Plumbing in Redlands: What We See Most
Redlands incorporated in 1888 and grew rich on oranges, and the Victorian and Craftsman homes from those decades still line the streets around downtown, Smiley Park and the university. Post-war neighborhoods filled in through the 1950s and 1960s. Newer homes went up in the south Redlands hills and on the east side from the 1980s on.
Historic homes are the specialty here, and they need care. Many have crawl spaces with a mix of original galvanized, cast iron and later copper, sewer laterals that run under mature street trees, and water heaters squeezed into spaces never meant for them. The fix should respect the house, which means reaching pipe through crawl spaces and closets before cutting plaster. The hillside homes have their own issues: higher pressure, long laterals and copper under 1980s and 1990s slabs.
The most common Redlands plumbing problems:
- Root intrusion in clay sewer laterals under mature trees
- Galvanized and cast iron pipe in crawl spaces of historic homes
- Mixed pipe materials from a century of partial updates
- Water heaters in tight closets or porches that need code upgrades
- High pressure and long laterals on south Redlands hillside lots
- First slab leaks in 1980s and 1990s homes
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.