Van Franey Plumbing provides a full range of plumbing services to Bonita Springs and Estero, in Southwest Florida. Our expert plumbers can efficiently resolve any plumbing problem you may have & are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for plumbing emergencies.
We are a local company based in Fort Myers and have over 30 years of experience in the plumbing business. We can provide emergency repairs as well as install new toilets, sinks, water heaters, repipe your home or diagnose your plumbing problem.
What is different about plumbing in Bonita Springs
Most of Bonita Springs was built in one long push from the early 1990s through the mid 2000s, and the gated communities along Bonita Beach Road, Old 41, and both sides of I-75 share the same plumbing generation. That means CPVC supply lines, much of it run through the attic, original water heaters and shutoff valves, and PVC drains. CPVC from that era has reached the age where it goes brittle in a hot attic, and the failure is not a slow drip: a fitting cracks, and a ceiling comes down. After one CPVC break, the rest of the system has aged the same way, so a second leak here is often the start of a repipe conversation.
The older core of the city, the streets around Old 41 and the Imperial River, goes back to the 1950s and 60s, with cast iron drains and copper supply lines that have their own set of problems. Everything is slab construction, so a leak under the floor shows up on the water bill or as a warm spot on the tile.
Bonita Springs water
Bonita Springs is served by Bonita Springs Utilities, which in its recent reports draws from aquifer wells and blends lime softened water with reverse osmosis water before it reaches you. The result is safe, tested water that lands in the middle of the hardness range for Southwest Florida, with a chloramine disinfectant you can taste. That hardness shows up as scale in the water heater, spotted glass, and clogged showerheads. A carbon filter for the disinfectant and scale protection ahead of the water heater is the usual answer; a full softener is the choice if you want the softest water or are protecting a tankless unit. Homes on the eastern edge past the utility lines are on private wells, and there the answer starts with a lab test.
Condos along the beach and the associations that run them
From Bonita Beach to Barefoot Beach and along the Imperial River, condo buildings from the 1970s through the 2000s make up a large part of our Bonita Springs work. In a condo the line between what is yours and what belongs to the association matters: the water heater, the fixtures, and the branch lines inside your unit are usually yours, while the risers, stacks, and the main shutoffs belong to the building. We work inside association rules and with the managers who run the buildings, from a single unit water heater swap to riser leaks that involve the neighbors above and below. Salt air on the beach side is hard on exterior valves and fittings, and we choose materials that hold up to it.
Backflow testing and tankless upgrades
Nearly every gated community and condo association in Bonita Springs has backflow prevention devices on its domestic, fire, and irrigation lines, and the utility requires an annual test by a certified tester with the report filed. When that letter arrives, we test, repair or replace the device, and file the paperwork the way the utility wants it.
The other request that comes up constantly in Bonita Springs is a tankless water heater. A 2000s home with an original tank heater in the garage is at the end of its life, and owners here often use the replacement to go tankless: no standby loss in a house that is empty half the year, more room in the garage, and hot water that does not run out. Whether the electrical or gas service supports it is the first question, and we answer it before anything is ordered.
Neighborhoods we serve
We cover all of Bonita Springs: the communities along Bonita Beach Road from the beach to I-75, Bonita Bay and the Old 41 corridor, the condos on Bonita Beach and Barefoot Beach and Hickory Boulevard, the streets along the Imperial River, Spanish Wells, Palmira and Bonita National off Bonita Beach Road east of the interstate, Village Walk and the neighborhoods off Three Oaks and Imperial Parkway, and the well-water properties toward the eastern edge. Not sure about your address? Call and we will tell you.
Seasonal residents
Bonita Springs empties out every May. Before you leave, use the main shutoff, turn the water heater to vacation mode or off, and leave a key with someone local. Brittle CPVC in a hot, closed attic is the leak that runs for weeks with no one home. When you return in the fall, run every fixture, look at the base of the water heater, and check the ceiling under the attic lines before you unpack.
Plumbing services in Bonita Springs
The calls we get most from Bonita Springs are CPVC breaks in the attic, water heater replacements and tankless upgrades, backflow tests for associations, condo unit work, slow drains in seasonal homes, and repipes once a house has had more than one leak. The full list of what we do:
Our plumbing services include:
- Sewer & Drain Cleaning
- Backflow Prevention Devices
- Leak Diagnostics
- Toilet Repairs & Replacement
- Whole House Water RePipes
- High Velocity Water Jetter
- Video Camera Diagnostics
- Water & Well Pumps
- Faucets, Sinks, Disposals
- Water Heater Installation
What to expect on the visit
A licensed Van Franey plumber arrives in a marked truck, checks in with the gatehouse if there is one, and follows the community or association vendor rules. We diagnose first, explain what we found and what the choices are, and do the work once you agree. Water heater replacements, tankless conversions, and repipes are permitted work in Bonita Springs and Lee County; we pull the permit and schedule the inspection. Floors and furniture are protected, and the work area is cleaned before we leave.
When to call
Call right away for water coming through a ceiling, a supply line you cannot shut off, sewage backing up into a tub or shower, no water at all, a water heater leaking from the tank, or the smell of gas. Close the main valve first if you can reach it. Call during the day for a slow drain, a running toilet, a dripping faucet, a backflow test letter, or a water heater that is past ten years and making noise. A plumber answers 24/7.
Call Van Franey Plumbing 24/7 at (239) 851-0207 for emergency service or to schedule a non-emergency appointment
Learn more before you call
- Signs your CPVC pipes are failing
- What is in Bonita Springs and Estero tap water?
- Backflow testing: why the utility sent me a letter and what happens next
- Condo plumbing: what is yours to fix and what belongs to the association?
Common questions from Bonita Springs homeowners
My home was built in 1998 and has CPVC. Should I be worried?
Not worried, but aware. CPVC of that age in a hot attic is reaching the point where fittings crack. If you have had one leak, or the pipe looks yellowed and snaps rather than flexes, have it looked at. A repipe is planned work; a ceiling collapse in July is not.
Who is responsible for a leak in my condo?
Usually the pipes and fixtures inside your unit are yours and the risers, stacks, and common shutoffs are the association’s. Your declaration and the building’s rules decide the specifics. We work with both owners and associations and can tell you which side a repair falls on.
The utility sent a letter about backflow testing. What do I do?
The device on your irrigation, fire, or domestic line needs an annual test by a certified tester with the report filed with the utility. We test it, repair or replace it if it fails, and send in the paperwork.
Can I switch to a tankless water heater in Bonita Springs?
Often, yes. The first question is whether your electrical service or gas supply can carry it. We check that on the first visit, and the replacement is permitted and inspected through Bonita Springs and Lee County.