Repiping in Lakeside, CA

More than half of Lakeside homes predate 1980. Is mine due?

Census figures show about 52.5 percent of Lakeside's housing was built before 1980, with a median build year around 1978. Homes from that period were commonly plumbed with copper, and some older ones with galvanized steel. Galvanized pipe rusts inward, cutting flow and tinting the water; copper of that age can wear through at fittings and on the hot side. Age alone doesn't decide it. A house with sound-looking pipe and no leak history can keep going, while one with leaks in several rooms, falling pressure or rusty water is a good candidate. A plumber can judge a lot from the pipe visible at the water heater, under sinks and in any crawl space.

Which water district serves my Lakeside address?

It depends on where you live. San Diego LAFCO lists Lakeside Water District as serving Lakeside, Eucalyptus Hills, Moreno Valley, Muth Valley and Wintergardens, and Padre Dam Municipal Water District as serving parts of Lakeside too, so the boundary has to be checked by address. Lakeside Water District disinfects with chloramine and blends treated surface water from Helix's plant, imported water and local groundwater that it treats for iron and manganese at its Vine Street plant. Your water bill shows which district serves you, and that district handles the meter side of the line. The sewered parts of Lakeside are served by the San Diego County Sanitation District.

How do County permits work for a Lakeside repipe?

Lakeside is unincorporated, so building permits come from the County of San Diego Planning & Development Services Building Division. Simple permits, status checks, inspection scheduling and fee payment are available online through Accela Citizen Access, and the Permit Center is in Kearny Mesa. A plumber familiar with County inspections can handle the paperwork and schedule the inspection before walls are closed up.

A Lakeside note

Lakeside is an inland valley community with warm summers and colder winter nights than the coast. Attic and exterior lines should be insulated and supported, and hose bibs protected, so the new system holds up through both seasons. Larger lots may have long yard lines worth inspecting too.