★★★★★
Sump replacementSump pump died during the March melt with water coming up the floor drain. Called at 7:40, truck here by 9:15, new pump with a battery backup running by noon. The bill matched the paper he handed me before he started.
Grand Rapids · Est. 1968
Plumbing, done properly.
Three generations of Hartwells have fixed the west side’s pipes. You get the price in writing before the wrench comes out. The work is guaranteed for two years. The man in your basement is probably named Hartwell.
Mon–Fri 7:30–5:30 · Sat 8–12 · Burst-pipe emergencies answered nights & weekends
Services
What we’re called for
Residential plumbing, start to finish. One page lists everything — no packages, no upsells, no mystery line items.
Repairs & Fixtures
Leaks, drips, running toilets, faucet and fixture swaps — the everyday calls.
Drains & Sewer
Cleared, cabled, and camera-inspected — from slow kitchen sinks to main lines.
Water Heaters
Repair first when it’s worth it. Tank and tankless installs when it isn’t.
Sump Pumps & Basements
West Michigan basements flood. Pumps, backups, and battery systems that hold.
Repipes & Remodels
Galvanized-to-copper repipes and the rough-in when you redo a kitchen or bath.
What we don’t do: new construction, commercial buildings, septic systems, or wells. Sixty years in, we know our lane — and we’ll gladly name the outfit that does the rest.
Since 1968
Three generations. Same phone book page.
Frank Hartwell opened the shop the year the Kent County phone book first listed “Plumbers — Residential.” His son Bill ran it through the ’90s. Bill’s son Dan runs it now, with his own two sons on the trucks. The number has changed once. The standards haven’t.
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1968
Frank Hartwell starts the company with one van and a workbench on Leonard Street.
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1989
Bill Hartwell takes over, adds the second truck, writes the two-year guarantee.
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2011
Dan Hartwell — Frank’s grandson — becomes the third master plumber to run the shop.
Straight pricing
The price is on paper before the work starts
Hartwell & Sons — Estimate
How every job runs
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We diagnose first
The plumber finds the problem and shows you what’s wrong. No talk about money until we know.
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The price goes on paper
Flat rate, written on the estimate sheet before the wrench comes out. The estimate is the invoice — that’s been the rule since 1989.
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Work starts when you say go
You approve the number, then we pick up the wrench. Approve it, and that number is what you pay.
No trip fee if we do the work · Two-year parts & labor guarantee · Card, check, or cash — same price
Water where it shouldn’t be?
Burst pipe, failed sump, sewage backing up — call now. We keep a truck free for same-day emergencies.
Nights & weekends: the on-call Hartwell picks up for true emergencies
Reviews
What the west side says
Two of the 312 labeled sample reviews — the full set lives on the reviews page.
★★★★★
Whole-house repipeDan quoted our galvanized repipe himself, walked the whole house, and mailed a written estimate the same week. His son ran the job. Four days, tidy as surgeons, and the water pressure is unrecognizable.
Service area
Where the trucks go
Based on Leonard Street, same as 1968. We stay inside the west side and the towns that touch it, so nobody waits half a day for a plumber.
- Grand Rapids — West Side
- Walker
- Grandville
- Wyoming
- Standale
- Comstock Park
- Jenison
- Marne
Get in touch
Fastest way is the phone
Call the shop and Marjorie answers — she’s run the schedule since 2004. If you’d rather type it out, the form works too and we’ll call you back within the business hour.
- Mon–Fri 7:30–5:30 · Sat 8–12 · Closed Sunday
- 737 Leonard St NW, Grand Rapids, MI (fictional address)
- Emergencies answered nights & weekends — burst pipes and backups first