HVAC reviews in Berkeley, California

Mniska repaired my radiant heating system after it got inadvertently damaged. The repairs were thorough. His work was excellent and he provided informative explanations of his repairs as well as suggestions for future maintenance. Thanks, Mniska!

Mniska taught us about our system, reviewed all of our options, and helped us decide how to proceed. His work was excellent. We are warm in our apartment for the first time in 9 years.

Mniska made some repairs to my hydronic heating system which have improved its performance. He’s knowledgeable and takes obvious pride in his work. Will use again.

Mniska from Afterglow Heating did a fantastic job! He was quick to help us out, very communicative throughout the process, and clearly explained what he was checking and finding. He also gave us great recommendations on how to move forward with our broken water heater. Super professional, reliable, and easy to work with — I’d highly recommend him and Afterglow Heating to anyone in need of plumbing or heating help

After hearing an increasingly loud hissing sound in my kitchen wall, I gave Afterglow a call, worried it was a gas leak. Mniska was prompt, professional and focused. He also took time to explain what steps he was taking to hone in on the problem.

He was able to fix the leaky hot water pipe in my wall skillfully and smoothly.

Mniska helped a lot with my radiant heating system. He took a lot of time to explain everything to me and gave me several option for fixing and upgrading our system, without making me feel pressured. Recommended as a radiant heating expert.

I had an excellent experience with Mniska, who came out on short notice to address issues with my tankless water heater. From the moment he arrived, his punctuality, professionalism, and positive attitude stood out. He quickly and accurately diagnosed the problem, explaining each step in clear, easy-to-understand terms.
Mniska’s customer service was exceptional—he was courteous, respectful of my home, and made sure I fully understood the situation before proceeding. His communication was clear and transparent, and he made the entire process stress-free.
It’s rare to find someone who combines technical expertise with such genuine care for their customers. I highly recommend Mniska to anyone in need of a skilled and trustworthy plumber!

I had an automatic water shut-off valve installed today, and Mniska did an excellent job. He was very polite, professional, and explained all my options clearly before coming out. He arrived on time, worked efficiently, and completed the installation quickly. Everything was done neatly and professionally. I really appreciate the great service and would definitely recommend him.

We've worked with Mniska on the boiler/radiators in our new home and couldn't be happier with Mniska's attention to detail and communication. We cannot recommend his services more and look forward to a long term relationship with him over the years.

Minska is AMAZING! HIGHLY Recommend! HE IS HONEST & highly knowledgeable unlike other plumbers I have used in the past (I have some experience with plumbing but didn't have a torch to fix the problem with my pipes). I will be referring him to all my neighbors & friends. Don't waste your time with anyone else. He was referred by another plumber who wasn't licensed to work on Hydronic Heating Systems. I called, he answered & he was at my home in an hour. Thank God!!! My wife was driving me nuts; as I had to shut off the master so no water; toilets/shower/sinks! He's very professional, polite, well dressed, & does extremely clean work. His pricing is reasonable too. I will definitely be using him again in the future when I replace my hot water heater & put in a tankless efficient hot water heater. See attached pictures of his work. 🤘🤙🤟

We had Mniska with Afterglow come out when some of the valve actuators on our hydronics system stopped working.

Our project ended up expanding a bit from there, where Mniska pointed out some other flaws in the system. A different contractor had installed the system and it came with the house when we bought it. This system had number of flaws Mniska found, some of which were:

1. Didn't have a back flow suppressor (so water from the heating system could potentially back flow in the water used for showers and drinking, especially distasteful since the heating part of the loop normally has a rust inhibitor in it and humans are generally advised to avoid drinking that.)
2. Had combo heat exchange and circulator pump whose rated rise isn't sufficient for getting water from the basement of our home to the attic.
3. The water supply lines running to the various rooms had never been insulated so when they ran through crawl spaces and other areas they were losing heat.

We ended up addressing all the issues Mniska pointed out with a more extensive rebuild of the system which has yielded excellent results. Where he could Mniska reused the existing system where he could rather than just try to sell us on new everything to control costs.

Previously our kitchen floor and bathroom floor never got as warm as the wood floors. We had chalked this up to the fact the tile was too thick for the heat to really radiate through. With the more efficient system these floors now get warm.

The system is also much faster to bring the temperature in the home up. In the past we'd turn the system down to 60 degrees when we traveled and coming home it normally took 10+ hours to bring the entire house up to 67 (we'd resort to running space heaters to speed the process up). We had to shut the entire system for 2 days while Mniska fixed all the issues and when he left the system had the house up to 67 in about 2 hours and to 70 in another hour. On a day it was ~55 outside.

