Plumbing in Dana Point: What We See Most
Dana Point incorporated in 1989, but most of its neighborhoods were built earlier, from the 1960s through the 1980s, on the bluffs and hills above the harbor. Capistrano Beach and the Lantern District have some of the older homes, and Monarch Beach and Niguel Shores have larger homes and gated communities.
Ocean air is the constant. Salt corrodes exposed copper, hose bibs, gas connectors and the fittings on water heaters, so outdoor and garage plumbing wears faster than inland. Homes from the 1960s and 1970s have original copper under the slab at slab leak age, and some 1970s to early 1990s homes have polybutylene. On the bluffs and hills, high pressure and long laterals add their own wear.
The most common Dana Point plumbing problems:
- Salt-air corrosion on hose bibs, exposed copper and water heater fittings
- Slab leaks in 1960s and 1970s homes
- Polybutylene supply pipe in some homes from before the mid-1990s
- High pressure and failed regulators on bluff and hillside streets
- Long sewer laterals with roots or settled joints
- Hard water scale on fixtures and inside tanks
None of this means every home has these problems, and a good plumber will tell you when yours does not. It does mean the diagnosis starts with knowing what is likely in this area, which saves time and keeps you from paying for the wrong repair.