Frequently Asked Questions

Every Professional Plumbing technician is licensed, bonded, and insured. The company has held a California state contractor's license since 1987 (CSLB #517514, C-36) and has been family-owned in Orange County since 1985. You can verify the license on the CSLB site and read more about our team.

In a plumbing emergency, shut off the water first — use the fixture's angle stop, or the main valve for a bigger leak — then cut power to the area if water is near outlets. Clear the space and call us; ourcan talk you through it while we head your way.

A sudden spike in your water bill is most often caused by a running toilet, which can waste hundreds of gallons a day. Test it by adding a few drops of food coloring to the tank; if color reaches the bowl without flushing, the flapper is leaking. Hidden slab, irrigation, or supply-line leaks are the other usual suspects.

To find a hidden water leak, turn off every fixture and appliance, then watch your water meter — if the dial still moves, water is escaping somewhere. A warm spot on the floor, a musty smell, or a spike in your bill are other clues. Catching it early keeps repairs small and prevents mold.

Your main water shut-off valve is usually outside near the front of the house — by a hose bib, the garage, or the water heater — plus a curb valve at the meter box. Turn a round handle clockwise, or a lever a quarter turn, to shut it off. Find and test it now, before an emergency.

A rotten-egg or sewage smell from a drain is usually hydrogen sulfide from buildup in the pipe, or a dried-out P-trap letting sewer gas escape from a rarely used fixture. Run water to refill the trap and clean the disposal. If every drain smells, a blocked plumbing vent may be the cause and is worth a call.

For most plumbing jobs, someone 18 or older should be home to grant access, approve the work, and point out the problem. For simple exterior work we can sometimes arrange otherwise. When you book online, let us know and we'll confirm what your job needs.

You can prevent most common plumbing problems by flushing your water heater yearly, never pouring grease down the drain, keeping wipes out of the toilet, and knowing where your main shut-off is. In our hard-water area, a softener protects pipes, fixtures, and water heaters. A yearly check-up catches small issues before they flood a floor.

Professional Plumbing offers same-day appointments andacross Orange County, and we answer the phone every day of the year with no extra charge for weekends or holidays on emergency calls. Call early in the day for the best same-day availability.

Professional Plumbing offers a free second opinion if another plumber has quoted a big repair or replacement, so you can be sure the work is really needed and fairly priced. We give honest, upfront pricing in writing before any work begins.

A garbage disposal that hums but won't spin is usually jammed, not dead. Turn off the power, use the hex wrench in the bottom slot to free the flywheel, then press the reset button. If it still won't turn or it leaks from the bottom, the motor or seal has failed — see our disposal repair and replacement page.

A garbage disposal typically lasts 8 to 15 years, often 10 to 12 with good care, though Orange County's hard water can shorten that by wearing the internal seals faster. If yours is over 10 years old and leaking, constantly jamming, or tripping the reset, replacement is usually cheaper than repeated repairs.

Only heated, electric bidet seats need an electrical outlet — specifically a GFCI outlet within about three feet of the toilet, which an electrician can add. Non-electric bidet attachments run on water pressure alone and tie into the toilet's existing cold-water supply, so no outlet is required.

A bidet works perfectly well with cold water, and cold-water attachments are the simplest to install. If you want warmth, an electric seat heats water on demand and needs a nearby GFCI outlet. We install both types and connect them to your existing supply so the fitting seats cleanly and doesn't leak.

A water softener removes the calcium and magnesium that cause scale, spotting, and dry skin, while a water filter removes chlorine, taste, odor, and sediment. Orange County water is hard, so most homes benefit from softening; for better taste too, pair it with carbon filtration. Compare options on our water filtration page.

A comfort-height toilet (17 to 19 inches, close to a chair) is easier on knees and backs and better for taller adults, while a standard-height toilet (around 15 inches) suits small children. Most households prefer comfort height unless young kids are the main users.

Replacing a shower valve usually means opening the wall, since the valve body sits inside it — we work through an access panel behind the wall or cut a small opening if there isn't one. We access from the back side whenever possible to protect your tile, and can add a removable panel so the next cartridge swap is easy.

We're happy to install a dishwasher you already bought — you take delivery of the unit, and we pull the old machine, set the new one, and make the water and drain connections, including the code-required air gap. The only thing we don't do is enlarge the cabinet opening, which is finishing carpentry.

