Frequently asked questions

Yes. We answer (515) 494-5483 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays. Burst pipes, sewer backups, no heat and water heater leaks get dispatched right away. Standard hours for non-emergency work are Mon–Sat 7am–7pm.

Polk County and Central Iowa: Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Clive, Johnston, Waukee, Altoona, Pleasant Hill, Windsor Heights, Bondurant, Grimes, Norwalk, Indianola. We are a mobile service, so we come to your home — there is no storefront to visit.

Most drain clears run $95–$200, furnace repairs $150–$800, AC repairs $150–$650, and a gas tank water heater installed runs $1,200–$2,000. You always get a written quote before any work starts.

After-hours emergency calls carry a $75–$125 dispatch premium on top of standard pricing. No tripled rates and no hidden weekend fees.

Yes to both. We offer a military discount for active duty, retired and veterans, and financing on jobs over $500 with approved credit.

Every job carries a one-year workmanship warranty. If something we did fails within a year, we make it right at no charge. Equipment carries its manufacturer warranty, which we register for you.

It's locally owned by Blake Daniels, who also owns Busy Builders, a Central Iowa remodeling and home-building company. The plumbing and HVAC company started in 2025, and Nate is our lead technician. We handle both plumbing and heating and cooling, so one call covers a water heater, a furnace or an AC.

Call (515) 494-5483. That is the fastest way — most service calls are same day.

A standard 40–50 gallon gas tank water heater installed in Des Moines runs $1,200–$2,000. Electric is slightly less. Tankless units run $2,800–$5,500 installed depending on whole-home vs point-of-use. Every quote we give is upfront and written.

A like-for-like tank swap is typically 4–6 hours. A first-time tankless install or fuel conversion (electric to gas) can take a full day because of venting, gas line, and permit inspection.

If your unit is under 8 years old and the repair is under $400, repair it. If it's over 10 years old, leaking from the tank, or rusty water is coming through, replace it. We give a straight answer at the diagnostic.

Yes — Rinnai, Navien, and Rheem tankless installs are a big part of what we do, including the gas line upsizing and venting most Des Moines homes need.

A standard kitchen or bath drain clear is $95–$200. A main sewer line clearing through a cleanout runs $200–$350. Hydro-jetting is $400–$800 and includes a free camera inspection. We never start work without a written price.

Snaking punches a hole through the clog so water flows again — fast and cheap, but the grease, scale, and roots are still coating the pipe. Hydro-jetting scours the inside of the pipe clean with 3,000+ PSI water. For recurring clogs or any kitchen line with years of grease, jetting is the only real fix.

Yes — common in older neighborhoods like Beaverdale, Sherman Hill, and the East Village where clay tile sewers run under mature trees. We cut roots with a heavy-duty blade, hydro-jet to clean the pipe, then camera to flag any cracks that need lining or repair.

If a drain clogs again within weeks, the clog wasn't actually cleared — just punched through. Either the line needs hydro-jetting to remove the underlying buildup, or there's a structural issue (belly, root, broken pipe) the camera will find. We don't charge to re-clear if a warrantied clog comes back in 30 days.

Rule of thumb — if your unit is 10+ years old and the repair is more than $1,500, replace it. New systems are 30–50% more efficient and the R-22 refrigerant in older units is essentially unavailable now. Under 10 years and a smaller repair, fix it.

As of 2025, new systems use R-454B (lower global warming potential). Existing R-410A systems are still fine to service — refrigerant is available, just more expensive every year. If you're replacing, you're getting R-454B.

A run capacitor replacement in Des Moines is typically $180–$250 installed. It's the single most common AC failure — a $20 part that takes 15 minutes — but it's also what stops most no-cool calls in summer. Don't pay $600 for it.

Yes — for an Iowa system, a $99–$150 annual tune-up usually catches a weak capacitor, a dirty coil, or a low charge before they become a $500 no-cool call in July. We clean the outdoor coil, check refrigerant, electrical, and the condensate drain.

