Plumber in San Rafael
Ongaro & Sons has handled plumbing across the North Bay since 1932, and San Rafael is one of the towns we work in most. We are Diamond Certified, we hold a C-36 plumbing license alongside C-10 electrical and C-20 HVAC, and we carry 2,726 Google reviews averaging 4.8 stars. We diagnose before quoting, pull permits where required, and give you the full price before any work begins.
The Eichler question, which changes everything about a plumbing call
San Rafael contains one of the largest concentrations of Eichler homes anywhere, in Terra Linda and Lucas Valley, and if you own one your plumbing is genuinely different from your neighbor's a mile away.
Original Eichlers were built on concrete slabs with radiant heating tubing embedded in them, and much of the supply plumbing runs in or under that slab rather than through accessible walls and crawlspaces. Two things follow, and both matter enormously.
A slab leak is a diagnostic problem before it is a repair problem. Anyone proposing to break concrete before locating the leak precisely is proposing to guess with a jackhammer. Electronic leak detection, pressure isolation and thermal imaging come first. Depending on what is found, the answer may be a targeted repair, or it may be rerouting a line overhead to avoid the slab entirely, which is frequently the better long-term decision.
Your heating and your hot water may share an appliance. In a radiant Eichler the same unit sometimes serves the floor loop and the domestic taps, and sometimes there are two separate systems. Getting that wrong turns a straightforward water heater replacement into an expensive misunderstanding. We map which is which before quoting anything.
If a plumber has not asked whether you are in an Eichler, they have not started diagnosing your house.
The rest of San Rafael
Beyond Terra Linda and Lucas Valley, San Rafael runs from downtown and the bayside neighborhoods with their older housing through hillside properties with awkward access and long service runs. The Marin County seat has varied building stock, and access is a real cost driver on the hillsides in a way it is not on a flat lot.
Your water is a blend, and the blend decides the answer. Marin Water publishes both streams separately in its 2025 Annual Water Quality Report: water from its own reservoirs averages 3.5 grains per gallon, while the Russian River supply it buys from Sonoma Water averages 6.5. Depending on where you sit in the distribution system and what the mix is doing, your house is drinking something between soft and moderately hard. That is why we set a descaling interval from what we find inside a unit rather than from a number, and why anyone telling you Marin water is uniformly soft has not read the report.
San Rafael is inside the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, along with all of Marin, so unlike parts of Sonoma County there is no boundary question here at all. The district's building appliance rulemaking staggers zero-NOx standards by size and type, and the order matters if you are choosing between a tank and a tankless unit: a small tank-type heater is first at 2027, while tankless does not arrive until 2031. Since the district notes that "currently, the only zero NOx appliances available are electric appliances," the practical destination is heat pump equipment. None of it obliges anyone to remove a working tank, and the district's own footnote says the Board may set a later deadline.
What we do in San Rafael
Water heaters, tank, tankless and heat pump, including the radiant-system complication described above. See water heaters in San Rafael and tankless water heaters.
Slab leak detection and repair, including reroute options where breaking concrete is the worse answer.
Drain cleaning and camera diagnosis, particularly on the older bayside housing. See drain cleaning in San Rafael.
Sewer laterals, inspection, spot repair and replacement. See sewer repair in San Rafael.
Repiping, including overhead reroutes in slab homes where under-slab supply has become a recurring problem.
Fixtures, valves and shutoffs, and the isolation valves an older home often lacks.
Radiant system service, including circulating pumps, zone valves and controls, which fail far more often than the heat source does.
Ongaro rep. Doug Weatherly was very professional and prompt. Solved our plumbing problem and was very helpful in his recommendations. We would highly recommend Doug and Ongaro.
1grijalva1
What drives the cost of plumbing work in San Rafael
We do not publish flat prices, because two San Rafael houses can present completely different jobs.
Whether the plumbing is in a slab. The single largest variable in this city, and the reason a quote for an Eichler should never be given over the phone.
Access on hillside properties, where stairs, narrow lanes and long runs add genuine time.
Whether a radiant loop is involved, which changes what is being diagnosed and what is being replaced.
What code brings up to standard, including seismic restraint, correctly sized and terminated relief discharge piping, expansion tanks where the system is closed, and corrected venting.
Diagnosis before repair, because on a slab leak the diagnostic work is the part that prevents an expensive mistake.
Permits and inspection, included in the quote rather than added later.
You will have the price in hand before anyone starts, and replacements can be financed.
Permits in San Rafael
Most significant plumbing work requires a permit. Inside city limits that runs through the City of San Rafael Building Division; unincorporated Marin permits through the Marin County Community Development Agency.
