Los Angeles isn’t one kind of housing stock. A 1920s bungalow and a 1990s build sit a few blocks apart, and what goes wrong in each is different.
Older homes are still running original pipe.
Plenty of LA houses built before the 1970s have galvanized steel supply lines and cast iron drains. Galvanized corrodes from the inside, so water pressure fades over years without anything visibly failing. Cast iron scales up and narrows until routine clogs start happening monthly.
Clay sewer laterals and mature trees don’t get along.
Older neighborhoods have clay sewer lines with joints every few feet. Roots from established street trees find those joints during dry stretches and grow into them. It’s the most common cause of a main line backup in this part of the city.
Panels weren’t built for how we live now.
A house wired for a mid-century electrical load is now running a second AC unit, an induction range, and possibly an EV charger. Breakers that trip repeatedly are usually telling you the panel is undersized rather than faulty.