Hot & Cold Water Repair

We have had calls about smells, mysterious vibrations, bleeding shower heads, strange noises that turned out to be plumbing-related, and more. Some of the calls we have received are downright weird, so don’t worry – we have heard it all. And we usually discover that a perceived poltergeist phenomenon turns out to be a water supply issue.

Cold or Scorching Shower?

No one wants a cold shower, or a scorching-hot one! Lack of cold water is usually caused by a defective pressure-balancing valve in a cartridge.

The first thing you'll want to do is check to see if other faucets in your house are running hot and cold water properly. If they are, then the problem is most likely related to the pressure-balancing valve in your shower?

The Ultimate Handyman

We understand that replacing a cartridge is an ambitious DIY project. So, if you don't want to do it yourself, give us a call! (323) 707-4979

Most of these noises have a short list of causes

Plumbing that makes noise is usually telling you something specific, and the symptom narrows it faster than people expect.

A bang when a tap or an appliance shuts off.

Water hammer. Moving water stops suddenly and the momentum has nowhere to go. It is loud, and it is also a genuine stress on the joints. Arrestors at the fixtures solve it.

A hum or vibration that changes with flow.

Usually a pressure problem or a failing valve. Sometimes a pipe that is not properly secured and is resonating against framing.

A whistle or a screech at one fixture.

Almost always that fixture: a worn washer, a failing cartridge, or a partly closed valve.

Noise everywhere, with fixtures that feel aggressive.

High supply pressure, and this one matters beyond the noise.

Pressure is the cause people never check

Where street pressure exceeds 80 pounds per square inch, the plumbing code requires an approved pressure regulator. A great many houses have one, and a great many of those have one that has failed.

A failed regulator does not announce itself. What it produces is noise, fixtures that wear out early, water heaters that relieve, supply lines that fail at the connection, and toilets that run. Owners replace each of those individually for years.

A pressure gauge on a hose bib costs almost nothing and answers the question in a minute. If the reading is high, the regulator is the repair, and everything downstream stops failing.

Thermal expansion, which comes with the regulator

A regulator or a check valve makes the system closed, and water that is heated in a closed system has nowhere to expand to. Pressure rises every time the water heater runs.

That is what a thermal expansion tank is for, and a closed system without one shows up as a relief valve that drips, a water heater that fails early, and pressure that spikes after every heating cycle.

If somebody installed a regulator and did not add an expansion tank, the second problem was created by the fix for the first.

Hot water that takes too long

• Distance. The water in the pipe between the heater and the fixture has to be pushed out first

• Pipe size. Oversized runs hold more cold water to clear

• A failed mixing valve at the heater, which is a common and easily missed cause

• Sediment in the tank, which reduces capacity and recovery

• A recirculation system that has failed, where one exists, which usually goes unnoticed for months

When noise is a symptom of something larger

Pressure symptoms in a house with old galvanized supply are frequently the system rather than the fixture, and the honest answer is different: re-plumbing old houses.

Start with a free 15-minute call

Tell us what the noise sounds like, when it happens, whether it is one fixture or the whole house, and whether you know the water pressure. In fifteen minutes we can usually narrow it to a fixture, a regulator, or the supply system itself.

Call (323) 707-4979 to book the free 15-minute consultation.

The Ultimate Pro, Inc. CA License 831700, Class B General Building. Serving Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange and San Bernardino counties since 1996.

Plumbing hidden behind a wall is the expensive kind to guess at. Book a free 15-minute call or call (323) 707-4979 and describe the symptom. We will tell you what usually causes it and what it takes to confirm.

There is usually a video for this. X Plan Nation is our construction channel on YouTube, run by the same team that would build your project and made to explain the trades to the person paying for them.

The Ultimate Pro, Inc. · California contractor license 831700 · Class B general building · 18481 Grand Avenue, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530 · Serving Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County and the Inland Empire since 1996.