Service area
Noe Valley plumber for remodeled Victorians, side sewers and designer fixtures
Residential plumbing and heating service for Noe Valley homes.
Lutz Plumbing Inc., San Francisco's oldest plumbing company, has served homes like Noe Valley's Victorians and Edwardians since 1929 and handles their side sewers, drains, water heaters, radiators and designer bath fixtures.
Noe Valley is uphill from our 17th Street shop, southwest of the Mission, and its houses keep us busy with everything from side sewers to designer baths.
Lutz Plumbing serves Noe Valley for residential and commercial plumbing, HVAC and heating, hydronic and radiant systems, and wellness work, water filtration, steam, sauna, and hydrotherapy. We are the oldest plumbing company in San Francisco, family-owned and licensed since 1929 (CA Contractor License #503971), and our trucks are dispatched from our shop at 3123 17th Street.
Whether it's an emergency, a planned replacement, or a full bath or kitchen remodel through Lutz Bath & Kitchen, we handle it. Call for same-day scheduling where we have availability, or request service online and we'll follow up within one business day. After hours, leave a voicemail and we'll call you back.
Plumbing in remodeled Noe Valley Victorians and Edwardians
Most Noe Valley houses are Victorian and Edwardian single-family homes, like those in the neighboring Castro, and many have been remodeled more than once. Each remodel tends to leave a layer behind: a run of old galvanized steel pipe feeding newer copper, a cast iron drain tied into plastic, a bathroom added where the house never had one. The result is a house that looks finished and still carries dated supply and drain lines somewhere inside it.
Many Noe Valley lots sit on a hillside, which puts the side sewer, the pipe to the city main, on a slope, and the line is often original clay. Roots find the joints, the line sags, and the first sign is often a drain that backs up after heavy use. Lutz Plumbing runs a camera before recommending anything, repairs or replaces the line by excavation, handles the DPW permits, and issues Side Sewer Lateral Inspection reports for sales.
Common Noe Valley calls, beyond sewers, are water heater replacements in garages, basements and hall closets, leaks behind a remodeled wall, slow kitchen drains, running toilets, and the radiator and hot-water heating systems many of these houses still use, which we service along with the boilers that feed them. In business hours we dispatch emergencies as a crew comes free; if a pipe bursts after hours, leave a voicemail at (415) 621-4292 and a dispatcher calls back.
Kohler, Grohe and Dornbracht repair in Noe Valley remodels
Lutz Plumbing repairs Kohler toilets, faucets and shower valves in Noe Valley's remodeled Victorians and Edwardians as an Authorized Service Representative for Kohler, and gives Grohe and Dornbracht faucets and thermostatic valves the same repair-first service. A remodel here often ends with a smart toilet, a European faucet or a valve set into the wall, and years later one of them needs a plumber who knows the part.
- Kohler repairs before replacement: authorized service and installation for Kohler toilets, faucets and shower valves, plus service on Kohler steam systems, with serviceable parts repaired before replacement is suggested.
- Grohe and Dornbracht faucets from an earlier remodel: cartridge and thermostatic valve service, with matching replacement parts.
- Steam showers planned during a remodel: planning and installation of a ThermaSol or MrSteam steam shower during a remodel, before the walls close, and authorized service afterward.
Lutz Plumbing is an Authorized Service Representative for TOTO, Kohler, ThermaSol, MrSteam, Duravit, Rinnai, Navien, and Viessmann. Lutz Bath & Kitchen, our showroom in the same building as the plumbing shop, was established in 1990 and carries 80+ fixture brands. Our technicians know these products, and because the showroom works directly with the manufacturers, we can reach their technical support teams when a repair needs it.
Services we do often in Noe Valley
The jobs below are the everyday reasons Noe Valley calls us.
Why Noe Valley neighbors call Lutz
- Hillside side sewers checked by camera, with DPW permits, SFPUC coordination and Side Sewer Lateral Inspection reports handled
- Radiator and hot-water heating serviced along with the boilers that feed it
- Licensed and insured, CA License #503971
- Plumbing, HVAC, and wellness under one roof
- SF's only Factory-Trained Authorized Service Rep for TOTO
- Family-owned San Francisco shop since 1929
- Zone-based dispatch, no hidden travel fees
Common questions
How do you check the side sewer on a Noe Valley hillside lot?
With a camera, before we recommend anything. Lutz Plumbing runs a camera through the line to find the location and cause, whether roots, a sag, a collapse or corroded pipe, then tells you whether a spot repair or full excavation replacement is warranted. We handle the DPW permits and SFPUC coordination and issue Side Sewer Lateral Inspection reports for sales.
Where is the main water shutoff in a Noe Valley house?
In most San Francisco houses, Noe Valley's included, the main shutoff is in the basement, a crawlspace or under the front stairs; find it before you need it. If a pipe bursts, close it and call Lutz Plumbing at (415) 621-4292, staffed Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM; after hours a voicemail reaches a dispatcher who calls back.
Can you repair a Kohler faucet or shower valve in a Noe Valley house instead of replacing it?
Often, yes: Lutz Plumbing is an Authorized Service Representative for Kohler, and a worn cartridge, a supply connection or a seal leak can often be corrected without replacing the fixture. We confirm the body, rough-in and connections are sound, and tell you when replacement is the better investment, such as cracked porcelain or repeated failures.
Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in Noe Valley?
Yes, every gas water heater replacement in San Francisco needs a permit, and Lutz Plumbing pulls it and hands you the signed paperwork. In a Noe Valley garage, basement or hall closet we also check combustion air, vent slope and clearances, the gas supply and expansion control, and strap the new tank to current seismic code.