HVAC reviews in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

I rarely leave negative reviews, but this experience truly earned one.

My tenants hired this company to defrost a frozen pipe — a fairly straightforward issue for any competent HVAC professional. They weren’t up front about the cost and the lady on the phone said it would be $80 to come out but didn’t give a cost to fix it. When the service man arrived he said the price is clear in the books. They spent almost 2 hours trying to defrost the pipe. Not only was the problem not resolved, but I was still charged nearly $1,000 for the privilege of getting absolutely nothing get fixed.

There was no meaningful diagnosis, no lasting solution, and no sense of urgency or accountability. For that price point, I expected expertise, efficiency, and results — not a temporary attempt followed by a hefty invoice.

If you’re looking to pay premium pricing for subpar performance, this may be the company for you. If you’re looking for actual results, I suggest continuing your search.

AVOID THESE FRAUDSTERS!!!

Two techs from Calfo came out to do an annual furnace tune-up, and I was told that I had a cracked heat exchanger that was leaking carbon monoxide. They were asking for around $3K to fix it if it was under warranty.

Freaking out, I started to research if the part was under warranty, and got in contact with a preferred technician for my unit. When an *actual* technician came out, I showed him the readout and inspection report that Calfo provided.

Based on my unit's rated efficiency, he knew instantly that the Calfo readings were wrong. The temperature and efficiency were mathematically impossible for my unit to produce. It appears as though the Calfo techs had saved a reading from a previous house to show in the future, to scam homeowners into paying for unneeded repairs. My unit was fine, and there was no Carbon Monoxide leak.

The first picture is Calfo's readings clocking me at 423 ppm of CO, 79.9% efficiency, and 273° F.

The remaining pictures are the readings from a non-crooked company showing readings of 46 ppm of CO, 97.0% efficiency, 92.1° F.

Brandon was amazing! He was knowledgeable, personable, and got my FREEZING house taken care of! He figured out what was wrong with my furnace in no time and had it fixed just as quickly. He gave me multiple options for the fix, being sensitive to my need to not spend an exorbitant amount of money. Not many men can handle a basement cold enough to freeze an icicle out of the faucet, but he did, and he was a trooper about it! Thank you, Brandon, and thank you, Calfo!

On Time and friendly. Very knowledgeable. He was professional and explained in detail what needed to be done. Work was done well and everything was cleaned up afterwards. Would definitely want Chev as my technician in the future!!! Excellent job!

Disappointing Experience & Predatory Pricing

I am writing this to warn others about the pricing and refund practices at Calfo Plumbing. I originally called them because my boiler would not start. The technician successfully fixed the immediate issue by cleaning the flame sensor and emptying an older expansion tank. However, the experience went downhill from there.

1. Questionable Safety Claims:

The technician told me my expansion tank was "dangerous" and at risk of "exploding," pointing to a bulge on the side. Since the unit is located directly under my living room, I was concerned and agreed to a replacement quote of over $1,600.00.

2. Drastic Price Discrepancy:

After paying an $820.00 down payment, I sought a second opinion. Not only did another licensed plumber offer the exact same repair for $800.00 (half the price), but I also able to confirmed the tank was not defective and posed no risk of exploding.

3. Hidden Fees & Unfair "Restocking" Charges:

When I contacted Calfo to cancel the installation (I never made an appointment or inconvenienced them) and requested they simply charge me for the initial boiler service, I was told there would be a "restocking fee" of over $500.00. This is for a part with a fair market value of roughly $100.00. Effectively, they are attempting to charge a 400% markup just to put a part back on a shelf.

4. Lack of Transparency:

At no point during the sale was I informed of a cancellation or restocking fee. I have asked for documentation proving this was disclosed to me, and the company has failed to provide it. To date, Calfo is still holding my $800.00 deposit and has refused to amend my bill to just include the service call that was performed.

I would strongly recommend getting a second opinion before committing to any major repairs with this company.

I am going to give Calfo Home Services 2 stars on this review because scheduling was easy and they were able to come out same day. However, when our technician arrived, it just wasn't a great experience. He diagnosed the problem with our furnace quickly but after giving us the estimate to fix it, I said I would like to find some other quotes that were hopefully less expensive. He laughed and said that "being cheap is what got you here in the first place." While I understand his statement, it just didn't make me want to do business with this company, even if the other quotes came back at the same price point.

Chev was a great plumber. We had him install a kitchen faucet and also had outdoor hose connections added. He did get work and the price was reasonable. Highly recommend!

