Plumbers in Poway, CA

Poway's place in the county

Poway is an inland North County city about 19 miles from downtown San Diego in a straight line, with 48,841 residents at the 2020 Census. Its civic center sits along Civic Center Drive near Temple Street, and Lake Poway and Poway Springs Road reach into the hills. Being inland, it gets warmer summers and cooler nights than the coast, so pipes in garages and on exterior walls can feel a rare frost.

A city that treats its own water

The City of Poway buys raw water from the San Diego County Water Authority, nearly all of it imported from Northern California and the Colorado River, and adds rain captured in Lake Poway. It treats that water at its own Lester J. Berglund Water Treatment Plant and uses both chlorine and chloramines for disinfection. The City reports hardness averaging about 228 to 235 ppm as calcium carbonate, with a range of 165 to 291 ppm, which is firmly hard. Scale in water heaters, tankless heat exchangers and faucet cartridges is routine, and softener installs are a common request.

Water and sewer share one City of Poway account. For customer service call 858-668-4401; after 3 p.m. on business days, on weekends and on holidays, the Water Treatment Plant takes calls at 858-668-4751. Poway's code defines the service connection as ending at the downstream end of the meter, so trouble on your side of the meter is generally a job for a plumber.

Housing age

The median home in Poway was built around 1978. Houses of that age often still have original drains, shutoff valves and supply piping, and their sewer laterals have had decades for roots to find them.

Backflow testing

Poway's cross-connection ordinance requires backflow prevention devices to be tested every year at the owner's cost by a certified tester who is on both the county environmental health list and the City's approved list. Owners also install any required devices at their own expense. A plumber can tell you whether your irrigation or fire line needs one.

Permits and gas

The City of Poway Building Division handles permits, with plan check and inspection contracted to EsGil Corporation and submittals accepted electronically only. Building Services is at 858-668-4645 and inspections are scheduled at 858-668-4646. SDG&E supplies gas in the region: if you smell gas, get out of the house, then call 911 and SDG&E at 1-800-611-7343 from a safe place.

What is different from the City of San Diego

Poway has its own treatment plant, its own backflow tester list and its own permit process. When you call, say what is going on and roughly where you live, and you will be connected with an independent plumber who agrees on price and timing with you.