Look, I'm not gonna sugarcoat this. San Jose plumbing costs are brutal compared to what you'd pay in Fresno or Sacramento. Service call alone? You're dropping $175-$300 just for me to show up and diagnose the problem. That's BEFORE I touch a wrench. Why so high? Cost of living here is insane - my insurance, my van payment, licensing fees, they all get passed to you. A standard water heater replacement (50-gallon tank) runs $1,800-$2,800 for basic models. Want tankless? That's $3,200-$4,000 installed, and here's the kicker - our hard water in San Jose means you NEED a descaling flush every 18 months or that fancy tankless unit becomes a $4,000 paperweight. Drain cleaning with hydro-jetting? $400-$800 depending on access points. I've seen homeowners try those $29 snake rentals from the hardware store, then call me after they've pushed tree roots DEEPER into the main line. Now it's a $6,000 excavation job (sometimes more if we hit city easement issues). Slab leak detection and repair? Don't even get me started - $2,500-$7,000 because we're jackhammering through concrete in these old Willow Glen and Cambrian Park homes.

Here's the cold hard truth: most pipe bursts happen between 11 PM and 5 AM. Why? That's when water pressure peaks in San Jose's municipal system and when temperatures drop (yeah, even here we get those 38-degree January nights). I've seen a 3/4-inch copper supply line blow in a Los Gatos crawlspace and dump 400 gallons before the homeowner woke up. The water damage? $23,000. My emergency call fee? $350-$500 for after-hours, but I stopped the water in 12 minutes and had a temporary repair done in 90. Was it expensive? Sure. Was it cheaper than another hour of flooding? You bet. Most bursts I respond to are either: corroded galvanized pipes in homes built pre-1975 (we've got TONS of those in Berryessa and East San Jose), over-pressurized lines because someone didn't install a PRV (pressure reducing valve) when city pressure hits 90+ PSI, or - and this one's common - earthquake stress fractures that finally give out. That Calaveras fault isn't sleeping, folks. First thing you do when a pipe bursts? Find your main shutoff valve RIGHT NOW (don't wait for the emergency). It's usually near your water meter by the street or where the main line enters your house. Can't find it? You're gonna be wading through water while I'm stuck in traffic on 101.

I've been cleaning up after unlicensed hacks for 25 years and it's gotten WORSE. There's a massive shortage of licensed plumbers in the Bay Area - guys my age are retiring and kids don't wanna do trade work when they can sit in a Cupertino office making tech money. So you've got these "cowboy" plumbers with a pickup truck and a Google Ad charging $90 service calls. Sounds great, right? WRONG. I've seen these guys use PVC cement that's not rated for potable water (TOXIC CHEMICALS leeching into your drinking supply). I've seen main line repairs that used SharkBite fittings - which are fine for temporary fixes but NOT for permanent underground installations. One guy in Almaden Valley hired a Craigslist plumber who installed his water heater without a proper expansion tank or TPR discharge line. Thing became a bomb. Literally. Blew the garage door off. Here's what you check: California C-36 license (look it up on CSLB.ca.gov), actual business insurance (not just liability), and reviews that mention PERMITS. If your plumber says "we don't need permits for this job" and it involves gas lines, water heaters, or main line work - RUN. City of San Jose inspectors don't mess around, and you'll be liable when you try to sell.

People move here thinking California means no weather problems. Ha! Our clay soil expands and contracts with our wet winters and bone-dry summers - I've seen sewer laterals crack from ground movement alone. Those atmospheric rivers we've been getting? They saturate the soil, then your cast iron sewer line that's been sitting there since 1968 finally collapses under the weight. Suddenly you've got sewage backing up into your shower (nightmare fuel). The drought years are almost worse - soil shrinks away from pipes, they lose support, joints separate. Our hard water is legendary. San Jose Water Company delivers at 14-18 grains per gallon in most areas. That's HARD. Your tankless water heater, your dishwasher inlet valve, your toilet fill valves - they all get calcium buildup. I recommend water softeners for anyone with copper piping (extends life by 10+ years) and definitely if you're running tankless. Summer temps in the 90s mean your PEX supply lines in attics can degrade faster - I've seen failures at 18 years instead of the rated 25. And earthquake country? Flexible gas connectors are CODE now, but I still find rigid black iron connected to water heaters in older homes. One good shake and you've got a gas leak plus water damage. Fun combo.