Two state requirements ride along with any water heater work here. Seismic bracing under Health and Safety Code section 19211 reaches the unit already in your garage, not only a new one, for any standard heater "with a capacity of not more than 120 gallons for which a preengineered strapping kit is readily available." And the energy standards in force are the 2025 cycle, effective since the start of 2026, which is where pipe insulation and the rest of the compliance detail on a water heating job comes from.
Unpermitted work does not save money. It becomes a disclosure problem at resale and removes the independent check that the work was done safely.
Rebates and incentives
Marin County is served by MCE as its community choice energy provider rather than Sonoma Clean Power. Sonoma County rebates do not apply to a San Rafael address, whatever a search result may suggest.
MCE's heat pump rebates cover heat pump water heaters, which is the conversion this page keeps coming back to. MCE requires twelve months of ownership and residency in a single-family detached home in its territory, a participating contractor to file the application on your behalf, and the filing to precede the installation, since rebates cannot be applied to a project retroactively.
We confirm what applies at the time of your quote.
When plumbing becomes an electrical question
A heat pump water heater needs a dedicated 240-volt circuit, and San Rafael's 1950s and 1960s housing frequently runs limited service capacity already carrying a range, a dryer and increasingly an EV charger. Eichlers add their own complication, since panel locations, limited wall space and slab construction can make a new circuit run less trivial than it appears.
Because we hold a C-36 plumbing license, a C-10 electrical license and a C-20 HVAC license, that work happens inside one project rather than through two contractors and two schedules.
Tech Amanda conducted a water heater maintenance service. She was thorough, competent (beyond reason), and really knew her stuff.
John G.
Where we work in San Rafael
We serve all of San Rafael from our Petaluma headquarters: downtown and the bayside neighborhoods, Terra Linda, Lucas Valley, Sun Valley, and the surrounding unincorporated county. Hillside properties bring access considerations that flat-lot work does not, and we look at those before pricing rather than after.
How to choose a plumber in San Rafael
Ask whether they have worked on Eichlers, and what their approach to a suspected slab leak is. If the answer involves breaking concrete before locating the leak, keep looking.
Ask whether they will separate your radiant heating from your domestic hot water before quoting a water heater. Those are different systems and sometimes different appliances.
Ask whether they pull permits, and what code items your specific job will trigger.
And ask which sanitation district serves the parcel, because San Rafael has two and they do not require the same thing before a sale. A plumber who cannot answer that has not worked here much.
We have answered questions like these the same way since 1932: look at the actual house, explain what we find, price it before anything starts, and build it to code.
Plumbing and home services across San Rafael and Marin County
One company, all trades: San Rafael home services, plumbing across Marin County, San Rafael heating and cooling, San Rafael electrical, and San Rafael solar. Specific San Rafael plumbing services: water heaters, tankless water heaters, drain cleaning, and sewer repair. If you own a mid-century home, see our Eichler home services guide.
Book a plumber in San Rafael
Book online whenever it suits you, or call and describe what the house is doing. A plumber comes out, works out which system the symptom belongs to, and puts a flat-rate price in front of you before anything is opened up.
Your Comfort, Our Priority
Ongaro & Sons is your trusted heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical, and solar expert, specializing in reliable maintenance and repair services that keep your home running efficiently year-round.
Our certified technicians deliver unmatched expertise with fast, friendly service across Marin, Sonoma and Napa County. From HVAC tune-ups to plumbing repairs and electrical upgrades or solar solutions, we focus on energy-efficient performance and long-term comfort. Count on us to maintain the systems that power your home and keep your environment just the way you like it.
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Our technicians are licensed, experienced, and trained to service all makes and models.
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Since 1932
Why Ongaro & Sons?
Four generations of trusted home service. Open any reason to see what it means for your home.
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Four generations of the Ongaro family serving Marin, Sonoma and Napa County. We know these homes and the systems in them.
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Every technician is fully licensed and insured, background-checked, and trained on the equipment we install.
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Diamond Certified since October 2016, and BBB Accredited with an A+ rating since December 1995.
Mitsubishi Diamond Contractor Elite and Trane Comfort Specialist
Both top manufacturer tiers. That standing decides how registration and extended warranty terms are handled on the system you actually bought.
The price is agreed before work starts
You see the number before the work begins. Flat-rate quotes, no surprises and no pressure.
Comprehensive maintenance program
Members get priority scheduling, discounts, and proactive checkups that prevent costly failures.
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Annual maintenance on your home systems provides safeguards and comfort to you and your family. Members get priority scheduling, discounts, and proactive checkups that catch problems early.
