Plumber in Yorba Linda, CA: What Is Yours to Fix on the Customer Side

The meter is the line: what is yours to fix

Yorba Linda Water District says it is responsible for the street side of the water meter. The property owner is responsible for maintenance of water and sewer pipes on the customer side, which covers interior plumbing, outdoor irrigation and the connection to the meter.

That answers the first question on any wet-ground call. A leak on the street side belongs to the district. A leak between the meter and the house belongs to you. Do the meter test with everything off, then close the home shutoff valve and look again: if the meter stops, the leak is inside the house.

1. Turn off all water use and read the meter.
2. Wait 15 minutes and read it again.
3. Close the home shutoff valve and check once more.

The district's office is at (714) 701-3000. For the steps after the test, see meter-inward leak detection.

High pressure and the regulator the district says is yours

The district says pressure regulators are required by local ordinance where water pressure exceeds 80 psi, and that maintenance of the regulator is the homeowner's responsibility. The regulator usually sits where the water line enters the front of the house.

Banging pipes, fixtures that spray and a toilet that keeps refilling are the usual symptoms of too much pressure. Ask the plumber for a gauge reading and for the location and age of the regulator. A worn regulator wears out the parts downstream of it, including the water heater.

• Ask for a gauge reading at a hose bib.
• Ask when the regulator was last replaced.
• Ask what other fixtures it has been stressing.

What the city says needs a permit

The City of Yorba Linda's permit process page lists plumbing systems as work that requires a permit, and lists water heaters among the residential work that does too. Its Building Department is at 714-961-7120, and appointments with a division representative run Monday through Thursday between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.

We could not read the city's page on which plumbing repairs are exempt, so do not assume a small repair is exempt. Ask the plumber to state in writing whether a permit applies. For a tank, see the tank install quote checklist.

A backup: the lateral is the owner's

The district's sewer FAQ says the sewer lateral running from the home to the sewer main is the responsibility of the property owner. The district collects the sewage and sends it to the Orange County Sanitation District in Fountain Valley for treatment.

So a backup that starts at the main belongs to the district, and one that starts in the lateral is yours. A camera shows which. Our page on lining a damaged lateral covers when digging can be avoided.

One district, several cities

Yorba Linda Water District says it serves most of Yorba Linda and parts of Placentia, Anaheim, Brea and unincorporated Orange County. It also says it provides sewer service to all residents and businesses on its sewer map. So the district's rules above apply to those neighbors too, while a Yorba Linda mailing address may in some cases sit outside the district.

When you phone (833) 571-0120, give the street address and the plumber will confirm service for your block.

What to have ready before you call

• Your street address and which side of the meter the problem seems to be on.
• The meter reading before and after the 15-minute test.
• Whether the pressure regulator has ever been replaced.
• Whether water or sewage has reached any floor.

Common calls from Yorba Linda homes

• A spreading stain: drying the wall or floor.
• A pipe that has split: stopping a burst pipe.
• A heater that leaks: repairing a leaking water heater.
• Hard water spots: softener basics.

Yorba Linda: how to ask about a plumber's work on larger properties

Longer pipe runs change the job. On a large lot, a line that runs a long way from the house to the street, or to a detached structure, is harder to trace and costs more to open.

• Ask where the shutoff valve is for each building or irrigation branch.
• Ask the plumber to mark the line on the ground before digging.
• Ask how the yard will be left when the work is done.

A plumber who has walked the whole run can describe the work accurately. Describe the lot honestly on the first call so the visit and the quote match the property.

Yorba Linda on the map

Boundaries between cities, unincorporated pockets and water districts sit close together here, so give the full street address when you call.