Beyond that we're seeing general efficiency improvements, now once the system brings the home's temp up in the morning it's ability to mostly switch off for the daylight hours, with only 3ish of our 9 zones being on during the day in December, before we'd have 7 or 8 of the 9 zones needing to stay on during daylight hours.

Overall we're very happy with the result. The system is running much better and Mniska was very transparent and communicative through the process. His pricing was up front, his timing was spot on, he arrived when he said he would, etc. We'd highly recommend Afterglow for anyone needing work done on their system.

I had my water heater and radiant floor heating system serviced by Mniska. He is fantastic. He took time to explain all the different component of my system and what maybe the issues. In the end I went with an upgrade to my system and he was able to install it in a very timely fashion and everything works well. I highly recommend him.

Afterglow Heating recently installed radiant heat in my 1921 bungalow, and I couldn't be happier with the results. We decided to make the switch because my son has struggled with allergies from our old forced-air system. Since installing radiant heat, his allergies have significantly improved — it's been a game-changer for our home comfort and his health. I was originally concerned that radiant heat couldn’t be installed in our home because of the old wood flooring, but Mniska made the process seem easy and stress-free. Everything went smoothly and we LOVE the end result.

Mniska was incredibly professional and knowledgeable. He took the time to inspect our crawlspace — which had never received attention — and found it filled with debris. Not only did he clean it out, but he also laid down plastic to prevent moisture buildup. It was such a thoughtful extra step that showed his attention to detail.

I really appreciated how clear he was about pricing. He explained our options and offered different service levels to fit our needs and budget. His prices were very reasonable for the quality of work and care we received.

If you're considering in-home heating upgrades, I highly recommend Afterglow Heating. Professional, honest, and skilled — you’ll be in great hands!

I was so impressed with Mniska/Afterglow’s communication and professionalism. He explained everything in detail, made sure I understood the plan and went above and beyond with the work he did. It is hard to find someone you trust to do work in your home, especially someone with expertise in radiant heating systems. I am so fortunate to have found him and look forward to continuing to work with him.

Mniska (Afterglow's owner) is great -- knowledgeable and skillful in his field, reliable, trustworthy, and easy to communicate with. He's promptly shown up and fixed a number of emergency situations with our plumbing and radiant floor heating, and are grateful to have his services! A true professional.

All plumbing experiences should be this pleasant and easy.

Mniska gave me a clear, accurate estimate for all work, including the installation of an automatic gas shut-off valve on my house gas line, which shuts off in case of earthquake, along with a tutorial on how to use and/or reset it.
He also performed a major seasonal flush of my on-demand water heater, as well as several minor deferred maintenance faucet-related fixes.
Thanks!

Mniska is fantastic! He come over right away when our hot water went out and ended up having to install a whole new boiler the next day. It was a long day, but he stayed until evening to be sure we had hot water that night. He also left a carbon monoxide tester just to be sure, since our fire alarm went off randomly. There was absolutely no problem and his customer service and attention to detail were amazing! 100% reccomend!

Our family is so grateful and pleased with Mniska and Afterglow Heating. Mniska is a problem solver and is clearly highly skilled and his quality of work is just exceptional. It is so rare to work with someone who is both professional and personable and who truly cares about the results of their service as well as the happiness of the customer. We highly recommend Afterglow for your heating needs and an all around high quality experience! 👍🧡

We had an excellent experience with Afterglow for our recent water heater installation. Mniska, was incredibly responsive and communicative from start to finish. He clearly walked us through our options, provided a quote for repairing the existing unit as well as multiple replacement options, explaining the pros and cons of each and answering our one million questions so we could make an informed decision. The installation itself was pretty quick as he was able to schedule us in sooner than promised. I would absolutely recommend him to anyone needing a new water heater!

Mniska came to our rescue fast and did a thorough investigation of our failing boiler. He was able to fix all of the problems as well as a shower arm issue we were having. He was thoughtful, efficient, informative and very helpful. It was a long project that took most of the day but he stayed until it was finished and made sure the house was as clean as when he arrived. Thank you for helping us out!

Mniska at Afterglow helped us resolve an issue with a combination tankless water heater and radiant heat boiler. His professionalism and honesty were evident from the start. As a new homeowner unfamiliar with the system, I really appreciated how he walked me through each component while diagnosing the problem. He patiently answered all of my questions, kept me informed about replacement part timing, and followed up promptly once the parts arrived. Installation was quick, and he took the time to fine-tune the system to my preferences.

Experiences like this give you confidence that you’ve found someone you can rely on in the future. I’m glad to say I have.