About Us

A real good plumber

About Us

A real good plumber

About Us

In 2014, Paul embarked on the most ambitious project of his career. He began a journey that took nearly three years from planning and design to turning the switch on. He converted the heating system of a 27 floor, block long building, built in 1931 in downtown Wall Street area in Manhattan.

As most large buildings in New York built in that era, the building bought its heating steam from Con Edison. The cost of the steam reached nearly $1 million a year. In comparison to similar buildings that are heated with oil or gas, this cost was astronomical. The owners of the building were looking to find a way that is environmentally sustainable and less costly than Con Edison steam. Paul designed and then built a dual fuel boiler system that required four technicians working full time for nearly a year to build the two very large boilers, 180 feet chimney, damper and a complicated thermostat and monitoring system.

It was shortly after superstorm Sandy flooded lower Manhattan and other low lying areas in New York and New Jersey and the decision included building a boiler room on the second floor of that building guarding against the possibility that the new boiler would ever be flooded and destroyed by salt water from the nearby Atlantic ocean. Paul’s knowledge of Math and his vast experience in Heating gave him the foundation to take on such a huge and complicated project.

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How did he get there?

In 1964, Paul Shay, the owner of A Real Good Plumber set out to carry on the family tradition. He enrolled at an upstate NY State college to study math.

He did well in his studies; his mother was a high school math teacher, his oldest brother a physicist in Bell Lab, his older sister had a graduate degree in math and was teaching high school in Long Island. His future was written. He graduated with a BA in Math and a teaching certificate and embarked on a career in education, teaching high school kids math was his destination.

The late 60’s were heady times for the country. The war in Vietnam was raging with no end in sight and young people were moved to take a stand and protest the war along with the system that brought the Vietnam war into being. Paul felt that his contribution to society was too limited in the classroom, he felt compelled to join the bigger movement and make a difference, he had a good motivator, he had a low draft number that potentially could end up getting him into the war by 1970.

His life took a new direction and before long, Paul moved to NYC. He knew plenty about auto mechanics work, he has been tinkering with cars since his teens years. He set out to work for a property management company learning the “ABC” of building maintenance. Paul is a voracious reader, always curious to learn new things. He picked up knowledge on the go, through books, through asking plumbers and hardware stores owners a million and one questions.

Paul decided to become a licensed plumber. He reasoned that in New York City with its many centuries old buildings, plumbing will always be a profession in demand. He concluded that plumbing cannot be outsourced to a company outside the country nor would it lend itself to replacement by robots. Furthermore, Paul saw an opportunity to use his math skills to excel in Plumbing and be the thinking plumber in NY city.

Soon after he became a Licensed Master Plumber in 1988, he started A Real Good Plumber, Inc.

Over the years, Paul passionate approach to solving problems lead him to become an expert in Heating. He is mentioned in a number of articles and he is often a resource for other plumbers. He is an active member of NYC Master Plumber Council and a member of Nexstar, the national organization of Trade professionals.

After over 30 years in the business, Paul is still as passionate as he was the day he began this journey – if not more. He ensure his team is as dedicated, devoted and experienced as he is so he could continue to provide high-quality solutions and service.

About Us

In 2014, Paul embarked on the most ambitious project of his career. He began a journey that took nearly three years from planning and design to turning the switch on. He converted the heating system of a 27 floor, block long building, built in 1931 in downtown Wall Street area in Manhattan.As most large buildings in New York built in that era, the building bought its heating steam from Con Edison. The cost of the steam reached nearly $1 million a year. In comparison to similar buildings that are heated with oil or gas, this cost was astronomical. The owners of the building were looking to find a way that is environmentally sustainable and less costly than Con Edison steam. Paul designed and then built a dual fuel boiler system that required four technicians working full time for nearly a year to build the two very large boilers, 180 feet chimney, damper and a complicated thermostat and monitoring system.

It was shortly after superstorm Sandy flooded lower Manhattan and other low lying areas in New York and New Jersey and the decision included building a boiler room on the second floor of that building guarding against the possibility that the new boiler would ever be flooded and destroyed by salt water from the nearby Atlantic ocean. Paul’s knowledge of Math and his vast experience in Heating gave him the foundation to take on such a huge and complicated project.

Contact Us Today

How did he get there?

In 1964, Paul Shay, the owner of A Real Good Plumber set out to carry on the family tradition. He enrolled at an upstate NY State college to study math.
He did well in his studies; his mother was a high school math teacher, his oldest brother a physicist in Bell Lab, his older sister had a graduate degree in math and was teaching high school in Long Island. His future was written. He graduated with a BA in Math and a teaching certificate and embarked on a career in education, teaching high school kids math was his destination.

The late 60’s were heady times for the country. The war in Vietnam was raging with no end in sight and young people were moved to take a stand and protest the war along with the system that brought the Vietnam war into being. Paul felt that his contribution to society was too limited in the classroom, he felt compelled to join the bigger movement and make a difference, he had a good motivator, he had a low draft number that potentially could end up getting him into the war by 1970.

His life took a new direction and before long, Paul moved to NYC. He knew plenty about auto mechanics work, he has been tinkering with cars since his teens years. He set out to work for a property management company learning the “ABC” of building maintenance. Paul is a voracious reader, always curious to learn new things. He picked up knowledge on the go, through books, through asking plumbers and hardware stores owners a million and one questions.
Paul decided to become a licensed plumber. He reasoned that in New York City with its many centuries old buildings, plumbing will always be a profession in demand. He concluded that plumbing cannot be outsourced to a company outside the country nor would it lend itself to replacement by robots. Furthermore, Paul saw an opportunity to use his math skills to excel in Plumbing and be the thinking plumber in NY city.
Soon after he became a Licensed Master Plumber in 1988, he started A Real Good Plumber, Inc.

Over the years, Paul passionate approach to solving problems lead him to become an expert in Heating. He is mentioned in a number of articles and he is often a resource for other plumbers. He is an active member of NYC Master Plumber Council and a member of Nexstar, the national organization of Trade professionals.

After over 30 years in the business, Paul is still as passionate as he was the day he began this journey – if not more. He ensure his team is as dedicated, devoted and experienced as he is so he could continue to provide high-quality solutions and service.

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