No shortcuts for pipe problems
YOUR HOME IMPROVEMENT Question No. 1
Robert,
I live in Santa Clarita and also have a home in the Los Angeles area.
I’m having a 2-inch main line that feeds several homes on my property replaced. The plumber is telling me that I have to have a permit to repair this line. It is a large 2-inch line, but is this guy taking advantage of me?
This will cost me much more than originally planned, so I’d like to know if it is in fact required because if not then I’d like to be able to put this plumber in his place. Ken R.
Answer No. 1
Ken,
Anything within the County of Los Angeles that is a domestic line of this size, must be inspected.
If it were a minor repair, it wouldn’t be necessary — but being that you are replacing that entire 2-inch line of whatever length, you will absolutely be required to pull permits and get this work inspected.
Your contractor is smart, making sure that he’s working within the law and also protecting himself at the same time. The inspectors are there to ensure that work is being done properly and ultimately they have safety in mind.
When they come on site and inspect, they’re keeping everyone involved safe by ensuring that the work is of quality. It will end up costing more but it is unfortunately just one of those things as a property owner that has to be dealt with at times. No shortcuts here, Ken.
Good luck, Robert
Question No. 2
Robert, I live in Santa Clarita in a condo where the pool sits over the parking garage.
There is a leak in the garage that is getting worse noticeably, and the pool man isn’t sure of the exact problem causing this leak. We as an association don’t have a ton of money and we need to be frugal about solving this issue.
We had a water test done at the pool deck, the deck drains and still can’t figure out where the issue is. The test didn’t create more water flow so we don’t think that it is the deck or the drains, but speaking of draining, we don’t want to drain our reserves trying to figure this out.
Can you help with some ideas on how to solve this problem? Mitch G.
Answer No. 2
Mitch,
If you haven’t pressurized all of the pool supply lines, I’d start there for sure. It could be that there is a break in the line somewhere.
Have a leak detection do this, they are proficient at this. They’ll have you drain your pool, plug all of the lines and they’ll run a pressure test.
To do this, they attach the gauge to the lines, then fill the lines with air (pressure). If there is a break in any of the lines then the pressure will drop and then they’ll troubleshoot to find out where the break is.
They may have to run a camera to determine the exact location but with the configuration of your pool and parking garage, you’ll absolutely need to consult a structural engineer prior to opening any of those walls.
These setups are great but they require extra care when it comes to getting invasive for repairs, because the structural integrity could be compromised. Your initial cost will be worth determining the issue, then once you figure that out then you’ll have to weigh your options depending on the findings.
Good luck to you with this project,
Robert Robert Lamoureux has 38 years of experience as a general contractor, with separate licenses in electrical and plumbing contracting. He owns IMS Construction Inc. in Valencia. His opinions are his own, not necessarily those of The Signal.
Opinions expressed in this column are not meant to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after that contractor has made a thorough visual inspection. Email questions to Robert at robert@imsconstruction.com.