Plumbers in Yucaipa, CA

A foothill city near Oak Glen

Yucaipa sits in the foothills of San Bernardino County, around 10 miles east of San Bernardino and about 21 miles from Riverside in a straight line. At roughly 2,600 feet, it is noticeably higher than Riverside, and the apple orchards of Oak Glen are just up the road. The city incorporated in 1989 and had 54,542 residents in 2020. Yucaipa Boulevard runs through Uptown Yucaipa, the North Bench rises toward the hills, and Yucaipa Regional Park, Wildwood Canyon State Park and Crafton Hills College are local landmarks.

Yucaipa Valley Water District

Yucaipa Valley Water District (YVWD) calls itself the primary agency for water and sewer in the Yucaipa and Calimesa area. Most of its drinking water is local groundwater pumped from about ten separate subbasins, and State Water Project water covers about a third of yearly demand and also helps recharge the basins. Some Yucaipa addresses may be served by other water purveyors, so confirm with your bill.

On the sewer side, YVWD operates more than 100 miles of collection pipe and the Henry N. Wochholz Regional Water Recycling Facility. The district fixes blockages in its main, but it says the property owner is responsible for backups between the house and the sewer main. In practice, a clogged or root-filled lateral is the homeowner's call to a plumber, and a camera inspection can show whether the trouble is on your side. YVWD also runs a backflow protection and cross-connection control program.

Older homes and colder nights

About 54 percent of Yucaipa homes were built before 1980, and the median year built is 1978, with big building waves in the 1960s and 1970s and again in the 2000s. Older houses can still have galvanized supply lines, cast iron drains and worn-out shutoff valves. The higher elevation also means winter frost reaches exposed pipes, hose bibs and backflow assemblies more often than in central Riverside, so insulating outdoor piping is worth doing before cold snaps.

Permits and gas

The City of Yucaipa's Permit Center at 34272 Yucaipa Blvd. handles building permits and posts plumbing and water heater forms; call 909-797-2489, with inspection requests at ext. 500. SoCalGas supplies natural gas in Yucaipa. If you smell gas, leave the building, then call 911 and SoCalGas at 1-800-427-2200 from outside. Some homes run on propane or are all-electric; propane users should call 911 and their supplier.

How Yucaipa differs from Riverside

Riverside homes buy water from Riverside Public Utilities and send wastewater to the City's system. Yucaipa has one district for both, cooler winters and a higher share of pre-1980 homes. Call the number on this page, describe what is happening, and you will be connected with an independent plumber who covers Yucaipa. The plumber quotes and schedules the work directly with you.