Plumbing Inspection in Montclair, CA

Signs an older Montclair house needs a look

• Brown or rusty water when a tap first opens
• Weak pressure at faucets that improves only briefly after cleaning the aerator
• Repeated clogs in the main line or roots found in a past cleaning
• Patched drywall or ceilings that hint at past leaks
• A water heater with no visible permit sticker or straps

Montclair conditions

Montclair was built out from former citrus orchards after World War II, and city-stats.com puts the median year built at 1969. Homes of that age can have galvanized supply lines that corrode from the inside, cast iron drains, older clay or cast iron sewer laterals and valves that haven't been turned in years. The City itself advises having older homes checked for problems such as pipe corrosion or lead from old pipes, which is essentially what a plumbing inspection does.

Water and sewer are separate in Montclair. Monte Vista Water District provides water, and the City refers water quality and main water line questions to MVWD at (909) 624-0035. The City of Montclair handles sewer accounts. Work on city sewers requires a permit and a contractor holding a Class A license, and properties just outside city limits that want Montclair sewer have to go through irrevocable annexation with the Planning Department. If the camera shows a problem where the lateral meets the city system, those rules come into play.

What affects the cost

• Number of bathrooms and fixtures in the house
• Adding a sewer camera run, which is often worthwhile on homes this age
• Access to the water heater, crawl space or attic piping
• Whether you need a written report with photos

When you call

You'll reach an independent plumber who works in Montclair. Share the address, the age of the home and your escrow dates. Repair permits come from the City of Montclair Community Development, Building & Planning, at (909) 625-9477; walk-in counter hours are limited to early morning and late afternoon, so the plumber pulling the permit usually handles that visit. Inspection requests and results have their own City phone lines, which the plumber will use once the work is done.