Plumbing Services

Plumbing Services work by RemodeLA Builders on a Los Angeles home

Plumbing Services in Los Angeles

Ask a homeowner where their gas bill goes and most say heating. In California it is water heating, at 59% of household gas use, with space heating a distant second. That makes the water heater the most overlooked piece of equipment in the house. It also makes it the easiest thing to get wrong, because a unit sized off a brochure disappoints in January and a heat pump model put in the wrong place is noisy and slow. We size from your actual hot water demand and we tell you where the honest savings are.

What this saves you

  • Gas
  • Electricity
  • Water

Water heating is where most California households spend their gas money, and hot water and water conservation are the same project.

  • Water heating is 59% of the average California home's natural gas use, well ahead of space heating at 32%.

    Source: California Energy Commission

  • A heat pump water heater is two to three times more efficient than a conventional electric tank. ENERGY STAR estimates $270 to $550 a year depending on household size, and that estimate assumes 14.6 cents per kWh, which is roughly half what Los Angeles pays.

    Source: U.S. Department of Energy

  • A WaterSense showerhead saves a family more than 2,700 gallons and 330 kWh a year, because water you do not use is also water you do not heat.

    Source: U.S. EPA WaterSense

The straight answer

Two straight answers. Tankless gas is 8 to 34% more efficient than a storage tank, but the high end of that range applies to households that use little hot water, and the install cost is real because it usually means a bigger gas line and new venting. Buy it for endless hot water and the space it frees up, and treat the energy saving as a bonus. And a hot water recirculation loop that runs continuously can use more energy than it saves. We only install on-demand or timed controls.

Works best with: Bathroom Remodeling Kitchen Remodeling Electrical

Savings depend on your house, your equipment and how you use it. We will not quote you a guaranteed number, and neither should anyone else. See the rebates currently available

Water heaters, and choosing the right one

Tank replacement with correct seismic strapping, an expansion tank and a proper discharge line, details that are routinely missing on older installs and that an inspector will fail. Heat pump water heaters where there is space and air volume for them to work, which is the single biggest efficiency step available on an electric water heater. Tankless gas conversions where endless hot water is the goal, with the gas line, venting and condensate route surveyed before we quote rather than discovered afterwards. SoCalGas currently pays $80 to $1,500 on a qualifying tankless unit depending on its efficiency rating, and proof of permit closure is required.

Repiping and water quality

Los Angeles has a great deal of housing built between 1945 and 1975, and that stock came with galvanized steel supply and cast iron waste. Galvanized corrodes inward until pressure drops and the water runs rusty. Cast iron scales and cracks below the slab. We repipe in copper or PEX depending on the house and the routing, and the scope includes the wall openings, the patching, the pressure test and the inspection.

Drains, sewer lines and gas

Camera inspection before we recommend anything, hydro jetting for grease and scale, spot repairs and full sewer line replacement including the connection at the main. Root intrusion from parkway trees is the most common cause we find in older neighbourhoods. We also run and repair gas lines for ranges, dryers, fire pits and pool heaters, permitted and pressure tested.

What’s included

  • Heat pump water heaters, two to three times the efficiency of an electric tank
  • Tankless conversions with gas line and venting sized before quoting
  • SoCalGas rebate paperwork and permit closure handled
  • WaterSense fixtures, pipe insulation and on-demand recirculation
  • Whole-house repiping in copper or PEX, patching included
  • Sewer camera inspection, hydro jetting and line replacement

Questions we get about Plumbing Services

Which water heater actually saves the most?

If you are on an electric tank today, a heat pump water heater, by a wide margin. If you are on gas, the honest answer is that a high-efficiency tankless saves a modest amount of gas and buys you endless hot water, and the rebate does more for the payback than the efficiency does.

How do I know if my house needs a repipe?

Rust-coloured water when a tap has sat unused, pressure that has quietly dropped over the years, or a second pinhole leak within a year or two. If the home is pre-1975 and still on original galvanized, it is a question of when rather than if.

Is a recirculation pump worth it?

Only with on-demand or timed control. A pump that runs around the clock keeps the loop hot all day and can use more energy than the water it saves. We fit a button or a timer, never a continuous loop.

Related services

Pairs well with

Cool Life Paint

A reflective ceramic coating up to 20 times thicker than paint. It waterproofs the wall, reflects heat instead of absorbing it, and ends the repaint cycle.

Learn more

Windows & Doors

Dual-pane Low-E glass that cuts afternoon heat gain, glare and street noise. LADWP pays $2 a square foot, and we will be straight with you about the payback.

Learn more

Electrical

The panel is the constraint. Solve it once, ahead of the heat pump, the EV charger and the induction range, and every later project gets cheaper.

Learn more

Ready for a home that costs less to run?

Free, no-pressure estimate. Licensed, bonded and insured, CSLB #1112118.