Look, you call me with a clogged kitchen sink. I don't just show up and start snaking. First I'm asking questions - what went down the drain, is it slow or completely blocked, do you have a garbage disposal (those things are EVIL), is there gurgling in other fixtures. I'm checking the P-trap first (that's the curved pipe under your sink that holds water to block sewer gas). Maybe it's just a buildup of grease and coffee grounds. That's a 20-minute fix, $175-$250 total. But if multiple fixtures are slow? Now we're talking main line issues. I'm gonna run a camera ($150-$250 for inspection) because I'm not guessing on a $3,500 repair. Camera shows roots from that beautiful oak tree in your front yard? Hydro-jetting might clear it ($500-$800) but roots WILL come back. Real solution? Trenchless pipe lining ($4,000-$8,000) or full excavation and replacement ($6,000-$15,000 depending on depth and access). I'm giving you options with pros and cons. The $90 guy? He's gonna snake it, charge you $200, and you'll be calling someone else in six months when it clogs again. Real service means I'm pulling permits when needed, I'm checking your whole system (when's the last time someone tested your backflow preventer?), and I'm telling you about problems BEFORE they become emergencies. That water heater that's 14 years old and making popping sounds? It's gonna fail. Maybe next month, maybe next year, but it's coming.

I've walked away from jobs and I'll keep doing it. Homeowner wants me to tap into the main line without permits because "it's just for a garage sink"? Nope. That's a $500 permit and inspection, and I'm not risking my C-36 license I spent years earning. Someone wants me to install a gray water system (super popular now with drought concerns) but they've already hired an unlicensed landscaper who did the trenching? Can't do it - I don't know if that trench is gonna collapse or if they hit electrical (it happens). I need to control the whole job. Here's a big one: I won't use customer-supplied fixtures from Amazon anymore. I've been burned too many times. They buy a $180 faucet that's actually counterfeit (yeah, fake Kohlers and Deltas are everywhere), I install it, it fails in three months, and somehow it's MY fault. Now I supply fixtures or I don't do the job. My markup? About 20-30%, but you get warranty support through me and I KNOW it's legitimate. (I've also seen those cheap Chinese angle stops that blow out and flood houses - I replace every single one I see in older homes.) If a customer is price shopping every single aspect and wants the absolute cheapest everything, I'm probably not the plumber for them. There's a difference between value and cheap. Cheap gets you callback visits and water damage.

Get three quotes for major work, but understand you're comparing apples to oranges if one bid is half the others. That low bid either: doesn't include permits, uses inferior materials (PEX-A vs PEX-B matters, folks), is from an unlicensed guy, or is a bait-and-switch where the price balloons once work starts. Ask what's included - is disposal of old equipment covered, are drywall repairs included for access holes, what's the warranty (I give 2 years on labor, 6-12 years on water heaters depending on model). For emergency services, ask about after-hours fees BEFORE they dispatch. Some companies in San Jose charge $500+ just to show up at midnight. That's their right, but you should know. Keep your main shutoff accessible - I've lost 30 minutes on emergency calls because the shutoff is buried under storage in a garage or landscaped over. Those minutes cost you water damage. Don't wait on small leaks. That drip under the sink "you'll get to eventually"? It's rotting your cabinet and creating mold. $150 repair becomes $800 with cabinet replacement. And here's something nobody tells you - your homeowner's insurance might NOT cover your sewer lateral (that's the pipe from your house to the city main in the street). That's YOUR responsibility, and if it fails ($8,000-$15,000 to replace), you're paying. Some companies offer sewer line insurance ($8-15/month). For older homes in Willow Glen, Rose Garden, Naglee Park? Might be worth it. Look, plumbing isn't glamorous. It's crawlspaces and sewage and 2 AM calls. But it's honest work and your house NEEDS it done right. Don't cheap out on the systems that keep your home from flooding or burning down (gas lines, people). Find a licensed pro, pay fair rates, and sleep better at night.