16 plumbers ranked by CR ScoreUpdated 0 paid placements in this rankingHow we rank →
Best overall in Spencer: Pete Howe Sanitation Inc, CR Score 90/100; 4.5★ from 42 Google reviews; open 24/7.
Best for emergencies (open 24/7): The sewer doctors, posts 24/7 hours; ranked #2 of 16.
Most-reviewed: Lakes Plumbing Heating Cooling and Lakes Foam Solutions, 188 Google reviews at 4.8★, the most of 16 ranked; ranked #4.
Rankings can't be bought. Contractors can't pay to change their rank or score. How we rank
16 Spencer plumbers are ranked here by CR Score, from 8 published factors. 5 are open 24/7, 8 open Saturdays and 6 open Sundays, based on posted hours. The median Google rating is 4.8★ across 16 rated businesses.
| Rank | Business | CR Score | Google rating | Based in | Hours | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pete Howe Sanitation Inc | 90 | 4.5★ (42) | Spencer | 24/7 | Overall |
| 2 | The sewer doctors | 90 | 4.8★ (39) | Spencer | 24/7 | Emergencies |
| 3 | Swish’n Flo Plumbing LLC | 87 | 5.0★ (24) | Spencer | Sat · Sun | — |
| 4 | Lakes Plumbing Heating Cooling and Lakes Foam Solutions | 86 | 4.8★ (188) | Spirit Lake, 19 mi away | 24/7 | Most reviews |
| 5 | Windy LLC Heating Cooling and Plumbing | 85 | 5.0★ (24) | Spirit Lake, 4 mi away | 24/7 | — |
| 6 | iPlumb Plumbing | 85 | 5.0★ (6) | Spencer | 24/7 | — |
| 7 | Mr. Drain Man | 83 | 4.8★ (57) | Spirit Lake, 9 mi away | Sat | — |
| 8 | Lakes Plumbing Heating & Cooling | 76 | 4.4★ (5) | Spirit Lake, 20 mi away | — | — |
| 9 | L. Miller Plumbing | 75 | 5.0★ (26) | Estherville, 12 mi away | — | — |
| 10 | Comfortec Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, Inc. | 75 | 4.3★ (34) | Spirit Lake, 19 mi away | — | — |
Ordered by CR Score, a 0–100 score from 8 published factors. Paid placement never changes the order.
Ranked #1 because of its Google rating and availability: 4.5★ from 42 Google reviews, open 24/7.
Based on 6 of 8 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Spencer
Ranked #2 because of its Google rating and availability: 4.8★ from 39 Google reviews, open 24/7.
Based on 6 of 8 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Spencer
Ranked #3 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 5.0★ from 24 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Plumber”.
Based on 6 of 8 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Spirit Lake, 19 mi away
Ranked #4 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.8★ from 188 Google reviews, the most Google reviews on this list (188).
Based on 6 of 8 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Spirit Lake, 4 mi away
Ranked #5 because of its Google rating and availability: 5.0★ from 24 Google reviews, open 24/7.
Based on 6 of 8 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Spencer
Ranked #6 because of its Google rating and availability: 5.0★ from 6 Google reviews, open 24/7.
Based on 6 of 8 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Spirit Lake, 9 mi away
Ranked #7 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 4.8★ from 57 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Plumber”.
Based on 6 of 8 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Spirit Lake, 20 mi away
Ranked #8 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 4.4★ from 5 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Plumber”.
Based on 5 of 8 factors; credentials, recency and availability not yet collected.
Based in Estherville, 12 mi away
Ranked #9 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 5.0★ from 26 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Plumber”.
Based on 6 of 8 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Spirit Lake, 19 mi away
Ranked #10 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 4.3★ from 34 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Air conditioning contractor”.
Based on 5 of 8 factors; credentials, recency and availability not yet collected.
Based in Estherville, 25 mi away
Ranked #11 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 5.0★ from 4 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Plumber”.
Based on 5 of 8 factors; credentials, recency and availability not yet collected.
Based in Spirit Lake, 20 mi away
Ranked #12 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 5.0★ from 3 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Plumber”.
Based on 5 of 8 factors; credentials, recency and availability not yet collected.
Based in Spirit Lake, 16 mi away
Ranked #13 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 4.3★ from 25 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Air conditioning contractor”.
Based on 6 of 8 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Estherville, 24 mi away
Ranked #14 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 3.9★ from 15 Google reviews, listed on Google as “HVAC contractor”.
Based on 5 of 8 factors; credentials, recency and availability not yet collected.
Based in Spencer
Ranked #15 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 5.0★ from 7 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Plumbing supply store”.
Based on 6 of 8 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
Based in Estherville, 24 mi away
Ranked #16 because of its Google rating and trade focus: 3.8★ from 17 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Heating contractor”.
Based on 6 of 8 factors; credentials and recency not yet collected.
9 more plumbers within 25 mi that we can't rank yet: too few reviews, or a trade we couldn't confirm. Listed A to Z.
| Business | Google rating | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Excel Plumbing & Heating | 5.0★ (1) | 24 mi |
| Heaton's Plumbing | 3.0★ (2) | 20 mi |
| Joe Froiland Plumbing Heating | In Spencer | |
| Johns Plumbing & Elec | 5.0★ (1) | 24 mi |
| Lakes Plumbing Heating & Cooling | In Spencer | |
| Midwestern Mechanical | In Spencer | |
| Miller Plumbing & Heating | In Spencer | |
| Simply Plumbing & HVAC | 19 mi | |
| Suter | In Spencer |
National price ranges in USD, not adjusted for Spencer. Each row names its basis and the month we checked it.
| Job | Low | Typical | High | Basis | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water heater replacement | $882 | $1,348 | $1,826 | Per unit, installed (unit plus labor); typical range of customer-reported jobs. US national range | October 2026 |
In Iowa, Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board (Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing) licenses Plumbing work: water supply, drain, waste and vent piping and fixtures.
No chip usually means we have not matched a state record yet. Check the lookup yourself before you hire.
Guide checked October 2026. How we verify licenses
We scored 16 Spencer plumbers on 8 factors, weighted as shown. A business is ranked when its trade is confirmed and it has 3 or more Google reviews or a claimed profile. Unknown factors are left out of the score, not counted as zero. Scores last refreshed October 22, 2026.
Paid placement never changes a rank or score. Featured businesses are paid, labelled, limited to 3 and shown above the ranking, outside it.
| Factor | Weight | Computed from | In Spencer data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reputation | 35% | Bayesian-adjusted Google star rating | Measured |
| Credentials | 15% | Active state license 0.6, bond 0.2, workers’ comp 0.2 | Not yet collected |
| Review volume | 10% | log10(reviews + 1) against the list maximum | Measured |
| Recency | 10% | Share of reviews from the last 12 months | Not yet collected |
| Availability | 10% | Weekly open hours, Saturday, Sunday, 24/7 or same-day | Measured |
| Trade focus | 10% | Google main category 1.0, business name 0.7, additional category 0.5 | Measured |
| Proximity | 5% | 1.0 when based in the city, falling to 0 at the trade’s radius | Measured |
| Completeness | 5% | Website, photos, description, hours, claimed profile (0.2 each) | Measured |