Jafar is one of those exceptional people you come across from time to time.
In April we had him remove a large radiator and replace it with a smaller one, as part of a kitchen renovation we were starting at that time. Based on emailed photos of our boiler, and a discussion over the phone, he provided a quote that was lower than others I received. This change-over of radiators was a last minute decision that needed to be done quickly; knowing this, Jafar found time in his busy schedule to get our work done right away. As it turned out, the job was more complex than originally anticipated, due to our hot water heating system being 55 years old. This necessitated that Jafar spend over 10 hours here, during which time he took no breaks. In the end, not only had he installed our new radiator, he identified and soldered a leak in the system and he took time to fully explain how this kind of heating system works, by showing me various components of the boiler.
I tried to offer Jafar more than what he originally quoted, realizing that it ended up being a much bigger job than either of us expected. He insisted on not charging more, though, so I accepted his generous offer.
I was very impressed with Jafar after this experience. Not only is he skilled in what he does, but he is a fine person: friendly, punctual, hard-working and honest. My intention was to put a good review for him [and other tradespeople we found on Homestars] after the renovation was over, but since we’re still working on this, I hadn’t yet gotten around to doing so. Something else happened recently, though, prompting me to post this review right away.
Following Jafar’s service call in April, we used our heating system for a few weeks, before the warm weather took hold. Then, after our long summer wherein we obviously didn’t need any heat on in the house, I turned up the thermostat two mornings ago, to remove a chill in the air. The boiler didn’t come on, however, and so I called Jafar. He asked me to text him some photos of the system, so he could be sure of various internal components I could check first, before initiating another call-out. He determined that the problem was likely with power coming in to the boiler, which was preventing the electric igniter from allowing the gas flame to catch. We decided that I might want to have our electrician check things out first, so I contacted him to come take a look. He was busy and told me it would be a few days before he could come by. I was okay with this, given the weather’s being mild enough that having heat on in the house was not crucial. Then yesterday, after Jafar had finished a house call in North Vancouver, he offered to stop by to take a quick look at things for us, since the electrician had not yet been able to come. Jafar very quickly determined that a small fuse positioned near the boiler’s LED panel was blown, so he put in a new one. This one blew right away, too, which led him to conclude that somehow there was a short in the wire leading up to the thermostat. He followed this wire along its path through rafters in the ceiling, and was able to find a small section where the insulation on the wire had been sheared, after becoming lodged against a heating pipe during some other work done as part of the kitchen reno. Clearly, the combination of bare wire against metal was causing the short. Jafar wrapped the stripped section with electrician’s tape, popped in another fuse and the problem was solved. He was here for half an hour taking care of this issue, and supplied two fuses, and yet he wouldn’t accept payment for his work. He said he was in the area anyway, and he was happy to have been able to fix our problem without more fuss. I was so thankful for both his timing and his expertise in taking this job off of what had become a long list of things needing my attention, and I couldn’t believe that he didn’t want payment, especially since he was no doubt tired after a full day of work.
So, all this to say that Jafar deserves high praise. As stated above, he is highly knowledgeable and skilled, but more importantly, he has a rare work ethic. He is definitely now my ‘go-to’ person for any heating needs, and I will refer him to friends and family who may need servicing or installation of boilers, furnaces, air conditioners or water heaters.
Thank you, Jafar. You are the best!
