Plumber in Davis, CA
Water heaters, repipes, sewer laterals, leak detection, and resale inspection fixes across Davis, from the pre-war blocks downtown to Wildhorse and Mace Ranch.
Davis Homes That Pass Inspection the First Time
Davis has required a city resale inspection before a house changes hands since 1976, and a good part of that checklist is plumbing. Water heater bracing and the relief line, gas shutoff and venting, traps and vents, dishwasher air gaps, the laundry standpipe, and vacuum breakers on hose bibbs and sprinkler lines all get looked at.
We walk the house before the inspector does and correct what would be written up, so the sale schedule stays where you set it. Landlords get the same check between tenants, which matters in a city where most homes are rentals.
The same crews handle the everyday work in town: water heaters, slow drains, sewer laterals under old street trees, and repipes in the houses near downtown.
What Makes Davis Plumbing Different
Your Water Got Softer in 2016
Until 2016, Davis drank well water. In 2015 the city ran entirely on groundwater, with an average hardness of 306 parts per million, about 18 grains per gallon. That is very hard water.
Between June and October 2016, the city switched to treated Sacramento River water from the Woodland-Davis Clean Water Agency plant. The 2024 water quality report shows about 80 percent surface water and an average hardness of 66 parts per million, about 3.9 grains per gallon. Summer runs harder, because the city blends in more well water when demand peaks.
Two things follow from that. A water heater installed before 2016 still carries the scale it built up on the old water, and that layer does not dissolve on its own. And many homes still run a softener sized for water the city no longer delivers. The city itself suggests bypassing a softener or turning the setting down.
Street Trees Belong to the City. The Roots in Your Line Do Not.
Davis maintains the lower lateral, the short section between the city cleanout and the main. The cleanout usually sits just behind the sidewalk. Everything on the house side of it is the owner’s to clear, inspect, and repair.
That holds even when the roots come from a city tree. The city’s own guidance puts upper lateral root damage on the owner, and city trees cannot be pruned or have their roots cut without city authorization. On the tree-lined blocks of Old North and Old East Davis, that combination is the most common reason a main line backs up every winter.
Houses with a backyard lateral and no city cleanout are a separate case. With no cleanout to mark the split, the owner is responsible for the entire line.
Permits Go Through the City of Davis
Plumbing permits in town are issued by the Building Division of the Department of Community Development and Sustainability. Water heater and sewer line permits are handled as minor permits, and we file them under our license as part of the job.
Your Pipes by Era
Downtown, Old East Davis, Old North Davis, and College Park.
The oldest housing in the city, much of Old North built in the 1930s and College Park in the same decade. Galvanized supply, cast iron drains, and clay laterals are still in service in houses that have never been repiped.
The 1960s subdivisions.
Davis recorded dozens of subdivisions in that decade, Covell Park among them. Expect copper and galvanized mixed in the same house, and cast iron drains that are now sixty years old.
Village Homes and the 1970s and 1980s neighborhoods.
Copper supply and plastic drains are the norm. Some homes from the late 1970s and 1980s were plumbed with polybutylene, which is worth identifying before it fails.
Wildhorse, Mace Ranch, South Davis, and newer construction.
Copper or PEX with plastic drains. The pipe is young. What brings us out is the water heater, the pressure regulator, and the fixtures.
Davis Neighborhoods We Serve
We work all of Davis, ZIP codes 95616 and 95618, north and south of Interstate 80.
Nearby, we also serve West Sacramento.
Downtown Davis
Old North Davis
Old East Davis
College Park
Village Homes
Wildhorse
Mace Ranch
South Davis
Plumbing Services in Davis
Drain Cleaning in Davis
Cabling and hydro jetting for kitchen, laundry, and main line backups, including root-bound clay laterals on the older blocks.
Sewer Line Repair & Replacement in Davis
Camera inspection first, then a repair on the upper lateral that stops the yearly root call.
Sewer Cleanout Installation in Davis
For backyard laterals and older houses with no accessible cleanout. Permitted and inspected.
Water Heater Repair & Installation in Davis
Tank and tankless, braced and vented the way the resale inspection expects to see them.
Leak Detection in Davis
Electronic and thermal location, so the repair opens one spot instead of a wall or a yard.
Whole-Home Repiping in Davis
PEX or copper to replace the galvanized still running in the pre-war houses near downtown.
Water Line Repair & Replacement in Davis
Service line leaks between the meter and the house, located before we dig.
Gas Line Installation & Repair in Davis
Permitted, pressure-tested, inspected. Ranges, dryers, generators, and outdoor kitchens.
Why Davis Calls 5-Star Plumbing
In-House Licensed Technicians
Upfront Flat-Rate Pricing
Expert Permit Management
1-Year Labor Warranty
DAVIS PLUMBING FAQ
- Do I still need a water softener in Davis?
No, in most homes it is no longer doing much. Since the 2016 switch to river water, average hardness has been around 4 grains per gallon, compared with about 18 before. Summer water runs harder when the city adds well water, so some households keep a softener at a lower setting. If yours was sized for the old water, we can check whether it is worth keeping, resetting, or bypassing.
- Will the Davis resale inspection check my plumbing?
Yes, it will. The inspector looks at water heater bracing and the relief line, gas shutoff and venting, traps and vents, dishwasher air gaps, the laundry standpipe, vacuum breakers on hose bibbs and sprinklers, and the air gap on a softener discharge. We can go through the house ahead of the inspection and correct those items so they are not written up.
- Is the city responsible for roots from a city street tree in my sewer line?
No, not on your side of the city cleanout. The upper lateral is the owner’s to clear and repair even when the roots come from a city tree. The lasting fix is replacing the section the roots entered through, and we can do that without touching the tree.
- Does a water heater replacement in Davis need a permit?
Yes, it does. The City of Davis Building Division issues it as a minor permit. A permitted installation is also braced and vented the way the resale inspection expects, so the work does not come back up when you sell.
- Is galvanized pipe still common in Old North and Old East Davis?
Yes, in the houses that have not been repiped. Galvanized steel rusts from the inside, so pressure drops slowly over years before the first leak. Replacing it with PEX or copper is usually a few days of work in an occupied house, permitted and inspected.
Plumbing Problem in Davis? Call Before It Spreads.
Call us 24/7 or request a quote online. Plumbing service across Davis, from downtown to Mace Ranch and South Davis.