About Barnett Plumbing & Water Heaters
The Tri-Valley's Water Heater Specialists Since 2005
Phil Barnett started this company with one truck and a simple idea: treat every home like your own. Two decades later, Barnett Plumbing & Water Heaters runs 12 field trucks and 3 support vehicles across the Tri-Valley, with a team that has pulled over 3,400 building permits and earned more than 1,100 five-star reviews.
Licensed, Bonded, and Insured
Barnett Plumbing & Water Heaters holds an active California State License Board (CSLB) contractor license #910529 with two classifications:
- C-36 Plumbing for all residential plumbing work
- C-16 Fire Protection for fire sprinkler system installation and repair
The company carries a $15,000 contractor bond through American Contractors Indemnity Company and maintains workers compensation insurance through Benchmark Insurance Company. Every technician on our team is covered before they walk through your door.
Barnett holds a BuildZoom score of 117, placing the company in the top 1% of California contractors. That score is based on license history, insurance verification, complaint records, and the volume of permitted work completed. Over 3,426 building permits pulled since 2005 back up that number.
What Sets Barnett Apart
Water Heater Specialists
Plenty of plumbers install water heaters. Barnett built a business around them. Water heaters are the core of what we do: tank, tankless, and heat pump systems, with dedicated technicians who work on water heaters every day. That focus means faster diagnoses, better recommendations, and installations done right the first time.
DOE "Energy Skilled" Certified
Barnett Plumbing is recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy as an “Energy Skilled” contractor for heat pump water heater installation. This certification, listed on the DOE’s Building Science Education site, means our technicians meet federal standards for installing high-efficiency water heating equipment. Heat pump water heaters installed by our crews are rated 3.3 to 3.5 UEF, well above the 2.2 Energy Star minimum.
Fixed-Rate Pricing
Every job gets a fixed-rate quote before work begins. No hourly billing, no estimates that balloon after the technician opens a wall. The price we quote is the price you pay. That policy has been in place since the company started and it is not going to change.
3-Hour Arrival Windows
We schedule in 3-hour windows, Monday through Saturday, 7 AM to 5 PM. You get a courtesy call when the technician is on the way. No all-day waits, no guessing when someone might show up.
Residential Focus
Barnett is a residential plumbing company. We do not split our attention between commercial jobs and homeowner calls. Every truck, every technician, and every part on our shelves is dedicated to the homes we serve across the Tri-Valley.
Ready to Work with the Tri-Valley's Best?
Our Story
Phil Barnett founded Barnett Plumbing in 2005 in Livermore, California. The company started small: one truck, one technician, and a commitment to showing up on time and charging a fair, fixed rate. Word spread. Within a few years, the single-truck operation outgrew its first office.
By 2009, the company had moved into a larger facility on Airway Boulevard in Livermore, which remains the headquarters today. The team expanded, more trucks hit the road, and Barnett started building a reputation as the Tri-Valley’s go-to water heater company. That wasn’t an accident. Phil saw early on that most plumbing companies treated water heater work as an afterthought. He made it the centerpiece.
In 2014, Barnett launched an in-house training program to develop plumbing technicians from the ground up. The program ensured that every new hire learned the Barnett way: fixed-rate pricing, clean work, and clear communication with homeowners. That same year, the company expanded its water heater service area beyond the Tri-Valley into Concord, Lafayette, Moraga, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, and Orinda.
The fleet grew steadily. By 2018, Barnett was running 12 fully stocked field trucks and 3 support vehicles, covering residential plumbing across the Tri-Valley core and water heater service across a much wider footprint.
Today, the company has pulled over 3,400 building permits, earned more than 1,100 five-star reviews across Google, Yelp, and HomeAdvisor, and holds a BuildZoom score that places it in the top 1% of California contractors. The DOE “Energy Skilled” certification followed as heat pump water heaters became a larger part of the business, driven by California rebate programs and federal tax credits.
The team that started with one truck now operates out of two locations: the Livermore headquarters on Airway Boulevard and a Pleasanton office on First Street. The company still runs the same way Phil set it up: fixed rates, courtesy calls, residential only, and a scheduling system that respects your time.
What Our Customers Say
With over 1,100 reviews and a 4.9-star average across platforms, our track record speaks for itself. Barnett Plumbing has earned 900+ five-star reviews on Google, 708 reviews on Yelp, and strong ratings on HomeAdvisor. We do not pay for reviews or run incentive programs. Every review is earned the old-fashioned way: by doing good work.