Independent measurement · August 2026
The plumbers ChatGPT actually recommends.
Homeowners don't just search anymore — they ask ChatGPT who to see. So we measured the answer. We asked for the best plumber in 26 U.S. metros, 4 different ways each — 104 checks in all — and recorded every company it named.
Only 28%
of the 1,702 U.S. plumbers we benchmarked ever came up. These are the ones homeowners are told to see.
1,702
U.S. plumbers checked
104
ChatGPT questions asked
26
metros benchmarked
28%
ever get recommended
Measured August 26, 2026 on ChatGPT (gpt-4o, with web search): 26 metros × 4 question phrasings = 104 checks. No other AI system is included in these numbers. How we measured it
The most recommended plumbers, metro by metro
Every metro below was benchmarked the same way: 4 homeowner-style questions, every answer recorded. Pick your city to see the full measured list.
ChatGPT's answer moves between checks, so we publish how many of the 4 checks named each one instead of a rank that would change if we asked again.
Tampa
19 of 66Named in 3 of 4 checks: Bay Area Plumbing, Inc., EVERYDAYPLUMBER.com and Olin Plumbing Inc. and 1 more
See the Tampa list →
Miami
22 of 59Named in all 4 checks: Miami 24/7 Plumbing - Miami Emergency Plumbers
See the Miami list →
Orlando
17 of 75Named in all 4 checks: Associated Piping Services Inc., Drain Genie Plumbing and Emerald Plumbing and 1 more
See the Orlando list →
New York
19 of 59Named in all 4 checks: A&E NYC Plumbing and RR Plumbing Roto-Rooter
See the New York list →
Los Angeles
19 of 68Named in all 4 checks: A-1 Total Service Plumbing and Pacific Plumbing Team
See the Los Angeles list →
Chicago
18 of 58Named in all 4 checks: Rescue Plumbing
See the Chicago list →
Houston
19 of 74Named in all 4 checks: bluefrog Plumbing and Drain of West Houston
See the Houston list →
Dallas
20 of 71Named in 3 of 4 checks: Baker Brothers Plumbing, Air & Electric, Dial One Johnson Plumbing, Cooling & Heating and Metro Flow Plumbing - Dallas Emergency Plumbers and 2 more
See the Dallas list →
Phoenix
19 of 70Named in all 4 checks: Hometown Plumbing Pros
See the Phoenix list →
Atlanta
15 of 57Named in all 4 checks: Atlantis Plumbing and Plumbing Express
See the Atlanta list →
Philadelphia
12 of 61Named in all 4 checks: Guaranteed Plumbing & Heating, IFixdit Plumbing & Drains and Plumbing Pals and 1 more
See the Philadelphia list →
San Diego
21 of 74Named in 3 of 4 checks: Bill Howe Plumbing, Heating & Air, Restoration & Flood Services, Courtesy Plumbing Inc. and Exodus Plumbing, Inc
See the San Diego list →
Denver
21 of 70Named in 3 of 4 checks: A Better Plumber (an Absolute Plumbing Company), Applewood Plumbing Heating & Electric and Plumbline Services
See the Denver list →
Seattle
16 of 69Named in all 4 checks: 2 Sons Plumbing, Sewer, Septic, Electric, Heating & Air
See the Seattle list →
Las Vegas
20 of 72Named in all 4 checks: Impact Plumbing
See the Las Vegas list →
Charlotte
17 of 61Named in all 4 checks: Winn's Plumbing and WyattWorks Plumbing Charlotte
See the Charlotte list →
San Antonio
18 of 66Named in 2 of 4 checks: Anchor Plumbing Services, Big City Plumbing, LLC and Chambliss Plumbing Company and 2 more
See the San Antonio list →
Austin
20 of 64Named in all 4 checks: A&T Service Plumbing and Blue Dragon Plumbing, LLC
See the Austin list →
Jacksonville
17 of 67Named in all 4 checks: David Gray Plumbing
See the Jacksonville list →
Fort Worth
15 of 63Named in all 4 checks: Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, Water Heaters, & Drain Cleaning, ClearWater Plumbers and Mother Modern Plumbing, Sewer & Drain
See the Fort Worth list →
Nashville
16 of 63Named in all 4 checks: Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Nashville
See the Nashville list →
Columbus
20 of 60Named in 3 of 4 checks: Eco Plumbers, Electricians, and HVAC Technicians, Plumbing & Drain Professionals and Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup and 1 more
See the Columbus list →
Indianapolis
20 of 72Named in 3 of 4 checks: Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Indianapolis, Carter's My Plumber and Hamm & Sons Plumbing and 1 more
See the Indianapolis list →
Kansas City
16 of 60Named in all 4 checks: Anthony Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric
See the Kansas City list →
Minneapolis
21 of 67Named in all 4 checks: Paul Bunyan Plumbing & Drains
See the Minneapolis list →
Raleigh
16 of 56Named in all 4 checks: William Parrish Plumbing
See the Raleigh list →
Before you call anyone
What the work costs, what homeowners ask us most, and tools that give you a number in about a minute. Nothing here is a sales page and nothing asks for your phone number.
