A family plumbing business serving the community

By Grant Cree

“We service customers in all the towns around here and across Sturgeon County,” said Ursula Soria, co-owner of Alfredo’s Plumbing & Gas Fitting in Redwater. “We reach as far as Edmonton, so we have eight business licenses, and we cover all that area. There’s really not that many companies that actually spread themselves out like us.”

Ursula is Alfredo’s wife and business partner in the family-owned and operated company that has served customers 24/7 for the last 18 years. The recent frigid temperatures generated many calls, and Alfredo braved icy roads night and day to help homeowners needing his expertise.

“Things like a frozen water line or a broken toilet broke, or the heat goes off, or the boilers don’t work,” said Ursula. “So, heat is a huge thing right now. And what comes with it is frozen pipes. But when it starts to thaw, what we’re going to see will be all the leaks because you can’t see it when it’s frozen.”

The company offers various services ranging from plumbing and furnaces to boilers and drain cleaning. “We also do in-line camera inspections,” said Ursula.  

This technology enables Alfredo to see things like broken tiles, bad mortar connections, pipe cracks and sludge buildup. It means he can detect obstructions to proper drainage flow and provide a solution.

“Seventy percent of what we do is service work, then about 20% is small rentals, and the rest is new builds,” said Ursula. The ongoing supply chain issues present challenges for many sectors, including plumbing businesses of all sizes. “With that situation, we’re buying new stock because the shipping has been horrible,” she said.

Alfredo’s Plumbing & Gas Fitting has responded by purchasing things like furnaces and hot water tanks so that we have two or three on hand.

“It’s hard for everybody to get stock right now. They are short on truck drivers,

and [manufacturing] plants have COVID outbreaks, so production slows down,” said Ursula.

She noted those factors have resulted in price increases their business has never experienced before.

“I recently had two emails of price increases from one supplier in one day,” said Ursula. “It’s not that the product is more expensive to make. It is a shortage of workers in the plant, and then the truck drivers are not getting it to you. And so, the demand becomes much bigger. This is what we’re dealing with.”

Despite those challenges, Alfredo and Ursula enjoy providing their essential service to grateful customers of all ages who live in rural areas and small towns.

“You know, some jobs can be really ugly, but it’s always a good day because we help people,” said Ursula, who manages the office when Alfredo responds to calls.

“I’m in the office all the time doing the invoicing and everything else, and there’s a lot of people I talk to on the phone,” she said. “We exchange recipes, and there are so many elderly people out here, and you know what? You sense the feeling that they can count on Alfredo.”

Alfredo’s Plumbing & Gas Fitting offers competitive pricing and personalized service based on continually learning new products and building code changes.

They serve residential and commercial customers in Redwater and surrounding communities. For more information, visit www.alfredosplumbing.ca.