A newly installed faucet that leaks is covered differently depending on what failed: if our workmanship caused it, we fix it; if a part inside a fixture you supplied failed, that's the manufacturer's warranty, though we can install the replacement. When we supply the fixture, our one-year labor warranty covers both. See our fixture installation page.

We replace the shut-off valves under your sink during a faucet job because old angle stops often won't fully close, and we won't leave you unable to shut off that fixture in an emergency. In older Orange County homes these valves can be decades old and seized. It's a small add-on that prevents a future flood — and we always explain it first.

Slab leak repair cost depends almost entirely on access — a leak under bare concrete costs far less than one under tile, hardwood, or a built-in cabinet. There's no honest flat figure, so we give a free on-site estimate and put the price in writing before any work starts. Location and repair method drive the cost more than the leak itself.

Slab leaks are most often caused by aging copper reacting to Orange County's hard water and soil — minerals abrade the pipe from the inside while soil chemistry and electrolysis corrode it from the outside. The hot line usually fails first because it expands and contracts against the concrete. See our slab leak guide for the full breakdown.

Plumbers find a slab leak without tearing up the floor by using acoustic listening equipment that hears water escaping the pressurized line through the concrete, often adding CO2 injection and line tracing to pinpoint it within an inch or two. We don't rely on thermal imaging, which flags warm spots that aren't leaks. Learn more about our leak detection.

A spot repair suits an isolated leak on otherwise sound, newer plumbing, while a reroute makes more sense on older copper, because once one line leaks, more tend to follow along the same run. We often recommend rerouting the section overhead to get it out of the slab for good — and we quote both so you can decide.

Trenchless lining is a real option for a straight water service line from the curb to the house, but not for the branching, fixture-to-fixture pipes under a residential slab. For those, rerouting in new copper is usually more reliable and often cheaper. Before accepting a trenchless quote, read what it actually covers on our trenchless repair page.

A slab leak isn't always a burst-pipe emergency, but it never fixes itself and always gets worse. The pinhole grows under pressure, and standing water can start mold within a day or two. Waiting turns a contained repair into flooring damage and a much larger bill, so it's worth diagnosing right away.

Hard water is a leading cause of pinhole leaks in copper pipes, because Orange County's moderately-to-very-hard water acts like a slow abrasive inside the pipe, especially at elbows and fittings where flow is turbulent. Combined with decades of use and recirculation pumps, that wear eventually opens a hole. A softener can slow it on newer copper.

You can sell a house that has a slab leak, but in California you must disclose a known slab leak on the transfer disclosure statement — hiding a known defect creates real legal liability after the sale. Many sellers repair it first, or provide a written estimate so buyers know the scope. We supply clear written estimates for exactly that.

Electrolysis causes slab leaks when copper contacts a dissimilar metal like galvanized steel and water carries a small current between them, corroding a hole over time. Proper grounding and dielectric connections reduce it, but it's only one of several causes — aging copper and hard water do most of the damage in Orange County homes.

A new warm spot on the floor that wasn't there before is the most common early sign of a hot-side slab leak. But if your home has a recirculation pump and shallow copper, a whole run can feel warm with no leak — the tell is a localized warm patch, not a generally warm floor. Here's more on warm spots on the floor.

Sudden low water pressure across the whole house usually traces to a partially closed main valve, a failing pressure regulator, or a hidden leak; most homes should run 45 to 60 psi. If only the hot water is weak, sediment in the water heater is the likely culprit. A quick gauge check at a hose bib narrows it down fast.

A single pinhole on otherwise sound copper is a straightforward spot repair. But if your home is 1980s or older and you've already had pinhole leaks, the problem is usually systemic and more will follow — clamps and tape are only temporary. When leaks keep recurring on the same system, a repipe beats chasing them. See our repair service page.

You should repipe instead of doing more repairs when you're getting frequent leaks, rust-colored water, reduced flow at multiple fixtures, or visible corrosion on aging pipe. Copper typically lasts around 50 years, so original lines in older Orange County homes are candidates. After three or more leaks on one system, repiping usually costs less than continued spot repairs.

A PEX repipe generally costs less than a copper repipe because the material is cheaper and installs faster, while copper runs more per foot and in labor. Watch for add-ons like permits and drywall patching. Our default for Orange County repipes is copper Type L, though we can discuss PEX case by case for your home.

