Water Softener Installation
Salt softener sizing, bypass loop plumbing.
Read about itSanta Clara, CA · Answered 24/7
Plumber in Santa Clara, where most tap water comes from city wells
Santa Clara sits right next to our North San Jose office, and its water system is unlike its neighbors'. Here is what that means for heaters, fixtures and pipes in Santa Clara homes.
Quick answer
Santa Clara is a few minutes from our North San Jose service office, and phones are answered 24/7. The city runs its own water utility, and more than 60 percent of its drinking water comes from city wells, so water heaters and fixtures face more mineral buildup than in cities that rely on Hetch Hetchy water.
A city water system built on wells
The City of Santa Clara operates its own water utility. Twenty-six city wells supply more than 60 percent of the drinking water, San Francisco's Hetch Hetchy water serves the zone north of Highway 101, and Valley Water supplies the southwest of the city. Groundwater carries more dissolved minerals than surface water, so homes on well water tend to see more scale in water heaters and faucet cartridges.
That is why we test the water at your tap before suggesting a water softener: a house north of 101 and a house in the south of the city can get noticeably different water.
Recycled water and backflow
Santa Clara also runs a recycled water system in separate pipelines, and recycled water makes up more than 15 percent of the city's water sales. Recycled water is for irrigation and certain industrial uses only, so the two systems must never be connected. Properties with irrigation systems, fire lines or commercial equipment rely on backflow assemblies to keep that separation, and those assemblies are tested on a schedule; see backflow testing and repair.
Older homes and galvanized pipe
Most Santa Clara homes built before 1970 were plumbed with galvanized steel, which narrows with rust from the inside. Weak pressure at several fixtures, brown water after a tap sits, and repeated leaks at threaded joints are the usual signs. When they show up together, a whole-house repipe usually beats repairing one joint at a time.
Most called for in Santa Clara
The plumbing jobs we get asked for most in Santa Clara
Water Heater Maintenance
Tank flush for sediment, anode rod check and replacement.
Read about itBackflow Testing & Repair
Annual test and report, irrigation backflow.
Read about itWhole-House Repiping
Galvanized to pex, copper repipe.
Read about itDrain Cleaning
Kitchen sink and grease, bathroom sink and hair.
Read about itWater Heater Replacement
Leaking tank, 40 to 50 gallon gas swap.
Read about itPlaces we cover here
More of Santa Clara County
FAQ
Plumbing questions from Santa Clara
Most Santa Clara water comes from city wells, while Mountain View relies mostly on Hetch Hetchy.
No; recycled water runs in separate purple pipes, and backflow assemblies keep it apart.
Many built before 1970 have galvanized pipe; weak pressure and brown water are the signs.
It is next to our North San Jose office, and phones are answered 24/7.
Yes, on irrigation, fire and commercial systems.
Plumber needed in Santa Clara?
Call any hour; a dispatcher answers and sends a plumber from North San Jose.