Repair guides for La Palma homes
One problem per guide: what causes it, what you can check yourself and what we do about it. We wrote them for the 1960s and 70s slab houses that make up most of La Palma, with their copper or galvanized supply lines and cast-iron or clay sewer laterals.
- Tank water heater repair or replacement
Most La Palma homes have a gas tank water heater in the garage or a closet. Here is how to tell what is wrong, what can be repaired and what replacement involves in California.
- Tankless water heaters: problems and upgrades
Tankless heaters heat water on demand and save space, but they are sensitive to scale, gas supply and venting. This guide covers common faults and what converting from a tank really takes.
- Galvanized pipes and whole-house repiping
Galvanized steel supply lines corrode from the inside out. If your La Palma home still has them, this guide explains the signs, how to check, and how a repipe is usually planned.
- Sewer lateral roots, cracks and repair options
The sewer lateral carries everything from your house to the main in the street. In older La Palma homes it is often clay or cast iron, and roots are a frequent problem.
- Clogged and slow drains
A single slow sink and a house where every drain gurgles are very different problems. This guide helps you tell them apart and know what a plumber will do about each.
- Running, leaking or rocking toilets
Toilets account for many everyday repairs. Most problems come down to a few parts inside the tank or the seal under the bowl.
- Dripping faucets and leaky angle stops
A wet sink cabinet is one of the most common calls in older homes. The cause is usually one of a handful of parts, and knowing which one helps you describe the problem.
- Low water pressure: finding the cause
Low pressure has a short list of usual causes. Narrowing down whether it affects one fixture, one side or the whole house points straight at the likely one.
- Burst pipe or major leak: what to do first
In a plumbing emergency the order of steps matters. Stop the water, make the area safe, then deal with damage and repairs.
- Gas smell and gas line work
Gas lines in a home feed the water heater, furnace, range and dryer. A gas smell is an emergency; planned gas line work is a job for a licensed contractor with a permit.
- Garbage disposal problems
Most disposal trouble is a jam, a tripped reset button or a leak at one of three connections. Here is how to handle each safely.
- Shower and tub leaks
Water from a shower can escape through the valve, the pipes in the wall, the drain or the tile and grout. Each needs a different repair, so finding the path comes first.
- Finding a hidden leak
A leak you cannot see still shows up at the meter. This guide walks through checking for one yourself and how a plumber locates it before opening anything.
- Hard water and scale in La Palma homes
Hard water is not a health problem, but it is hard on plumbing. Scale shortens the life of water heaters, cartridges and valves and causes many small repairs.
- Main water line leaks and backflow devices
The main water line runs underground from the meter to your house shutoff. Backflow devices protect the drinking water supply. Both are easy to forget until something goes wrong.