Plumber in La Palma, CA

Plumbing help for La Palma homes

La Palma is a small city with a big plumbing story. It started life in 1955 as Dairyland, a city founded by dairy farmers determined to keep the subdivisions out. By the mid-1960s the tracts arrived anyway, the city became La Palma, and within a decade or so most of its homes were built - many of them on concrete slabs, plumbed with copper, connected to clay or cast iron sewer lines.

Those houses have held up well, but much of their original plumbing is now 50 to 60 years old. That's why the calls that come up most in La Palma tend to be the same: slab leaks, pinhole leaks in copper, water heaters worn down by hard water, and sewer laterals invaded by roots.

One call puts you in touch with an independent plumber who works in La Palma and the neighboring cities - Buena Park, Cerritos, Artesia, Hawaiian Gardens and Lakewood. They can tell you what's wrong and what it takes to fix it, and you decide what happens next.

Plumbing problems common in La Palma

• Slab leaks. Warm spots on the floor, running water sounds and climbing water bills are classic signs. See slab leak repair.
• Pinhole leaks in copper. Often the first sign that a home's original pipes are aging out. Our post on why La Palma homes get pinhole leaks explains the causes.
• Hard water. Scale on faucets and showerheads, sediment rumbling in water heaters, and fixtures that wear out early.
• Roots in sewer lines. Mature trees and older clay and cast iron laterals lead to repeat backups.
• Water heaters. Tank heaters past 10 years, often in garages, and sometimes missing proper earthquake strapping.

Before you call: quick checks

• Find your main water shutoff. Usually outside near the front of the house or in a box near the curb. In a leak, this is the most useful thing you can know.
• Do a meter test if you suspect a hidden leak: turn everything off and see if the meter moves.
• Check how many drains are affected. One slow drain is a local clog; several at once usually means the main line.
• Look at the water heater for rust or water at the base, and check it's strapped.

Checking a plumber

Plumbing contractors in California are licensed by the Contractors State License Board. Whoever you hire, ask for the license number and look it up on the CSLB website, and get the scope of work in writing before the job starts.