Plumbing FAQs — Northern California

Earl's Plumbing offers free quotes — there is no charge to assess your plumbing issue and give you a price before any work begins. I built this company on the principle that homeowners deserve to know what they're paying before we pick up a wrench. Call us at (530) 343-0330 (Chico), (530) 244-3275 (Redding), or (530) 674-0330 (Yuba City) to schedule your free assessment. — Clinton Earl, Owner

Earl's Plumbing provides flat-rate upfront pricing on every job. Before any work begins, your technician gives you a firm price — not an estimate, a real number. That price does not change unless you ask us to do something additional. You will never receive a surprise invoice or get billed by the hour while we search for the problem. No gimmicks, no tricks.

Earl's Plumbing backs most services with a 1-year parts-and-labor warranty as standard. We also offer an available lifetime warranty on faucets, water heaters, tankless water heaters, garbage disposals, pressure regulators, whole-house repipes, and toilets. This is one of the strongest warranty commitments you will find from any plumber in Northern California. Ask your technician for specific warranty details on your job.

Earl's Plumbing is available for urgent plumbing situations. If you have a burst pipe, major leak, sewer backup, or gas line concern that cannot wait, call your nearest office immediately: Chico (530) 343-0330, Redding (530) 244-3275, or Yuba City (530) 674-0330. Our dispatch team will prioritize getting a licensed technician to you as quickly as possible.

Earl's Plumbing accepts cash, check, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and PayPal. We also offer financing on approved credit for larger jobs such as water heater replacement, whole-house repiping, water filtration installation, or tankless water heater upgrades. Ask our office team for financing details and available terms when you call to schedule.

You can schedule with Earl's Plumbing by calling your nearest office directly, booking online at earlsplumbing.net/schedule-service-now/, or using the scheduling form at the bottom of this page. We serve Chico at (530) 343-0330, Redding at (530) 244-3275, and Yuba City at (530) 674-0330.

Earl's Plumbing serves Chico and all of Butte County from our office at 220 Sellers Way, Chico CA 95928. With 4,713 Google reviews at 4.8 stars, we are the highest-rated plumber in the Chico area. We serve all Chico neighborhoods including south Chico, the Avenues, Barber, Chapmantown, and Bidwell Park area. Call (530) 343-0330.

Yes — Earl's Plumbing serves Paradise, Oroville, Magalia, Orland, Willows, Corning, Gridley, Hamilton City, and dozens of other communities in Butte and Glenn Counties, all dispatched from our Chico office at 220 Sellers Way. Call (530) 343-0330 to schedule service anywhere in the Chico area or surrounding foothills and valley communities.

Earl's Plumbing serves Redding and all of Shasta County from our office at 6841 Eastside Rd Ste F, Redding CA 96001. With 2,527 Google reviews at 4.8 stars, we are one of the highest-rated plumbers in the Redding area. We serve all parts of Redding as well as Anderson, Shasta Lake City, and surrounding communities. Call (530) 244-3275.

Yes — Earl's Plumbing serves Anderson, Red Bluff, Shasta Lake City, Cottonwood, Palo Cedro, Millville, and communities throughout Shasta and Tehama Counties, all dispatched from our Redding office. Call (530) 244-3275 to schedule service anywhere in the Redding area or surrounding north-valley and foothill communities.

Earl's Plumbing serves Yuba City and surrounding Sacramento Valley communities from our office at 1250 Market St STE B, Yuba City CA 95991. With 1,002 Google reviews at 4.8 stars, we are one of the top-rated plumbers in the area. We also serve Marysville, Live Oak, Gridley, Colusa, Williams, and Sutter County. Call (530) 674-0330.

Yes — Earl's Plumbing serves Marysville, Live Oak, Gridley, Colusa, Williams, Olivehurst, Plumas Lake, and surrounding Sacramento Valley communities from our Yuba City office. Call (530) 674-0330 to schedule service anywhere in the Yuba City area or the surrounding Sutter, Yuba, and Colusa County communities.

Water heaters typically last 8–12 years. Signs yours may need replacement include rust-colored hot water, rumbling or popping noises from the tank, water pooling near the base, inconsistent hot water temperature, or a unit older than 10 years. Earl's Plumbing offers free water heater assessments and backs all water heater installations with an available lifetime warranty.

