work, and I would never use Harry Clark again and recommend that you do not either.

Excellent service, from the office to the field workers.

They just installed a new heater for us and the process was so smooth. I would like to put a special shout out to Ron Willis and Wes Willis — they both went above and beyond. They were professional, knowledgeable, and extremely helpful. Ron showed up early so we could make our morning appointment and Wes was very helpful in explaining the system to me. I would definitely recommend this company and plan to use them for all my future plumbing needs.

We were told by our real estate agent the Harry Clark was the best but that they are pricey. I spoke with a few companies about replacing our sewer lateral. Harry Clark’s estimate was $ 9k. Pipe Spy said it would be at least $ 15k. We went with Harry Clark. They were professional, did a great job, and the final bill was exactly what they said it would be.

Great customer service– since my original review they have installed central air-​conditioning and today they fixed a small problem on short notice.

The whole team was great! I work with investment properties and frequently work with plumbing companies. These guys took care of the needed Sewer Lateral inspection and all the required work. True professionals. Great communication. Excellent prices.
I will use them again whenever possible. Thanks team.

Harry Clark Plumbing was FANTASTIC! I had a broken sewer lateral that I actually had another plumber come «fix».
My house is serviced by two laterals and I wanted to fix the broken one so that I would continue to have two and not rely on the remaining operable one for everything; you know… don’t have all your sewer laterals in one basket!
The Guys at HC also agreed with me and did the job to my satisfaction. The workers were very professional and at the end of each day, gave me an update on the project progress and their plans for the next day. They also coordinated with the City of Oakland to come out to the project site to do an inspection ensuring all work was done properly and to code.
I’ll definitely call on them again for all my future plumbing needs.
Thanks Harry Clark!!!

I have used HC for about 13 years now for my business, from everything from installing hot water heaters and floor drains, to clearing a blocked floor sink. They are very responsive to my «emergency» calls and have helped get my business back up and running quickly.
I have NEVER had a problem with their quality of work, the employees they send to take care of the problem, or responsiveness. I consider HC a partner in my business and will continue to use them. I can’t speak to how cheap or expensive they are, because I don’t shop around and I realize that running a quality business is expensive. Having said that, I don’t like paying bills any more than the next guy, but when I pay my bill for HC, I feel like I am being charged a reasonable amount for the service I received. I have no complaints and will continue to used HC Plumbing as long as I own my business.

I just moved to my current home from another city and needed a plumber. The seller of my house had used Harry Clark for years so I called them. I had a Grundfos «comfort series» pump installed with a timer and bypass value. This system circulates water most of the day to insure hot water almost instantly. I installed this pump to reduce the water from running a long time to get hot water. The system is working great and the plumber I used was fantastic. He was completely professional and obviously knowledgeable.
The company was quick to set a installation date and time and budget. The plumber had been with Harry Clark for many years. His name is Buck. Would I use this company again? In a heart beat! 5 out of 5 stars for me.

Harry Clark did a complete sewer installation for an old 4 plex. It was done expediently. The crew of Juan and Martin arrived on time and worked hard to get the job done quickly so the tenants Would not be inconvenienced. The city inspector and Harry Clark’s crew found that the adjoining sewer asphalt was not compacted. Harry Clark took it upon themselves to rectify the asphalt of the neighbors when their plumber did not respond. Also when Harry Clark pours asphalt it is level and tight which allows one to sweep it easily.
I feel This company is honest and farir as well as great problem solvers. At another time, I had a suspicious leak in the basement. The owner came out and could tell where the leak was beginning without tearing into any walls. I would use them again without hesitation.

Quite fooling around calling other places and go with Harry Clark. I won’t bore you with all the details of our crazy job, but to say that Harry Clark worked their butts off for three weeks to hand dig a 7′ french drain for us around the entire back and side of our home.
They’re priced competitively, and their customer service is great. Everyone-​from the accounting team, customer service (Denise), project leads (Marcus) to the field staff (Don, Martin, and Juan) were thorough and courteous.
As new home owners it was so reassuring to know they had our best interests in mind and kept showing that through their work ethic, creative approach and attention to detail, not to mention great bedside manner.
I’d hire Harry Clark again in an instant.

I have worked with Harry Clark Plumbing and Heating for a number of years. They do an outstanding job and are extremely responsive. I have had them do complete remodels for me as a developer and individual installation for my real estate client’s bathroom and kitchen remodels. I feel very comfortable referring them to my clients because they are a large enough company to stand by their warrantys. Highly recommended!

Harry Clark Plumbing did an outstanding job of helping us meet our lateral sewer line compliance with the City of Berkeley.
I called Danielle at Harry Clark and she set up the appointment right away, knowing we were in a hurry. She sent a team out to inspect the line and found that we needed an outside ‘clean out’ so got that squared away. Very soon there after the line was inspected and low and behold, it passed! I am out of town so Jason very kindly went to the City and had our job card signed off, then dropped it off at the house for us.
It doesn’t get better then that. And the price? Very reasonable. I will not hesitate to hire Harry Clark again or recommend them to my friends.

My father and I use Harry Clark often for our heating and plumbing needs for our apartments. Easy to set an appointment. Knowledgeable staff and most importantly we can trust that the job is done right!
They’ve even informed me on how the previous repairman may have been the cause by not doing it correctly the 1^st time. I like supporting small family businesses as well.

I have to agree with Yoriko — they used to be good many years ago, but I wouldn’t recommend them now for either plumbing or heating. I’ve had several experiences with them at both my home and a home I was selling, and recent experiences have been very inconsistent and sloppy. Fifteen years ago I was very happy with the services I received.
I would find someone else to do your plumbing and heating!
ADDENDUM: Was talking to another plumber today who was in the neighborhood and he said that Harry Clark pays his people by commission only — a percentage of the job billed or something along those lines. IF all of this is true (I have no proof, just the word on the street), it might explain why the bills are so high and the service is so poor.. ..

Over the hill
I think they used to be good many years ago, but no longer.

I use them for any plumbing needs in our office. They always do a great job, explain everything, and back their work up.

Harry Clark was referred to me by an old-​time Oaklander for my new heating system since he has used them before and was happy with their service and work. I called and Don Marshall came out very promptly and the conversation I had with him was one of the most intelligent and informative contractor talks I’ve ever had. No hard sale, straight, honest, and he ran down a comparison of different furnaces, their pros and cons. No question is too small for Don; he answered time patiently and added more information than I’d have anticipated. He’s also very knowledgeable when it comes to home heating and installing heating systems, as well as other home improvement options. No surprise really; they’ve been around for many many years, longer than most heating companies.
The subsequent follow up and follow through with my new heating system was some of the best I’ve experienced. Don kept a polite yet friendly contact with me at all times and answered any question I have over the phone or email, before and after I signed the contract and before I paid them!
On installation: their crew spent three days. Like Don says: «we’d rather do the job right and spend more time than finish the job fast.» True to their words, they took time to explain things to me. I had a couple of side jobs not included in the contract and they finished them for me at a very reasonable surcharge, happily regarding them as part of the project. Their crew is courteous, on time, tidy, and helpful.
I’m sorry to see so many negative feedbacks on Harry Clark in the area of plumbing. The Harry Clark I know and who came to finish my heating system is definitely pros with a neighborly feel to them. I’d recommend them to anyone without hesitation.