Plumbing questions, answered

You tell us what's going on, and we look for a licensed plumber who works in your area and is free. The plumber then contacts you or comes out, looks at the problem and gives you a price before starting.

No. There's no charge for the call or for finding you a plumber, and nothing is booked until you've seen a price and agreed to it.

Whittier, Buena Park, La Habra, La Mirada, Norwalk, Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, La Palma, Cypress and Montebello. The areas page lists every ZIP code we cover.

Yes. Call us back, tell us what didn't suit you, and we'll look for another licensed plumber.

Yes. California law requires contractors to include their license number in their advertising and their contracts. Ask for it, then look it up on the Check a License page at cslb.ca.gov before work starts.

A C-36 plumbing contractor license from the Contractors State License Board. The CSLB lookup shows whether it's active and which classifications the business holds.

On most jobs, the licensed plumber pulls the permit and books the inspection. Make sure the quote says so and includes the fee.

On a home improvement contract, CSLB rules cap the down payment at $1,000 or 10 percent of the price, whichever is less.

In Whittier, La Habra, Norwalk and the cities in the LA County sewer maintenance district, the lateral belongs to the property it serves, all the way to the main. The city or county maintains only the main itself.

There's no fixed rule, but a camera inspection is worth doing before buying an older home, after repeated clogs, or when roots have been found before.

It's a capped pipe that gives a plumber direct access to your sewer line. Having one outside the house makes clearing and inspecting the line faster and usually cheaper.

Water leaking from the tank itself, rusty hot water, loud rumbling in an older tank, or a heater past about ten years that needs a major part are the usual signs.

Shut off the main water valve, turn off the water heater, and cut power to anything electrical that's getting wet. Then call, and we'll find a plumber who can come now.

Check toilets first with a few drops of food coloring in the tank, then watch the leak indicator on your meter with everything off. If it keeps moving, a hidden leak such as a slab leak is possible.

It's best avoided, especially in older homes. These products can harm old pipe and often only open a small channel through the clog.

Every house is different, and a price only means something once a plumber has seen the job. Where we show typical ranges, we list their source and date, and you should always get a written quote before work starts.

Get two written quotes that cover the same scope, and compare them line by line. If one is double the other, ask what's included, and if one is half, ask what's missing.