A like-for-like central AC swap is one day, usually 6–8 hours. If we're replacing the furnace and AC together as a matched system, plan on 1–1.5 days. Mini-splits are typically one day per zone.

An 80% AFUE gas furnace installed runs $4,000–$5,500. A 95%+ high-efficiency unit is $6,000–$9,000 depending on size and brand (Lennox, Trane, Carrier, Bryant). The price includes permit, gas line work if needed, and a full safety check.

For most Des Moines homes, 95%+ is the math. You'll burn 4–5 months of heavy heat every winter, and the extra $1,500–$2,500 up front pays back in 5–7 years on gas alone. The exception is short-term ownership or homes without a good condensate drain path.

Replace the furnace. A cracked heat exchanger leaks carbon monoxide into your home's air stream. It's not a repair item — even if we could weld it (we won't), the rest of the furnace is the same age and the warranty is void. We red-tag cracked exchangers and recommend immediate replacement.

Furnaces run a few hours a day in mild weather. In a -10F stretch, they run nonstop for days. Any weak component — flame sensor with carbon buildup, marginal ignitor, weak inducer motor — fails under that load. That's why annual fall tune-ups exist.

A like-for-like swap is 6–8 hours. Going from 80% to high-efficiency adds PVC venting and a condensate drain, so plan on a full day. We pull permits and schedule the city inspection.

Detection runs $150–$400. The repair depends on access — if we can reroute the line above the slab (often through a basement ceiling), it's $1,000–$1,800. If we have to break the slab and tile to repair in place, plan on $2,000–$3,500 including floor restoration. Rerouting is almost always the better call.

We pressurize the line with air or water, then use ultra-sensitive microphones, ground sensors, and thermal cameras to find exactly where the leak is. It locates leaks within inches, so we cut one small access panel instead of guessing and tearing up half your floor.

If you're seeing multiple pinhole leaks in the same year, or you have galvanized steel pipe (common in pre-1970 Des Moines homes), it's time. Galvanized rusts from the inside out, restricts flow, and starts leaking everywhere within a few years of the first pinhole. PEX repipe is $4,000–$7,500 for most single-family homes.

Insurance generally covers the damage (drywall, floors, contents) but not the pipe repair itself. We document everything — photos, leak location, cause, water-damaged materials — and write reports that adjusters accept. We've worked with every major Iowa insurer.

Faster than you'd guess. A pinhole in a hot water line behind drywall can soak a stud bay overnight and start growing mold inside 48 hours. If you suspect a leak, shut off the main and call us — don't wait for the weekend.

Typical 60–90 minutes anywhere in Polk County in normal conditions. Often 30–60 in the urban core (Des Moines, Urbandale, West Des Moines, Clive, Ankeny). In a blizzard or after a major storm we may be longer, but we keep you posted in real time and dispatch from the closest crew.

We charge a flat $75–$125 dispatch premium for after-hours, weekends, and holidays — on top of standard repair pricing. No tripled rates, no hidden fees. The quote we give before work starts is the price you pay.

For water — shut off your main (usually in the basement near where water enters the house, or at the meter). Move valuables off wet floors. For gas — LEAVE the house immediately, do not flip switches or use phones inside, call MidAmerican (888-427-5632) and then 911. For sewer backup — keep everyone away from the area, don't run any water.

Get everyone (and pets) out of the house immediately. Do not turn any light switches on or off, do not use any phone inside. Once outside, call MidAmerican Energy at 888-427-5632 — they'll come shut off the gas and check for leaks free of charge. After they've made it safe, call us to find and repair the source.

Call now. A frozen pipe hasn't burst yet but it will when it thaws. We can locate the freeze, thaw it safely, and pressure-test before water turns on. DIY thawing with a hair dryer is fine for an exposed copper line you can see; never use a torch, and never thaw a pipe you can't see — you may already have a crack.