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Read MorePlumbing in San Rafael: frequently asked questions
Who is the best plumbing company in San Rafael?
The useful test in this city is whether a plumber knows which sanitation district your parcel sits in, because San Rafael has two and they do not require the same thing before a sale. Ongaro & Sons has worked in Marin since the company was founded here in 1932, is Diamond Certified with a BBB A+ Rating, and carries C-36 plumbing alongside C-10 and C-20 on one license. We diagnose before quoting and price the job in full before starting it.
Do you work on Eichler homes in Terra Linda and Lucas Valley?
Yes, and it is a significant part of what we do in San Rafael. Eichlers are built on slabs with radiant heating tubing embedded in them and much of the supply plumbing in or under the concrete, which changes both diagnosis and repair strategy. We locate precisely before recommending anything that involves opening a slab.
How do you find a slab leak without breaking the floor?
With electronic leak detection, pressure isolation and thermal imaging, before any concrete is touched. Once the location is known, the choice is between a targeted repair and rerouting the line overhead to bypass the slab, which is often the better long-term answer. Breaking concrete to go looking is not a method.
Is my radiant floor heating the same system as my hot water?
Sometimes, and sometimes not. In radiant-heated homes one appliance occasionally serves both the floor loop and the domestic taps, and in other houses they are separate. We map which arrangement you have before quoting, because the answer materially changes the job.
Do you need a permit for plumbing work in San Rafael?
For most significant work, yes, and which counter it goes to depends on the parcel rather than the mailing address. Inside city limits the permit runs through the City of San Rafael Building Division, and a water heater changeout of 100 gallon capacity or under sits on its minor permit list, meaning minor to no plan review. A new tankless unit does not: the city requires a gas schematic and will not issue until that review is done. Unincorporated parcels go to the Marin County Community Development Agency instead. We file the permit and meet the inspector either way.
Is San Rafael's water hard?
Moderately, and the district reports the two supplies separately. Marin Water's 2025 Annual Water Quality Report puts reservoir water at 59 mg/L, about 3.5 grains per gallon, and the purchased Sonoma County Water Agency supply at 112 mg/L, about 6.5 grains per gallon. Your tap sees a blend of the two. Scale accumulates steadily at that level, so flushing a water heater and descaling a tankless unit remain real maintenance rather than optional extras.
Will I still be able to install a gas water heater in San Rafael?
For now, yes, and probably for longer than the headlines suggest. All of Marin sits inside the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, whose zero-NOx standards phase in by equipment type and size: small tank-type units in 2027, furnaces below 175,000 BTU per hour in 2029, and larger tanks together with tankless units only in 2031. The rule governs sale and installation of new equipment.
What rebates apply in San Rafael?
Marin is served by MCE rather than Sonoma Clean Power, so Sonoma County rebates do not apply here. MCE's heat pump rebates cover heat pump water heaters, conditioned on twelve months of ownership and residency in a single-family detached home, a participating contractor filing the paperwork, and no retroactive applications.
My drain keeps backing up. What now?
We camera it. On older bayside housing a recurring blockage is usually a symptom of root intrusion, a bellied section, offset joints or scale inside cast iron, and clearing it again treats the effect rather than the cause. Looking converts a repeat annoyance into a decision you can make once.
Can you repipe an Eichler without tearing up the slab?
Frequently, yes. Rerouting supply lines overhead rather than replacing them in the concrete is a well-established approach and is often less disruptive and more durable than repeated slab repairs. Which route makes sense depends on the house, and we assess it rather than defaulting.
Does a San Rafael water heater have to be strapped?
Yes, and the obligation is broader than most homeowners realize because it reaches the tank already in the garage rather than only a new one. Health and Safety Code section 19211 covers any standard unit "with a capacity of not more than 120 gallons for which a preengineered strapping kit is readily available," and requires it braced, anchored or strapped against earthquake displacement. Two straps, upper and lower third, is the heart of the requirement, and a missing or badly placed one is among the most common reasons a water heater inspection does not pass first time.
Can you handle hillside properties?
Yes, and on those lots access is a scope item rather than a detail. Stairs instead of a driveway, lanes too narrow to park on, crawlspaces that pinch to nothing at the uphill end, and long runs between the street main and the house all change how long the work takes and sometimes what equipment can physically be used. We walk the route to the work during the estimate, so the price reflects the job as it will actually be done rather than the job as it looks from the curb.
Do you service radiant heating systems?
Yes. On radiant systems the circulating pump, zone valves and controls fail far more often than the heat source does, so we diagnose the loop before anyone condemns an appliance. That distinction is the difference between a modest repair and an unnecessary replacement.