A toilet that keeps running almost always comes down to three parts: a worn flapper that won't seal, a float set too high, or a fill valve running on. Start by lowering the float and checking the chain has about an inch of slack; if it still runs, replace the flapper. It's a small fix, but a running toilet wastes many gallons a day.

Fixing a dripping faucet is usually one of the least expensive repairs — the parts, like O-rings, washers, or a cartridge, often cost only a few dollars. Most drips come from a worn internal cartridge, not the handle, so tightening won't stop it. Kitchen and tub faucets can run a bit more due to extra parts or wall access.

Pipes that bang when a faucet or appliance shuts off are experiencing "water hammer" — a pressure shockwave when fast-closing valves stop the flow suddenly. Common causes are waterlogged air chambers, missing arrestors, or household pressure over 80 psi. Adding water-hammer arrestors and checking your pressure regulator usually quiets it for good.

Hot water takes a long time to reach a faucet mainly because the fixture is far from the water heater, so cold water has to clear the line first. A recirculation pump keeps hot water near your fixtures for near-instant delivery. Sediment in the heater or a failing mixing valve can also slow things down; we can size a recirculation setup for your home.

A leaking angle stop — the small shut-off valve under a sink or behind a toilet — should be replaced, not rebuilt, since they're inexpensive throwaway parts. One caution on older galvanized systems: turning a corroded stop can twist the pipe in the wall and turn a quick job into a wall repair, so we warn you before touching it.

A pressure regulator drops high city pressure to a safe range — under 80 psi per California code — to protect your fixtures and pipes. Signs yours is failing include banging when an appliance shuts off, faucets suddenly running harder, and supply lines leaking out of nowhere. It often fails wide open, so check it if you spot a pipe leaking in the wall.

A tankless water heater should be flushed and descaled every 6 to 9 months in Orange County's hard water, versus once a year in soft-water areas. Local water runs roughly 12 to 18 grains per gallon, so scale builds fast in the heat exchanger and can trigger error codes if you skip it. See our tankless water heater guide.

A heat pump (hybrid) water heater is often worth it in Southern California, using about 70% less energy than a standard electric model and suiting our mild coastal climate since it pulls heat from surrounding air. It needs space and a nearby drain, but utility rebates and lower SCE bills usually offset the higher upfront cost over time.

A family of four is usually most comfortable with a 50-gallon water heater, which gives more cushion for back-to-back showers and simultaneous laundry or dishes. A 40-gallon can work if your hot-water use is light or staggered. Recovery rate and fuel type matter too, so we size it to your actual usage.

The federal 30% (up to $2,000) tax credit for heat pump water heaters expired at the end of 2025, so 2026 installs no longer qualify for it. Local incentives remain, though: SoCalGas and SCE offer rebates, and income-qualified households may get point-of-sale electrification rebates. Confirm current eligibility before you buy — our installation cost guide explains how they offset the price.

A tank water heater typically lasts 8 to 12 years and a tankless 15 to 20, but Orange County's hard water shortens both, since mineral buildup can meaningfully cut life expectancy. Annual flushing — and a water softener — are the best ways to reach the high end of that range.

Hot water that runs out fast is most often caused by sediment buildup, where hard-water minerals settle in the tank and take up space meant for hot water. A broken dip tube, a failing heating element, or an undersized tank can also be to blame. If a flush doesn't help, have it diagnosed by a pro.

You can flush a tank water heater yourself once a year — or every six months here, because our water is hard. Flushing clears the sediment that causes popping noises, lost capacity, and higher energy use. If the drain valve is stuck or the tank is old, call a plumber rather than risk a bigger leak.

A tankless water heater works well with Orange County's hard water only with regular maintenance, since scale is the leading cause of tankless breakdowns — it narrows the heat exchanger and drops performance. Pairing the unit with a water softener and flushing on schedule keeps it efficient; a professional descaling service also protects the warranty.

A condensing tankless heater captures extra heat from its exhaust, reaching efficiency up to about 0.98 and venting through inexpensive PVC, while a non-condensing model is simpler and cheaper upfront but runs around 0.80 to 0.82 efficiency and needs pricier stainless-steel venting. Condensing usually wins on long-term operating cost.

