This is written by the tenant: William came over to see us after our water heater was out of commission for over 6 days due to not being able to contact our landlord. William was called by the property management company and saved the day. William explained our issue and made sure we understood what he was doing and what he was going to be replacing. We were in a dangerous situation due to a previous install by others and William didn\’t leave until it was fixed correctly. Way to go William. Your work was terrific. You made sure my family was safe as if we were your own. I will recommend you to everyone. And I meant what I said…\”There is a special place in heaven for you\”. Bless you for saving the day.

Here is a photo of the failed and illegally installed piping.

Maximum Performance (MaP) TESTING – a better measurement of toilet performance!

Many toilet fixture performance tests exist, including proprietary tests by the fixture manufacturers, tests by Consumer Reports magazine, and the tests mandated by the plumbing codes for fixture certification. None of these, however, use test media that closely resembles the real “demands” upon a toilet, i.e., that of removing human waste.

The Maximum Performance (MaP) testing project was developed in 2003 in order to identify how well popular toilet models perform using a realistic test media. The MaP testing protocol, cooperatively developed by water-efficiency and plumbing fixture specialists in the U.S. and Canada, incorporated the use of soybean paste as a test media, closely replicating the “real world demand” upon fixtures. Performance testing of 80 different toilet fixture models was completed and summarized in the Final Report (1st Edition – December 2003). That report led to the further evolution of testing and reporting on toilet fixtures and their flush performance.

Now 8 years old, the current MaP testing report provides performance information on over 1,800 different toilet fixture models (including both tank-type and commercial flushometer combinations) !!! Over 940 these models are WaterSense-certified high-efficiency toilets (HETs).

All tests can be found @ www.map-testing.com

I received a call that a customer had a sever water leak in their home which started while they were away, fortunately they knew where the main water supply shutoff valve was located and immediately turned it off.

The customer had a faulty water supply line to their down stairs lavatory faucet. This line has a constant water supply to the faucet, the water leaked continuously until the main water supply was turned off causing thousands of dollars in damage. The cost would have been much more if this happened in the upstairs.

Making sure that you know where your main water supply shutoff valve is located and that it is working properly is a very good idea! You should also be sure and inspect all the water supply valves and water supply flexes located at every fixture in your home. If it has a water to it, inspect it!

If you need any assistance, we can be contacted at contactus@almplumbing.com .

I recieved a call from a new customer looking for an estimate on a new water heater installation. After the inspection process, it was determined that the customers water heater was in need of a replacement, but that she also needed a expansion tank, new gas shutoff valve and flex, drip leg for the gas line, and new water supply shutoff valve. All of these items are required per the building codes.

After quickly putting my estimate together the home owner was shocked, I was $900 cheaper than other estimates they had recieved.

Always be careful when choosing a contractor, you should always check with the California State License Board and make sure your contractors are licensed, bonded, and insured. Here is a link to the CSLB check a license https://www2.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicenseII/CheckLicense.aspx