Shower Valve Repair in Lakeside, CA

Which water district serves my Lakeside home, and does it matter?

It depends on the address. Lakeside is split between Lakeside Water District and Padre Dam Municipal Water District. Lakeside Water District's report says its main supply is treated surface water bought through Helix's R.M. Levy plant, plus imported water and local groundwater from the Santee-El Monte Basin that it treats for iron and manganese at its Vine Street plant. It disinfects with chloramine. For a shower valve, that means chloramine working on the rubber seals and the usual county hardness scaling the cartridge. Your bill tells you which district you have, and that district handles problems on its side of the meter. Lakeside Water District takes reports day or night at 619-443-3805.

Is a decades-old valve worth repairing?

Often it is. About 52.5 percent of Lakeside homes were built before 1980, and the median home dates to about 1978, so a lot of showers here have two-handle compression valves. Those can usually be rebuilt with new stems, washers and seats for far less than replacing the valve. The exceptions are a valve body that is cracked or corroded, an early single-lever brand with no parts, or supply connections that crumble when the plumber works on them. In those cases, a new pressure-balancing valve is the safer choice, and a plumber may also suggest checking the old supply pipe behind it.

Who issues permits for valve work in Lakeside?

Lakeside is unincorporated, so permits go through the County of San Diego Planning & Development Services Building Division, which offers simple permits, inspection scheduling and payments online through Accela Citizen Access, with its Permit Center in Kearny Mesa. A cartridge swap is routine repair. Replacing a valve inside the wall is the work to ask about.

A local note

Lakeside sits inland, where summer heat and colder winter nights both reach the plumbing. If the shower is only lukewarm in winter, have the water heater checked along with the valve. If it will not shut off, close the house main first, then call. A slow drip can usually wait for a scheduled visit, but water staining a wall or ceiling should be looked at soon.