You can usually replace a tank water heater with a tankless in the same spot, but it's rarely a straight swap. A gas tankless burns far more gas at once, so it often needs a larger gas line and new venting, and electric models may require a panel upgrade. We assess your gas line, venting, and electrical before quoting.

Snaking (cabling) punches a hole through a clog to restore flow fast and cheap — good for a single stubborn blockage — while hydro jetting uses high-pressure water to scour the full pipe wall, clearing grease, scale, and roots so clogs don't return as quickly. We recommend jetting for recurring problems and grease- or root-filled lines.

A clog is in your main sewer line rather than one drain if flushing the toilet makes the shower gurgle or back up, or if several drains are slow at once. If only one sink or tub is affected while everything else drains fine, it's a local branch clog. Running one fixture and watching another is the quickest test.

Tree roots do grow back after clearing, returning through the same cracks — mechanical cutting typically buys one to three years, and hydro jetting often lasts longer. In older neighborhoods with clay or cast-iron laterals, annual maintenance is common. The permanent fix is lining or replacing the damaged section so roots have no way in. Our drainage service page covers the options.

Pouring boiling water or hot grease down the kitchen drain is not safe: grease cools and hardens inside the pipe no matter how hot it goes down, building the clogs that keep coming back, and boiling water can soften or warp PVC, which is rated to about 140°F. Cool grease in a container and throw it in the trash instead.

Chemical drain cleaners like Drano are generally not safe for your pipes — the caustic chemicals and heat can corrode metal pipes and soften PVC and glued joints over time, and they often fail on hair or grease anyway. If a clog keeps returning, the buildup is deeper in the line and needs mechanical cleaning, not more chemicals.

"Flushable" wipes are not actually safe to flush — unlike toilet paper, they don't break down, so they snag on pipe bends and cling to grease, building the blockages that cause backups. In older sewer laterals they're a leading cause of main-line clogs. Only toilet paper and human waste should go down the toilet.

A drain that keeps clogging right after it's cleared usually means the surface clog was punched through but the underlying buildup — grease, scale, or roots — still coats the pipe. Recurring clogs can also signal a sagging "bellied" pipe or root intrusion in older lines. A camera inspection pinpoints the real cause so it can be fixed for good.

A sewer camera inspection before buying a house is well worth it, especially with an older home, because standard home inspectors only check visible plumbing — not the underground sewer lateral where roots, cracks, and bellies hide. An inspection can catch problems that cost thousands to repair and gives you leverage to renegotiate before closing.

A sewer camera can't see through a solid blockage — if the pipe is packed with roots, grease, or a collapsed section, the camera stops there, and murky standing water can obscure the view. In those cases we clear or partially drain the line first, then run the camera to assess what's behind it.

Cabling (snaking) runs a rotating steel cable with a cutting head through the pipe to break up and pull back a clog, and it's the right first step for a single blockage or a clog you can reach. When clogs keep returning across the whole line, jetting or a camera inspection is the better call. For backups, we offer.

Running a gas line to a new stove or dryer costs mostly based on distance and access — straightforward runs commonly price around $20 per linear foot, and more when the run goes underground, through walls, or needs many fittings, plus permit fees. We quote every job in writing before starting. See our gas installation service page.

You do need a shut-off wrench to turn off your gas at the meter, so keep one right at the meter. The valve is off when the tang sits crosswise (perpendicular) to the pipe. Only shut it off if you smell gas or suspect damage, and never turn it back on yourself, since SoCalGas must relight everything safely.

You can't legally run your own gas line to a BBQ or fire pit in California — the work requires a licensed C-36 contractor and a permit. An improper connection risks fire, insurance denial, and code fines. We size the line to the appliance's BTU load and pressure-test it before it goes into service.

Plumbers test a gas line for leaks by isolating the line and running a pressure test with a calibrated gauge, watching that it holds for a set time. We also brush soapy water on fittings to spot bubbles and use electronic gas detectors. Because code won't let us test against appliance valves, each line is capped off individually.

A natural gas leak and carbon monoxide are two different dangers: natural gas carries an added rotten-egg odor and is an explosion and fire risk, while carbon monoxide is odorless, comes from incomplete combustion, and poisons you, so it needs its own detector. If you smell gas, leave and call SoCalGas; if a CO alarm sounds, get out and call 911.

