Plumber for Newport Heights and Cliff Haven

Newport Heights is one of the city's older neighborhoods, and its plumbing shows it. Many homes have been remodeled, added onto or rebuilt, so a single house can hold original drain lines next to brand-new fixtures.

Older homes, many remodels

Original homes here often still have galvanized supply lines or early copper, plus cast iron or clay drains under the house and out to the street or alley. Remodels usually replace what is in the walls of one room and leave the rest. That is why a new bathroom can work perfectly while the kitchen down the hall drains slowly. When you remodel, it often makes sense to repipe the rest of the house at the same time.

Sewer laterals on a slope

Homes on the bluffs drain downhill, and the lateral may run a long way before it meets the sewer main. Roots from mature trees, shifting soil and older joints are the usual causes of trouble. A camera inspection tells us whether a clog is a one-time problem or a broken pipe.

Water pressure

Elevation changes across the bluffs mean pressure can vary from street to street. When static pressure is above 80 psi, the plumbing code calls for a pressure regulator. A regulator that has worn out can cause banging pipes, running toilets, dripping relief valves and early failure of supply lines.

Cliff Haven

Cliff Haven sits next to Newport Heights near the Westcliff shopping center. Its homes have similar plumbing to the Heights: older systems, remodels and rebuilds.

Signs it is time to look deeper

• Low pressure at a single fixture, often a sign of galvanized pipe closing up
• Rusty or brown water when a tap first opens
• The tub gurgling when a toilet flushes, a classic sign of a partial blockage in the lateral
• A drain that needs clearing more than once a year
• Water stains on ceilings below bathrooms in two-story homes

None of these needs to be an emergency if you catch it early. A camera inspection and a look at the pipe near the water heater usually tell us whether it is a quick repair or time to plan something bigger.

Many older Heights homes have more than one type, because remodels replaced only part of the system. If you see galvanized anywhere, assume more of it is hidden in the walls. A repipe replaces it all at once, and the remodel is often the best time to do it.

A standard home inspection looks at what is visible. It does not run a camera through the sewer lateral or tell you what is inside the slab or walls. In an area where many homes carry original pipe, those hidden parts are where the big bills come from.

Two California rules every seller should know

State law requires every residential water heater to be braced, anchored or strapped against earthquake motion, and a seller must certify in writing to the buyer that this has been done (Health and Safety Code 19211). A separate law, Civil Code 1101.4, required owners of single-family homes to replace noncompliant, high-flow plumbing fixtures by January 1, 2017, and requires sellers to disclose in writing whether the home has any.

Neither rule is hard to meet. A strap kit and a few low-flow fixtures cost far less than a delayed escrow, so we check both on a pre-listing visit.

What to ask for before you buy

• A sewer camera video of the full lateral, with the depth and location of any defect marked
• A look at the supply pipe at the water heater, under a sink and at the main shutoff, to see whether galvanized is still in the house
• The water heater's age, its City permit history and whether it is strapped
• A static pressure reading, and the age of the pressure regulator if there is one
• For a bluff-edge lot, where the cleanout is and how the lateral reaches the main

Just across Dover Drive are Westcliff, Dover Shores and Baycrest, where mid-century slab homes bring more slab leak work. Down the hill and across the channel, Lido Isle and Newport Island and the Balboa Peninsula deal with tidal flooding that the bluff-top Heights does not see. For the full list, see all the areas we serve.