San Francisco Plumbing & Heating Services
Expert plumbing, radiant heating, and boiler services throughout San Francisco. We understand the city's unique challenges: high water pressure, tight Victorian layouts, and strict building codes.
What makes SF plumbing unique
The Pressure Problem
San Francisco's hilly terrain pushes water pressure well past what most fixtures and appliances are built for. Safe pressure tops out around 80 PSI, but readings across the city routinely run 130 to 140 PSI.
Left unchecked, that kind of pressure damages fixtures, shortens the life of your water heater and boiler, and drives hidden leaks you will not notice until the damage is done. We test pressure on every visit and install a regulator when a home needs one.
65 PSI
Ideal, comfortable pressure
80 PSI
Safe maximum for fixtures
130-140 PSI
Typical SF street pressure
20+
Years serving San Francisco
Built for the city
Working Around San Francisco's Constraints
Constant Infrastructure Work
Ongoing city construction means water main pressure spikes, sewer line shifts, vibration loosened fittings, and sediment introduced during shutoffs. We build that into every repair.
Space Constraints
Victorian row houses and compact homes call for wall mounted tankless units and combi boilers that handle heating and hot water in a single compact footprint.
Title 24 & Permits
Strict permitting rules apply to most water heater and boiler work in the city. We pull the permits, handle the inspections, and build to code the first time.
What we handle
Complete Services in San Francisco
Boiler Services
High efficiency installations, annual maintenance and repair, and combi boiler specialists for tight mechanical closets.
Radiant Heating
New construction and ADU design, remodel retrofits, system design, and service and repair on existing systems.
Water Heaters
Tankless and standard installation, maintenance, proper sizing, and space saving solutions for Victorian utility closets.
System Evaluation & Testing
Pressure testing, check valve inspection, thermal expansion evaluation, and camera inspection before we recommend anything.
Where we work
San Francisco Neighborhoods We Cover
Every neighborhood in the city has its own quirks. Here is what we see most often in each.
The Sunset
Homes here typically run about 1,500 square feet with garage or basement water heater placement, which makes Title 24 compliance more straightforward than in most SF neighborhoods.
Inner Sunset
Flats closer to the park, with the same accessible garage and basement utility placement as the rest of the Sunset, which keeps upgrade costs down.
Outer Sunset
Foggier and closer to the ocean, with the same ground floor utility access that makes tankless and heat pump upgrades simple to install.
The Richmond
Ground floor garages with nearby utilities and accessible exterior walls mean most upgrades happen without touching your finished living space, one of the most straightforward neighborhoods in SF for heat pump water heaters.
Inner Richmond
The same accessible garage layouts as the rest of the Richmond, close enough to the park that we see a steady mix of aging water heaters and radiant systems.
Outer Richmond
Ground level drainage and exterior wall access make this one of the easier parts of the city to fit an outdoor heat pump unit without losing garage space.
Hayes Valley
Victorian flats and microscopic utility closets. With no garage space for a heat pump system, we install ultra compact tankless units with endless hot water and multi story venting.
Good to know
Six Plumbing Tips for SF Homeowners
Check your pressure annually
Anything over 80 PSI can damage fixtures and appliances. We test pressure on every visit.
Install a thermal expansion tank
Required by California code on most water heater installations, and it protects your system from pressure spikes.
Pull permits for water heater work
San Francisco requires permits and inspections for most replacements. We handle the paperwork.
Consider going tankless
Wall mounted units save real space in tight Victorian utility closets and deliver endless hot water.
Watch your old galvanized pipe
Aging pipe corrodes from the inside and can restrict flow long before it visibly fails.
Plan plumbing early for an ADU
Rough in radiant heating and water lines during foundation work, before the slab is poured.
Let's Test Your Water Pressure
We'll test your water pressure, assess your plumbing needs, and give you clear, practical solutions. Contact us today for a free estimate.