A gas leak can absolutely cause a high gas bill — even a small leak, especially on an outdoor or underground line, can quietly waste gas and show up as an unexplained jump. A faint recurring gas smell, hissing, or flies gathering near a buried line are other clues. If you suspect a leak, treat it as an emergency and get it checked.

Gas line installation is often done in a day for a typical residential run, but the overall timeline depends on trenching, permit turnaround, and the city inspection. California requires the work to be permitted and pressure-tested, and the inspector witnesses that test before gas is turned back on. Permit handling varies by Orange County city.

SoCalGas relights your pilot lights after your gas has been shut off at the meter, at no cost — don't turn the gas back on yourself. They restore the meter and relight pilots on your furnace, water heater, and other appliances, and can run a safety check while they're out. Schedule it through them after any repair.

A buried gas line uses yellow polyethylene (PE) pipe with a tracer wire so it can be located later, and California code requires at least 18 inches of cover — we trench deeper, around 24 inches, so there's no question at inspection. Copper and PVC are not approved for buried gas.

You should always replace the flexible gas connector when moving an appliance rather than reuse the old one, since a fresh connector is inexpensive and reusing one risks a leak at a weakened fitting. Note that high-BTU appliances like pool heaters must be plumbed in solid steel, not a flex. A licensed plumber should handle any reroute.

A restaurant grease trap should be cleaned when it reaches 25% full of fats, oils, and grease — for most busy Orange County kitchens that's every one to three months. High-volume fryers may need monthly service, while lighter-use cafes can stretch to quarterly. Local FOG rules often set a hard 90-day maximum, so follow whichever comes first.

Commercial drains should be cleaned every 6 to 12 months for offices and retail, and every 3 to 6 months for restaurants where grease builds fast. Regular drain maintenance heads off the backup that always seems to hit during your busiest shift. Recurring stoppages in the same line point to a pipe problem, not what went down it.

Professional Plumbing offers scheduled preventive maintenance plans for commercial properties, covering periodic drain cleaning, water heater and backflow checks, and fixture and leak inspections, sized to your building and traffic. Regular upkeep catches small issues before they close your doors and spreads cost across the year instead of one emergency bill. Ask about a plan on our commercial plumbing page.

A commercial water heater is built for far higher demand than a residential one, delivering more gallons and BTUs to run dishwashers, sanitation sinks, and restrooms at once. It's sized to the specific business, so a restaurant, salon, and multi-unit building each need a different recovery rate. Picking the right unit is a calculation, not a guess.

Professional Plumbing handles plumbing for HOAs, property managers, and owners of multi-tenant and mixed-use buildings across Orange County, from shared water and sewer lines to individual unit fixtures. We coordinate access with tenants and document the work for your records. Clarifying which lines are common-area versus tenant responsibility up front keeps billing clean.

Before calling for a commercial repair, a property manager should have ready: the unit or suite affected, where the water shut-off is, whether it's actively leaking, and who can grant access. Photos help us arrive with the right parts. For active flooding, shut off the water and call our 24/7 line first, then gather the details.

Professional Plumbing services commercial kitchen and food-service plumbing to health code, including grease interceptors, floor sinks and drains, prep and three-compartment sinks, and code-compliant backflow, to keep you ready for inspections. Proper air gaps and indirect waste connections are where kitchens most often fail inspection, so we build to those requirements.

A commercial restroom that smells like sewer gas usually has a dried-out P-trap on a floor drain or a rarely used fixture, letting gas escape once the water seal evaporates. Pour water into seldom-used drains monthly to refill the trap. If the odor lingers, it can signal a blocked vent, a damaged trap, or a leak that needs a plumber.

Signs a commercial building needs repiping include low water pressure across multiple fixtures, rust-colored water, repeated leaks in different spots, and visible corrosion on exposed pipe. In older Orange County buildings, galvanized steel lines corrode from the inside and typically last 40 to 50 years. The decision usually arrives after the second or third leak, when patching stops making financial sense.

Professional Plumbing can service multiple locations under one account and set up recurring maintenance, with consistent scheduling and consolidated paperwork, which is common for restaurant groups, retail chains, and property portfolios. Tell us your sites and cadence and we'll build a schedule around your operating hours. Start on our commercial plumbing page.