Everyone involved with replacing our furnace was kind & helpful, especially Becca & Conner. It was below zero and they came on an emergency call and got everything done in one day. Great company, great employees, great experience. Thank you Calfo. Highly recommend!?

Called in an emergency as my service panel was arcing. Mason came with in an hour. Figured out my one leg was dead. Go it so I had heat for the night. Agreed on a price and set up to get the panel and full service install the next day. Day two. Gary was first to show up explained everything that was gona be done that day answered all my questions then got started. Patrick showed up shortly after and started the outside as Gary did the inside. They had everything as far as they could go and were waiting on Mo (third tech) to arrive. Once he did they continued working completed the job in about 6.5 hours. Including the time they were waiting. Very impressed with Gary and Patrick. Project turned out good got my power all back on and cleaned everything up.

I wish I could give more than 5 stars. Tim came out Monday after Snowstorm Fern hit with a foot of snow. We had another furnace company come out on Saturday before the storm hit with 2 separate Techs, neither of them could fix it and kept talking down to me saying it was my fault. They removed my air filter (did not put a new one in and just left it empty) and installed 2 oil filters saying they kept getting clogged within an hour of each other which makes no sense... 1 filter is good for an entire season, not only 1 hour but to them I was the idiot and they told me just as much. Once the second tech said it was fixed it still sounded very rough to me so I asked if it breaks again what do I do, is it something I can fix myself, or can I call them for help again. The second Tech told me to not call them, there was nothing they could do...my furnace broke again few hours later.

I needed a second opinion asap and decided to reach out to Calfo as we had no heat at all for 2 days and I was out of my mind with stress. Tim showed up and asked if they replaced a nozzle with the oil filter because its a given you do both. I said no the last company didn't but instead took my air filter and replaced 2 oil filters which he was even shocked they replaced an oil filter with a new oil filter that was only installed an hour before. Within 20min we were permanently fixed and running smooth. He was very friendly and super knowledgeable about our system and even offered to drop off air filters for us since the last company took them but did not replace them yet I still got charged. We even signed up for the maintenance program so he will be our tech for a lifetime because I no longer trust anyone besides Calfo & Tim to treat me right and get the job done efficiently.

Had a great experience with this company. Hot water tank started leaking. Called on a Sunday to leave a message for a call back and put on a schedule. The call was answered and Benito came out within 2 hours. Had an assessment and a quote, as well as scheduled the next day for replacement. Benito arrived the next day on time, after a courtesy call and quickly replaced the water heater. Zero issues with the service and quality of work. Only concern, is that you pay for the quote, unless you sign up to be a VIP. Had I not known for sure I was going to use Calfo, I probably would not have agreed to getting a quote. Definitely recommend. Price was on the higher end of expectations, but I feel I got what we paid for.

Chev was extremely professional and polite. He explained in detail the problems and recommendations. He also cleaned up after the jobs was completed. We will definitely use your company’s services again because of Chev! Thanks for the support 👍🏾

Perfect 👍 service

Chuck is the smartest got in the industry!

Great local family owned business, they are always willing to go out of their way to offer you great service. Thank you again Chuck

Every time I call they arrive quickly. They are fair priced and good good and quick work. They don't doddle. I recommend.

Toilet was leaking and he came out right away diagnosed cracked toilet. Didn't take any measurements, two men came 2 days later with toilet too tall for space- they took shelf down without asking and installed it anyway. Charged almost $700 and a month later the flap needed replaced.

My furnace broke at 4AM. I called Chuck Willis at 8 AM when they opened and they had a technician out by 9:30. The gentlemen that came out were very helpful and answered any and all questions I had. I will definitely be calling them for routine inspections and maintenance in the future.

Very prompt service and response. Parent's furnace needed replaced and had it installed the very next day. They were affordable and easy to work with. Chuck's character is very good natured and down to earth. The Home Depo recommended him and was a good choice. They accepted two forms of payment and accommodating to our situation. Workers where very nice to have. Thank you Chilli and Shane!!!

Over the past 10 years, Chuck Willis has installed and serviced furnaces and boilers and cooling systems at several properties I own in the city of Pittsburgh. I have stuck with him all these years because of his excellent customer service. I highly recommend his company.

Chuck is the best! He always answers my calls quickly, and does work on all my rental units, my house and my families. He’s been the best in the business 35+ years! Highly recommend his services. And you can message me for the years of work he’s done for me.