What things cost
Real price ranges for the work homeowners ask about most, with every figure traced back to a named source.
- How much does water heater repair cost?HomeGuide puts a tank repair at $150 to $700 and a tankless repair at $300 to $1,300. The part-by-part table, the service-call fee, and the line where repairing stops making sense.
- How much does tankless water heater installation cost?HomeGuide publishes $1,400 to $5,600 installed. What the unit, the labor, the supplies and the permit each cost, why gas runs higher than electric, and the numbers to compare against a tank.
- How much is a permit to replace a water heater?HomeGuide puts the permit at $50 to $200. What four big-city permit offices actually publish, who is allowed to pull the permit, and what happens when nobody does.
- How much does sewer line replacement cost?HomeGuide and Angi both publish $50 to $250 per linear foot. The length table, the trenchless comparison, and the lines that quietly decide whether your job is four figures or five.
- How much does trenchless sewer line replacement cost?Angi publishes $1,900 to $6,000 for a trenchless sewer project. What pipe bursting and CIPP lining each cost per foot, when trenchless beats the backhoe, and when it cannot be used at all.
- How much does it cost to repipe a house?Angi publishes $1,500 to $15,000 to repipe a house. The PEX-versus-copper table by home size, why labor is most of the bill, and the add-ons that ride along with a whole-house repipe.
Common questions
Straight answers, written for the person paying — not a lead form and not a sales page.
- What brand of water heater lasts the longest?No published test measures water heater lifespan by brand. What is published: warranty terms, the type-by-type lifespans, and the maintenance that moves the number more than any logo does.
- What is the most common problem with tankless water heaters?HomeGuide calls skipped flushing the number-one cause of tankless breakdowns. What mineral scale does to the heat exchanger, what the fix costs, and the symptoms worth acting on early.
- Should I repair or replace my water heater?HomeGuide's two lines — over 10 years old, or repair over half the replacement cost — worked through with real published numbers, plus the failures that end the debate on the spot.
- How often do sewer lines need to be replaced?HomeGuide puts sewer line life at 30 to 100 years depending on the pipe material. The material table, how to find out what your house has, and the signs a line is failing early.
- How do I pay for sewer line replacement?Home equity, federal repair loans, plumber financing, utility assistance and insurance — what each one actually is, who qualifies, and the questions that keep a stressful bill from getting worse.
- Will homeowners insurance cover sewer line replacement?Age and wear are excluded, backups need their own endorsement, and service-line coverage is a third thing entirely. The scenario table, sourced to the Insurance Information Institute.
- Why is sewer line replacement so expensive?The pipe is cheap — PVC runs a few dollars a foot. The published numbers on what you are actually paying for: excavation, labor, restoration, permits, and the hole itself.
Free tools
Work out a number before you call anyone, or check a quote you already have.
Measured, never sold.
No plumber can pay to appear on these lists. A company is listed only because ChatGPT actually recommended it when we asked — more than once. We publish how many of the checks named each one, not a place, because the count holds up when we ask again and a place doesn't. That's the whole formula.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
How did you measure which U.S. plumbers ChatGPT recommends?
We asked ChatGPT the questions real homeowners ask — like "Who is the best plumber near me?" — 4 different ways, and recorded every company recommended. Each company on this list was named in more than one of those answers, and we publish how many named it rather than a place in a ranking — ask ChatGPT again and the top name often changes, but the count holds. We ran 104 checks for this market and compared the answers against the 1,702 U.S. companies in our dataset.
Can a plumber pay to be on this list?
No. This list is measured, never sold. A company appears on it only if ChatGPT actually recommended it when we asked. Money cannot buy a place on this list. Sponsored blocks are labeled advertising and sit outside the ranked list.
What does it mean if a company is NOT on this list?
It means that when we asked ChatGPT for a plumber in U.S., that company never came up. That says nothing about the quality of their work — only that homeowners who ask AI for a recommendation are being sent somewhere else. Most companies haven't shown up in AI answers yet, so the list is short.
How often is this updated?
We re-run the same benchmark quarterly with the same methodology, so companies that improve their AI visibility can appear in the next update. This edition was measured in August 2026.
What if something on this page about my company is wrong?
Tell us at /corrections and we will check it against the source. A wrong name, phone number, address, licence or service is a defect and we fix it. A ranking is different: it is a measurement of what ChatGPT answered, so it is never for sale and by the same rule never removable or editable on request. A number you can talk us out of would not be worth publishing.
Are you a U.S. plumber?
If your company isn't on these lists, homeowners who ask ChatGPT for a plumber are being sent to someone else. Find out where you stand — free.
See if ChatGPT recommends you