Rough-in
The carrier goes in before the wall does
An in-wall carrier has to be plumb, braced and set to the finished floor height while the bay is still open. Get it wrong and the fix is a demolition job.
Racine, Wisconsin. Family owned since 1978.
Since 1978, Karlsen Plumbing has been inside the walls of Southeast Wisconsin.
Family owned in Racine. Roughly 200 new homes a year, plus service, remodel, commercial and industrial process piping. Every job runs under a Wisconsin licensed journeyman.
1951 Grove Ave, Racine
Dave and Kathy Karlsen started this in 1978. It has not left Racine since.
The company began on new residential construction and grew into a plumbing contractor that covers residential, commercial and industrial work, service and repair, and design build projects. Kohler lists Karlsen in its own Find a Pro directory, which puts the fifty years on somebody else's record and not just ours.
We are members of the Racine, Kenosha Builders Association, and our plumbers belong to Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 118. Seniors and veterans get 5% off service work.
The whole shop
Sixteen people, one address, and the van that turns up at your house.
The covered-up work
Most of what we do is sealed behind drywall by Friday
A plumbing company is judged on the part nobody photographs. Here is some of it, before it disappeared.
New homes
About two hundred of these a year
Builders and general contractors across Southeast Wisconsin book Karlsen for the rough-in and the trim-out. The schedule is theirs. The inspection sequence is not negotiable.
Water heating
Tankless, set and vented properly
A Rinnai on the basement wall, gas sized for the load and the vent run taken out the right way. Bradford White tanks go in just as often when that suits the house better.
Sump and backup
The pump that matters is the second one
A primary sump pump is only as good as the power feeding it. The battery back up and its monitor are what keep a Racine basement dry through a storm outage.
Trim-out
The only part the homeowner ever sees
Valves, spouts and escutcheons land last. Everything behind them was decided months earlier, which is why the rough-in gets the attention it does.
Service call
And then there is the 7am phone call
The same company that roughs in the subdivisions runs the service trucks. Burst lines, frozen lines, failed traps, drains that a plunger will not move.
Six divisions, one shop
What Karlsen is called out for
Service trucks, remodel crews, new construction, multi-family, commercial and industrial. Same office, same licence, same phone number.
Service trucks
Service and repair
Water heaters, sump pumps, backflow testing, burst and frozen lines, and the drains a plunger will not move. OEM repair parts on the truck, jetters and cameras in the shop.
Service and repair details
Remodel plumbingFrom a fixture swap to a bathroom or kitchen that moves to a different wall. Home additions and light commercial included.Remodel plumbing- New home constructionAround 200 new homes a year for builders and general contractors, custom and package alike, roughed in to the builder's schedule.New home construction
- Multi-familyTwo-family homes up to multiple unit condominiums and apartments, on plan and spec or design build.Multi-family
- Commercial plumbingTenant improvements, additions and ground-up buildings for schools, health care, municipal buildings, food processing plants and stores.Commercial
- Industrial plumbingNew plant lines, equipment upgrades and extra process line runs, fitted around a plant that has to keep running.Industrial
Three jobs, told by the people who paid for them
You can read what we say about ourselves anywhere. This is what they said.
Water heater, two outside spigots, broken supply-line hangers
"Roughly 3 hours later everything was installed and updated. That was the best $2400 dollars I've spent on my house in a long time."
The gentleman who did the work made it exactly the way I would have done if I had his skill and abilities. Everything was seamless from the quote, scheduling the job, and the technician calling before he arrived. Karlsen Plumbing is the only place I'll call for future work.
Mike Gibbs on Google
Emergency call that did not need to be one
"The owner was very open and honest stating that he'd hate to see someone spend the money if not necessary."
They booked her in first thing Monday. Simon found the problem and repaired it quickly, and the bill came in under what she expected.
Ash Jarrett on Google
A tub faucet that leaked twice
"You responded same day I called & replaced defective new part successfully. No charge for the second call."
Scott had replaced the broken part inside the faucet. The replacement part itself failed a week later, so the second visit was ours to pay for, not hers.
Maddy on Google
Why the licence takes five years
Nobody arrives here already a journeyman
Every journeyman plumber at Karlsen completed a five year apprenticeship: day school in the classroom, evening classes, and hours on the job beside other licensed plumbers. Each apprentice is required to attend 800 hours of class. After that, the training does not stop. We run monthly continuing education so the crews know the products and the equipment that are actually being specified now.
- Licensed by the State of Wisconsin
- OSHA certified
- Certified in Backflow testing
- Medical Gas Certified
- Member of Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 118
- Completed (or is enrolled in) an apprenticeship program
- Each apprentice is required to attend 800 hours of class
Before you call
The questions the office gets most
Yes. Emergency calls and 24 hour service are available. The office is open Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and the number is (262) 633-1951 at any hour.
Every plumber here is licensed by the State of Wisconsin. Each journeyman has completed a five year apprenticeship of day school, evening classes and on the job training alongside other licensed plumbers, and all of them are trained and OSHA certified.
Yes. Seniors and veterans get 5% off service work.
Yes. We are certified in backflow testing and offer yearly backflow testing and repairs, either on their own or as part of a service and maintenance contract written for your building.
Both. Karlsen averages around 200 new homes a year for builders and general contractors, and the same company runs the service trucks, the remodel work, and commercial and industrial piping.
Southeast Wisconsin, worked out of the shop at 1951 Grove Ave in Racine. We are members of the Racine, Kenosha Builders Association.
Usually. We carry a full arsenal of drain cleaning machines, sewer jetters and cameras, so a blocked line gets looked at rather than guessed at, and sanitary and storm laterals can be inspected on camera.
Racine and Southeast Wisconsin
One number, whether it is a dripping faucet or a subdivision
Karlsen Plumbing, 1951 Grove Ave, Racine. Call the shop and you get people who have been doing this here since 1978.