What do i need to consider about Plumbing permits and regulations in Santa Clara, CA

 Plumbing, Electrical, Mechanical

Permit Information
An electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permit is required for most work.  
An electrical permit is needed for the change to a wiring system.
Mechanical permit is needed to replace a furnace or install an air conditioning unit, but not to make repairs to existing unit.
A plumbing permit is needed for any new plumbing work or for installing a water heater.
These permits are sometimes known as trade permits. The work included in these permits may be combined with a building permit for a job, or may stand alone for specific projects.

Why do you need these Permits?
California Code and the City of Santa Clara regulates the process to ensure that it is safe and code compliant. City staff provide inspections for permitted work to verify compliance with the appropriate code.
Also, permits and inspectors watch to safeguard persons and homes from hazards that may arise from bad installation. Examples of the benefits of pulling a permit include:

Plumbing Permit
Inspections ensure that drainage systems, water piping, gas piping, and water heaters are all installed correctly.
For a water heater, earthquake straps are inspected because they prevent structural damage and the gas pipe from rupturing during an earthquake.

Where can I obtain these permits?
You can get a permit at the Development Services Center, in your city.


BG Plumbing

Santa Clara Plumber. Plumbers in Santa Clara CA, Gas piping installation and leak repair

I had a gas leakage under our house and called 3 contractors to come out and give me an quote.  Tsanko was the first to show up, during the 1/2 window he gave me, and came right on time.  It took him a few trips under the house to find the leak, without having to pressurize the lines because we could not shut off our stove as it was too big and heavy to move.  He was here about two hours checking all the branches and finally found it.  He provide me a very detailed report of what was wrong and what is needed to fix it, along with an explanation of what went to what on my gas system, which I didn't know.  He knew I was bidding out the job to 2 other companies and never pressured me.  The bid he gave me seemed more than reasonable.The 2nd company came out and I described to him that the first plumber found the leak, so he didn't even had to look under the house himself. He disappear and came back about 20 minutes after with an outrageous $1000 price for 4 hours of work.  So unprofessional.The 3rd plumber came out and actually crawled under the home, but couldn't find the leak.  Said he'd have to pressurize the line to find it, and would bring someone back to help move the stove to turn it off.  Since T. spent so much time already and had found the leak and was nice enough to explain everything to me, I gave him the job.  He came back right on time the next day and fix the leak.  BG checked every single joint all the way to the gas meter to make sure he repair everything.  I was very impressed with his performance and his work ethic.  I'm very happy to have found BG Plumbing and will no longer "bid" out the process if I ever have a leaks, etc. again because now I "trust" him and would of course call him again, if we ever have another plumbing problem.


K.R.
Fremont, CA  11/06/2011

I yet have a plumber I can count on

Tsanko is awesome. I had a leaky upstairs shower valve, it was leaking quite a lot so I was thinking it was going to be a pricey fix. We cut up the back wall to see exactly where the leak was coming from, and we knew which place of the valves it was coming from. Then, I called some plumbers to give an estimate of the fix. Two of the plumbers came, looked at the problem and said they want to change out the entire fauset, which will also mean opening up more wall, maybe breaking our old rusty galvanized lines, costing hundreds of dollars. (It's an old house) It would also continue at least three hours.
T. came and said the fix is very simple, replace out the diverter stem, since that's the part the leak is coming from. I was having doubts since the other two plumbers told me you'd need to swap out the complete valve, and he carefully explained to me that the body itself is just a piece of brass, even if you swap out the brass, it's going to continue to leak. It's the stem that's leaking. It made sense and he fixed it in 30 minutes paying a little more than a hundred. We tested it and there was no leaks.
Couple of days after, another leak starts in the same bathtub after my roommate showered, I was starting to have doubts about his fix. However, I tested the shower, and couldn't reproduce the problem, and was completely stumped. I called the company, and he came right away at 9pm at night, and he quickly diagnosed discovered the problem. The drip only shows up if the faucet is dripping slowly, and my roommate hadn't turned off the handle all the way. It was basically lack of caulking plus the back washer being worn out. He proposed the easy solution of just caulking up the cracks. This visit was completely free!
I was impressed by a few things:
#1. Unlike the other contractors, he was able to exactly find the problem. I'm sure if the other plumbers replaced out the whole set, they would've fixed the problem as well, but that would've been cost more money, and dangerous, since my pipes were old and I wasn't ready to swap out a bunch of pipes right then.
#2. He explains the problem and can show me what's happening
#3. He arrived in the evening as soon as I called, and  that it would be on him.
I now have a plumber I can count on explain things to me so I can understand exactly what's the problem and how to fix it. T is knowledgeable and willing to help. I've already recommended him to my friends.

Tracy W.
San Jose, CA  10/05/2011

Plumber in Santa Clara county. Santa Clara plumbers - review

I got Tsanko as a Plumbing Contractor in 2010, and i hired him more than once.

I'm a very happy customer of BGPlumbing. Last time I called them it went like this. The pipe to the kitchen area broke and I had to turn off the water to the whole house to. It happened on a Saturday night... I called BG right away and Tsanko came over on Sunday morning! He didfinished the repair efficiently and answered all questions in detail. To me he saved the day!

Marco Zandonadi

Repiping Los Altos, Plumber Fremont Tankless Water Heaters

Finding the best Plumber for the Job  At some point every homeowner is going to need a plumber. Plumbing may  be considered a modern marvel but also can ruin our homes. A simple  dripping faucet or small leak in an ignored pipes can bring devastating  and costly outcome. Some issues are quick fixes and with just a  little know-how there are a few common fixes that can be performed.  But it's significant to know when a professional is needed. The work isn't  necessarily difficult. While much of it is beyond the scope and  knowledge of the average homeowner and an easy project can end up costing  you way more than if you had called an trained contractor. Finding an  expert can be the difference between a positive outcome or a complete catastrophe,so it is important - use care while looking-for them. Obviously  if your water heater tank is flooding your home or it is time for  repiping, you aren’t going to have time to be selective. Your first  instinct will probably be to call the first guy you find in the yellow  pages and since time is essential you may have no other choice. That's  why no matter  where you live - Santa Clara,Los Altos,Castro Valley  or San Ramon or elsewhere in Bay Area, it's a good idea to have  contacts before you actually need it.