From the van
Plumbing advice from people who do the work
What we've learned on North Bay jobs — written up so you can decide what's urgent, what can wait, and what you can handle yourself.
October 8, 2026 · LeakHow to Find a Hidden Water Leak (Start With the Meter)The cheapest leak test in plumbing costs nothing and takes ten minutes. Turn off every fixture and water-using appliance in the house, then go and look at the water meter. If the meter is still moving, water is going somewhere it should not. That single check tells you whether you have a leak at…Read it
October 6, 2026 · SewerWho Owns the Sewer Lateral — You or the District?The agency owns the public sewer main in the street. You own the lateral — the private pipe running from your house out to that main — and that is the section that blocks, cracks, takes on roots and costs money. That division is close to universal across Sonoma and Marin. What differs sharply,…Read it
October 1, 2026 · Water heaterHow Long Does a Tankless Water Heater Last?Tankless water heaters are generally documented at around 20 years of service life, roughly twice that of a conventional tank heater at 8 to 12 years. The reason is structural rather than marketing: a tankless unit has no steel tank standing full of heated water, so the corrosion process that…Read it
September 29, 2026 · RepipeGalvanized Pipe: The Signs Your House Needs RepipingGalvanized steel supply pipe corrodes from the inside out, and by the time you notice it the bore has already narrowed. If a North Bay house was built before roughly 1970 and has never been repiped, galvanized is the likely original material — and the signs it has reached the end are consistent:…Read it
September 24, 2026 · SepticThe Russian River 5-Year Septic Rule: Does It Apply to You?If a septic system sits within the Russian River pathogen boundary, it needs a basic operational inspection every five years by a qualified professional. The boundary is set by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board's Russian River Pathogen TMDL Action Plan, and it generally covers…Read it
September 22, 2026 · Water heaterWater Heater Leaking From the Bottom: What It MeansWater pooling at the base of a water heater almost always means the steel tank has corroded through, and a perforated tank cannot be repaired. That is the short answer, and it is worth knowing before anyone quotes you a patch. Unlike a leaking fitting or a weeping relief valve at the top of the…Read it
September 17, 2026 · LocalDo You Need a Permit to Replace a Water Heater in Sonoma County?Yes — replacing a water heater in unincorporated Sonoma County requires a permit, and Permit Sonoma issues them for like-for-like replacements as well as for new installations. The county's published fee schedule lists a water heater and vent plumbing unit at $20.75, against a $327 minimum…Read it
September 15, 2026 · SewerTree Roots in a Sewer Line: Signs, and What Actually Stops ThemTree roots find sewer lines because sewer lines offer exactly what roots want: water, nutrients and oxygen. They do not drill through sound pipe. They enter at a joint that has already opened, a crack, or a porous section of old clay — and once a hair-thin root is inside, it thickens into a mat…Read it- September 10, 2026 · SepticSeptic Tank Inspection: What It Covers and When You Need OneA septic tank inspection checks whether the system is working now and whether it is heading for a failure you cannot see. A basic operational inspection covers the tank, the pump system if there is one, the effluent dispersal area, alarms, liquid levels, watertightness, odours, surfacing…Read it
September 8, 2026 · Water heaterBay Area Gas Water Heater Ban: 2027 or 2028?The Bay Area gas water heater ban is a zero-NOx standard — BAAQMD Regulation 9, Rule 6 — and as the rule stands it applies to residential water heaters manufactured on or after January 1, 2027. But in July 2026 the Air District published draft amendments that would push that to…Read it- September 8, 2026 · Water heaterWhy Is My Water Heater Leaking?A leaking water heater is telling you one of two very different things, and where the water is coming from decides which. Water appearing at the top of the tank is usually a fitting, a connection or the temperature and pressure relief valve — all repairable on a sound tank. Water pooling at the…Read it
- September 3, 2026 · SewerWhat Triggers a Sewer Lateral Inspection in Marin?In most of eastern Marin County, selling a house triggers a private sewer lateral inspection. The rule is not countywide — it is set district by district, and the districts differ sharply on what triggers an inspection and what gets you out of one. Ross Valley Sanitary District triggers on sale,…Read it
- September 1, 2026 · Water heaterHow Long Does a Water Heater Last?Most water heaters last 8 to 12 years. A tank heater in Sonoma or Marin County typically reaches the end of its life somewhere in that window, and the single biggest factor in whether it lands at the short end or the long end is how hard your water is and whether the tank has ever been flushed.…Read it
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