Most of California has hard water (8–15 grains per gallon, depending on township). A properly sized softener pays for itself in extended water heater life, longer dishwasher and laundry life, and no more soap scum on tile.
Tank water heaters — sized to your house
We size by first-hour-rating against your peak fixture load, not just by family size. Standard installs include a new T&P relief discharge to code, an expansion tank (required when there's a check valve or PRV on the main), dielectric unions on copper-to-galvanized transitions, and a leak pan with proper drain routing on second-floor or finished-basement installs.
Tankless water heaters — properly vented
Tankless units need correctly sized gas piping (usually 3/4" minimum, often 1" depending on BTU rating and run length), Category III stainless venting or PVC per the manufacturer's spec, and a condensate neutralizer if condensing. We verify gas pressure under load before sign-off — most tankless failures we see on other people's installs are starved gas supplies, not bad units.
Water softeners for hard CA water
We test your incoming hardness, size the resin capacity to your daily usage, install a bypass loop so the softener can be serviced without shutting down the house, plumb the brine drain to code with an air gap, and program the regeneration cycle for your usage pattern. Cold-water-only loops for kitchen and outside spigots are standard if you ask.
Extended warranties on installed units
Ask about our extended warranty on installed water heaters and softeners — peace of mind well past the manufacturer's coverage, and a single number to call when anything goes wrong.
Got questions?
Frequently asked questions
Tank or tankless — which is right for my house?
Tankless is the right call for most 3-bath-and-up homes that already have natural gas and a reasonable run from the meter. For 2-bath homes with low simultaneous-use needs, a 50-gallon tank is usually the better value. We'll size both and let you compare.
Do I really need an expansion tank?
If your water service has a check valve, dual-check backflow, or PRV (which is most of CA), then yes — it's code, and without one the T&P valve on your heater will start dripping within a year.
Will a softener strip minerals my body needs?
Softeners exchange calcium and magnesium for a small amount of sodium. If that's a dietary concern we install a separate cold-water hard line to the kitchen sink so your drinking water bypasses the softener.
Are you licensed, bonded and insured?
Yes. Nava's Elite Plumbing carries a current California master plumber registration, $1M general liability coverage, and workers' comp on every technician. A certificate of insurance naming you or your property manager is available on request before we start.
Do you give upfront pricing?
Every job is quoted in writing before any work begins. We price by scope, not by the hour, so the number you approve is the number you pay — barring scope changes you approve in writing.
Do you require money down?
No deposit on standard service calls. On larger projects (repipes, sewer replacements, gas line installs) we phase work into progress payments tied to city inspection milestones — you never pay ahead of completed work.