Alcor Solar Specialists reviews
• last updated FEB 26, 2026Loading map...
The Verdict
Alcor Solar Specialists has kept some Bay Area pools warm for decades, but recent service has gone sideways. We found 15 longtime customers who praised owner Al and his team for responsive repairs and honest advice over 20-plus years, often returning for second installs. But we also saw a pattern of scheduling chaos that should worry you. One homeowner got a surprise call saying the technician was eight minutes away after three weeks of radio silence from the office. Another waited a year for a repair callback after their panels slipped off the roof because the installer used nails instead of lag bolts. Two near-identical reviews from 2024 describe lost payments, angry email exchanges with Al, and refusal to honor manufacturer warranties on leaking collectors. If you hire Alcor, you may get Joe (the technician who fixes leaks in minutes) or you may get stuck in a billing dispute with an owner whom multiple customers describe as irritable and hard to reach. The gap between their best and worst service is too wide to ignore.
If you're willing to gamble on which version of Alcor shows up, their decades of pool-solar experience and competitive pricing may appeal to you. But if you need predictable scheduling, clear communication, and warranty follow-through, the recent complaints suggest you'll be fighting for basic professionalism.
Reviews That Shaped Our Verdict
Barry J. had a pool solar system put on his house and quickly discovered the array had slipped down off its mounting. He found the installers had used nails instead of lag bolts to secure the racking, the fasteners failed, and the assembly pulled away. When he pushed for a fix, the company replied it couldn't schedule a return visit for a year. The lasting detail: the failure came from using the wrong fasteners, and the repair lead time is a full year — something future buyers will want to confirm before signing.
Patrick M. hired this company to install Solar Industries (Aquatherm) pool collectors on his Contra Costa County home and ended up frustrated by the whole process. He ran into a scheduling nightmare—appointments kept slipping and Al became visibly irritated whenever he asked for firm arrival times so someone could access the roof. Email exchanges with the owner felt unstable: the crew misplaced his payment, refused service while it was “missing,” then later located the check and insisted on cashing it before agreeing to address manufacturer defects. Because the company holds exclusivity in the area, he felt trapped without a nearby alternative. Neither the installer nor Solar Industries stood behind the work; after four years the collectors had caused roof leaks and now a valve has failed. The detail that stuck with him: the company demanded they cash a misplaced check as a precondition for fixing defects—enough for him to advise looking for a more reputable, stable pool-solar installer in Contra Costa County.
Mauricio S. ended up with a sharply mixed experience: a standout technician and a frustrating runaround from the office. He needed a repair on his solar‑pool plumbing, and when Joe finally showed up he diagnosed and fixed the problem in minutes — professional, efficient, and friendly enough that the service itself deserved five stars. The trouble began long before that visit. He reached out to the front office by email on April 16 and got a response from Sue, but replies dragged and stayed vague; he couldn’t get even a ballpark estimate without repeated follow‑ups. A final email asking to schedule went unanswered, then three weeks later Joe called on May 6 saying he was eight minutes away — Mauricio had no idea he’d been booked and was lucky to be home. The takeaway: the hands‑on tech work is excellent if you can secure Joe’s time, but expect shaky communication and surprise scheduling from the office; the image that lingers is Joe arriving unannounced and fixing everything in minutes, after a stressful few weeks of uncertainty.
Platforms Monitored
Performance by Work Type
How We Got To Trust Score 76
Clean Record
Unauthorized Activities
Passed screening
Misleading Claims
Passed screening
Background Check
Serving customers for 16 years
Among the longest-standing installers in the market.
BBB Rating: NR
Poor BBB standing. Significant complaints.
Natural Review Patterns
Reviews were posted naturally over time.
Contractor License
License information could not be confirmed.
What You Can Expect
Lisa D. first had Alcor install a solar pool heating system about 15 years ago, and when it finally needed replacement she went straight back to them. With the old system out of commission her pool sat around 72°F—too cold for her and her granddaughter—so timing mattered. Alcor’s office coordinated the work to fit her schedule (Sue handled the booking and stayed responsive), then sent two technicians—both named Joe—to do the job. The crew removed the old panels on Tuesday and had the new system in place by Thursday, answering her questions and working neatly the whole time. One day after installation, during a heat wave, the pool temperature climbed to about 80°F and she could swim again. What stuck with her most was the quick, tidy two-day swap and the reliable scheduling from Sue, plus the friendly, efficient work of the two Joes.
Donald L. has lived in his house for close to 30 years, so his original solar collectors were about that old. Over the decades Alcor kept the aging system running through occasional leaks and repairs, and when it finally needed replacing he shopped other bids but stayed with the company — their price was competitive and he already trusted them. He ended up with new panels mounted on top of a new roof, a job that required a lot of back-and-forth between the roofers and Alcor, and the system is working as promised. He singled out Sue in the office for being great, and what lingered most for him was how smoothly Alcor coordinated the roof and solar crews — he walked away with a neatly integrated system and a dependable point of contact.
Patrick M. hired this company to install Solar Industries (Aquatherm) pool collectors on his Contra Costa County home and ended up frustrated by the whole process. He ran into a scheduling nightmare—appointments kept slipping and Al became visibly irritated whenever he asked for firm arrival times so someone could access the roof. Email exchanges with the owner felt unstable: the crew misplaced his payment, refused service while it was “missing,” then later located the check and insisted on cashing it before agreeing to address manufacturer defects. Because the company holds exclusivity in the area, he felt trapped without a nearby alternative. Neither the installer nor Solar Industries stood behind the work; after four years the collectors had caused roof leaks and now a valve has failed. The detail that stuck with him: the company demanded they cash a misplaced check as a precondition for fixing defects—enough for him to advise looking for a more reputable, stable pool-solar installer in Contra Costa County.