A tankless water heater heats water on demand instead of continuously storing and reheating a full tank, which reduces energy use significantly. Earl's Plumbing is a Noritz-certified tankless contractor — one of only a handful in Northern California — and offers free tankless assessments plus an available lifetime warranty on installations. Call your nearest office for a free comparison quote.

Signs of a slab leak include a sudden unexplained spike in your water bill, the sound of running water when all fixtures are off, warm spots on your floor, damp or warped flooring, or low water pressure throughout the home. Slab leaks worsen quickly and can cause significant structural damage — call Earl's Plumbing immediately for professional leak detection and repair.

Hydro jetting uses a high-pressure water stream to scour the interior walls of drain and sewer pipes, removing grease, mineral scale, tree root intrusions, and stubborn debris that standard drain snaking cannot reach. Earl's Plumbing recommends hydro jetting for recurring drain clogs, slow-draining sewer lines, or as preventive maintenance on older drain systems.

Signs you may need a whole-house repipe include rust-colored water at multiple fixtures, frequent pipe leaks in different locations around the home, consistently low water pressure, visible corrosion on exposed pipes, or original galvanized steel plumbing that is 40+ years old. Earl's Plumbing backs all repipe work with an available lifetime warranty — one of the best in Northern California.

Yes — a constantly running toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water per day, adding hundreds of dollars to your water bill each month. It is usually caused by a worn flapper, fill valve, or float assembly, and is one of the most straightforward repairs in plumbing. Earl's Plumbing can diagnose and fix a running toilet the same day, backed by an available lifetime warranty.

Whole-house low water pressure is most commonly caused by a failing or misadjusted pressure regulator valve (PRV), mineral scale buildup inside aging pipes, a partially closed main shutoff valve, or a hidden supply line leak. Earl's Plumbing offers free pressure diagnostics and can identify and repair the cause of low pressure the same day in most cases.

Yes — Earl's Plumbing installs whole-house water filtration systems, water softeners, and reverse osmosis systems throughout Northern California. Hard water and agricultural runoff are common concerns across the Sacramento Valley region served by our Chico, Redding, and Yuba City offices. We assess your water quality and recommend the right solution for your home. Call for a free quote.

Most plumbers recommend professional drain cleaning every 1–2 years to prevent buildup of grease, soap residue, and debris before it causes a blockage. If you already notice slow drains, gurgling sounds, or recurring clogs, buildup has likely already accumulated. Earl's Plumbing uses camera inspection and hydro jetting to clear drains completely and confirm the line is clear. Call for a free quote.

If you have a burst pipe, immediately turn off your main water shutoff valve to stop water flow. Then call Earl's Plumbing at your nearest office: Chico (530) 343-0330, Redding (530) 244-3275, or Yuba City (530) 674-0330. Do not attempt to repair a burst pipe yourself — water under pressure in a damaged line is a job for a licensed plumber.

Your main water shutoff valve is typically located near the water meter at the front of your property — usually inside a covered box flush with the ground — or along the perimeter of your home near the foundation. Turn it clockwise (righty-tighty) to shut off all water to the house. Every adult in your household should know where this valve is before an emergency occurs.

A sudden spike in your water bill almost always signals a hidden leak. Common culprits include a running toilet (up to 200 gallons per day), a dripping faucet (up to 1,000 gallons per month), an irrigation system leak, or a supply line or slab leak you cannot see. Earl's Plumbing offers professional leak detection to locate and repair the source of unexplained water loss.

The best way to prevent clogged drains is to use a mesh hair strainer in showers and tubs, never pour grease or oil down the kitchen drain, run hot water for 30 seconds after every use, and avoid flushing anything other than toilet paper. For older homes, scheduling a professional drain cleaning every 1–2 years is the most effective long-term prevention strategy.

Yes — Northern California, particularly the Sacramento Valley communities served by Earl's Plumbing's Chico, Redding, and Yuba City offices, has moderately to severely hard water in many areas. Hard water accelerates scale buildup inside water heaters and pipes, reduces water heater efficiency and lifespan, damages appliances, and affects water taste. A whole-house water softener or filtration system can address these issues directly.

Minor issues like a dripping faucet with an accessible shutoff or a toilet that needs a new flapper are reasonable DIY projects. However, you should call a licensed plumber for anything involving water heaters, gas lines, sewer lines, pipe leaks inside walls or under slabs, water pressure problems, or any situation where you are unsure of the shutoff location. Mistakes on these systems can cause serious damage and void your homeowner's insurance. Earl's Plumbing's free quotes mean there is no cost to find out what you are dealing with.