Three Amigos Plumbing opens under new ownership

Todd and Jeff Janssen are brothers, but their relationship doesn't end there. Lifelong friends, the two are now business partners as well.

"We've always worked on something together," said Todd, who along with Jeff purchased Three Amigos Plumbing earlier this year.

The previous owner, Lanny Helgeson, retired after providing many years of excellent service to area residents, and Todd and Jeff are both dedicated to maintaining the same quality of service that Helgeson provided and will work hard to continually increase their expertise and services.

The Janssens employ six other plumbers and one office administrator. Because of not only the number of employees, but also the areas in which they live, Three Amigos prides itself on being able to respond promptly to almost any call 24 hours a day.

Their inventory includes seven trucks with employees living in areas as spread out as Diamond Lake, Priest River and Sandpoint.

"We are the only plumbers that I am aware of who answer their own phones 24 hours a day," said Todd.

"And we have seen it all," adds Jeff, who worked at Three Amigos for five years prior to purchasing the business. "Burst pipes, leaking water heaters and showers that won't shut off in the middle of the night."

Their territory covers a broad area from Usk, Wash., to Heron, Mont., and from Athol to the Canadian border.

But Three Amigos provides more than just typical plumbing services.

"We are not just plumbing," said Jeff. "We service sewer pumps and water pumps as well as being licensed in heating."

They also do backflow assembly testing. "We make sure the fresh water stays fresh," said Jeff.

Also on their schedules is regular maintenance for both businesses and residences. For businesses they will snake out lines anywhere from two to four times a year as a preventative measure. They will also service furnaces on a regular basis to help reduce the risk of a problem arising when you need the unit the most.

"We'll also do winterizing and de-winterizing," said Todd.

All of their employees are licensed either as a contracting, journeyman or apprenticeship plumber, and they all continue to increase their expertise through continuing education classes. According to both Todd and Jeff, there are often new codes which require employees to become familiar with compliance issues as well as new training manuals.

"In addition to attending continuing education classes for plumbing and electrical issues, we are all certified in CPR and first aid as well," said Jeff.

To contact Three Amigos Plumbing, call 255-4380 or stop by their offices located at 1227 Michigan Street in Sandpoint.