Whatever’s wrong, we start by finding out why.
Most plumbing repairs are simple once they’re understood — and expensive when they’re guessed at. Every Family 1st repair starts with a diagnosis and a plain-language explanation of what we found.
Start with the symptom.
Dripping faucets and running toilets
Small, constant, and wasteful — usually cartridge, flapper or fill-valve work. Quick fixes that pay for themselves on the water bill.
Water pressure problems
High pressure quietly destroys fixtures and appliances; low pressure usually has one findable cause. Both start with a gauge, not a guess.
A valve that won’t shut off
Crusty, stuck shutoffs under sinks and at the main are a problem the day you need them most. Replacing them is cheap insurance.
Burst or frozen pipe
Shut the main off first — then call. We repair the failure and address why it happened, especially on exposed runs that freeze in cold snaps.
Why it happens here
Time, water chemistry and pressure. Rubber parts harden, cartridges wear, and anything original to an older home is living on borrowed time. None of it means your plumbing is “bad” — it means it’s maintained or it isn’t.
How we diagnose it
We look at the failed part and at what made it fail — a pressure reading is part of nearly every visit, because high pressure is behind a surprising share of repeat failures. You get the fix plus the cause, so the same repair doesn’t come back.
Repair or replace — our honest rule
We repair what’s worth repairing. When a fixture is at the end of its life and a repair would only buy months, we say that — and when a cheap part solves it, we don’t dress it up as more.
From our job sites, not a stock library.
Questions homeowners actually ask
Do you charge to come look at a problem?
Call us at (707) 228-4595 and tell us what’s going on — we’ll be straight with you about what it likely is, what it takes to diagnose, and any cost to get eyes on it before you commit to anything.
What water pressure should my house have?
Between roughly 40 and 80 PSI — California code requires a regulator above 80. If you’re seeing blown supply lines, banging pipes or short-lived fixtures, have the pressure checked; it’s a five-minute test that explains a lot of “bad luck.”
Should I fix a small drip or wait?
Fix it. A drip is a part telling you it’s failing, the water adds up faster than people expect, and small repairs stay small. The expensive version of a drip is the one that lets go inside a cabinet while you’re away.
Related services
Serving Santa Rosa · Sebastopol · Windsor · Healdsburg · Petaluma · Sonoma — see the full service area.
Dealing with a plumbing repair problem?
Tell us what you're seeing — we'll tell you what it probably is, and what it takes to fix it right.