David M. Murphy Plumbing, Heating and Gas Fitting, Inc.

David M. Murphy Plumbing, Heating and Gas Fitting is a small Lowell shop — the Better Business Bureau lists four employees, owner Mr. David Murphy and office manager Ms. Fran Godfroy — that says on its own site it has been doing plumbing, heating and gas fitting in the Merrimack Valley since 1983. Among Lowell-area homeowners the name comes up often. In a February 2026 r/LowellMA thread asking for plumbing and HVAC recommendations, four separate commenters named David Murphy: one listed the firm among 'three good ones' they had 'used all three extensively', another said they use David Murphy for plumbing and a different company for HVAC, a third put the name first in a short list of trusted trades, and a fourth said they 'had good luck' with them. These are neighbour recommendations rather than reviewed jobs, so they say more about reputation than about any one project. What the firm actually does, in its own words, is bath remodels, boiler installations, hot water heaters and general repairs for homeowners, builders and property managers; the site adds gas line work, tankless water heaters and oil-to-gas conversions, and names Lowell, Tewksbury, Andover, Wilmington and Billerica as its area. BuildZoom's permit records back that up with a steady stream of Lowell plumbing and gas permits, including a boiler and indirect water heater replacement in September 2025. The one written customer account on file is a bad one. A BBB reviewer describes 'an absolutely terrible experience', a heating system and hot water heater installed in May 2022 for over $14,000 where 'the initial installation appeared to be done well' but problems began in October 2023; the profile prints only a truncated preview, with BBB's own redactions and no star rating or date. It sits beside a BBB grade of A+ on a profile that also states the business is not BBB accredited — and BBB notes customer reviews are not used in that grade at all. A reasonable call for Merrimack Valley homeowners wanting a long-established local plumbing and heating shop, particularly for boilers and water heaters. Because the written record is one unresolved complaint against several word-of-mouth recommendations, ask for references on a job like yours, get the warranty terms for any heating or water-heater installation in writing, and confirm the plumbing licence with the state board.