Emergency Plumber
A burst pipe or a sewer backup needs a plumber at any hour. ASC Plumbing takes emergency calls 24/7, nights and weekends included.
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Santa Cruz has a lot of older homes. By Census figures, about one in five was built before 1940, and two in three before 1980. In a house that age, the water pipes and the sewer lateral may be original. When the house sells, a city rule calls for a sewer lateral inspection first.
ASC Plumbing is a plumbing company for homes and businesses around Salinas and the Monterey Bay Area. Santa Cruz is part of our service area. Here we handle plumbing repair for leaking pipes and running toilets, and we clear drains and fix water heaters. Call or text (831) 262-9943, and we will look at the job and put the quote in writing.
Tell us about the leak, clog, water heater or repipe and where the property is. We look at the job and put the quote in writing.
The median home in Santa Cruz was built around 1970, the Census shows. About 40 percent went up before 1960. Water pipes from that era may be galvanized steel, and galvanized pipe rusts from the inside as it ages.
The city's water FAQ lists rust in galvanized pipe as one cause of brown tap water. It says rust from your own plumbing should clear in about five minutes. Brown water that returns day after day can point to old pipe in the house. Repeat leaks in older copper pipe are another sign.
On the city's side, the Water Department's 2024 inventory found no lead service lines in its system. When the pipe inside the house is worn out, repiping replaces the water supply lines with copper or PEX. A repipe can cover the whole house or one part of it. The written quote spells out what is included.
A sewer lateral is the pipe that carries wastewater from a building to the city sewer main. The city says most are 4-inch clay or plastic pipe, and the owner is responsible for all of it. As laterals age, the city's sewer FAQ says, roots can crack them and grease can clog them.
The City Council changed the sewer ordinance on June 26, 2018. Now, before a sale, the owner must have the lateral inspected by an authorized inspector. Needed repairs come next, and an inspection form goes to the city. To pass, the lateral also needs a cleanout in the sidewalk area and no P-trap in the line.
If the lateral fails, the seller can fix it or sign a form that hands the repair to the buyer. The buyer then has 90 days after the sale to finish. We clear main sewer line stoppages and repair failed sections of drain line as part of drain cleaning.
In Santa Cruz, building permits and inspections come from the city's Building and Safety Division. It is part of the Community Development Department and works from the 2025 California codes. Much of downtown and the beach area sits in FEMA's A99 flood zone, behind the San Lorenzo River levee. Before work starts, ask that office which permit your job needs and what the flood zone adds.
A bathroom remodel brings in a state rule, Senate Bill 407, through the city's bathroom remodel checklist. Old fixtures that use more water than allowed get swapped before final permit approval. New toilets are capped at 1.28 gallons per flush, and a single showerhead at 1.8 gallons a minute. Our plumbing installation work covers the new fixtures and the rough-in for a remodel.
A home addition or remodel also falls under the city's seismic restraint ordinance, Municipal Code section 18.06.050. The permit applicant sets aside 1 percent of the permit valuation for seismic restraints in the home. Water heater restraints are on the city's list of approved measures. When an old tank needs replacing, our water heater installation includes the strapping.
The Santa Cruz Water Department relies entirely on local water. In 2025, the San Lorenzo River and the Tait Wells beside it supplied 68 percent. North Coast sources, Loch Lomond Reservoir and the Beltz wells supplied most of the rest.
The department calls its tap water moderately hard. In its 2025 report, water from the Graham Hill treatment plant averaged 160 milligrams per liter of hardness. Water from the two Beltz plants ran harder, at about 260 milligrams per liter. The city's FAQ says those minerals can collect in a water heater, then clog aerators and showerheads.
Flushing a tank clears out settled minerals, and it is part of our water heater repair work. A tankless water heater gets descaled to clear the same scale. White crust on faucets comes from the same minerals, and the city says white vinegar can dissolve it.
Communities and areas we serve around Santa Cruz: Downtown, Seabright, Lower Ocean, Beach Flats, Mission Hill, The Circles, Westlake, Prospect Heights, Branciforte Drive, Harvey West, DeLaveaga Park, Mission Street.
Santa Cruz ZIP codes served: 95060, 95062, 95064, 95065.
Santa Cruz is part of our service area. We look at the job first, then put the quote in writing.
(831) 262-9943 A burst pipe or a sewer backup needs a plumber at any hour. ASC Plumbing takes emergency calls 24/7, nights and weekends included.
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We clear clogged kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, tubs, showers, toilets and floor drains, plus main sewer line stoppages. When a drain keeps backing up, we find out why and put any repair in a written quote.
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We repair leaking pipes, slab leaks, running toilets, dripping faucets and jammed garbage disposals. We look at the job first and put the quote in writing.
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We repair gas and electric tank water heaters for homes and businesses. We find the part that failed and put the quote in writing.
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We replace failed or aging tank water heaters and install new ones, gas or electric. Each new tank is sized for the home and strapped the way California law requires.
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We install tankless water heaters, conversions from a tank included. We also repair and flush the tankless units already in place.
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We replace the water pipe in a house or building when old galvanized steel or copper starts to fail. Whole house and partial repipes go in as PEX or copper, with the quote in writing.
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We install toilets, faucets, sinks and garbage disposals, plus the rough-in plumbing for remodels and new builds. We look at the job and put the quote in writing.
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We handle plumbing repairs, drains, water heaters and fixtures for shops, offices, restaurants and rental buildings. We look at the job and put the quote in writing.
Learn MoreA few of the questions we hear most around Santa Cruz. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
Tell us what is going on with the plumbing and the town the building is in. Call or text (831) 262-9943 or use the form, and we will get back to you.
Tell us about the leak, clog, water heater or repipe and where the property is. We look at the job and put the quote in writing.