Plumber in Phoenix, AZ.

Phoenix homes, pipes and water

Phoenix was built in layers, and each layer fails differently. Homes in Encanto, Coronado and Sunnyslope (ZIP codes 85006, 85007 and 85020) date from the 1920s to the 1950s, and many still have galvanized steel supply lines that rust shut from the inside. Arcadia, the Biltmore area and Maryvale (85018, 85016 and 85031) are full of 1950s and 1960s ranch homes where the original copper is now past 60 years old and developing pinhole leaks.

Homes built from the late 1970s to the mid 1990s, including much of Ahwatukee (85044 and 85048), may have polybutylene supply pipe. It is gray plastic that turns brittle and fails at the fittings. Some 1990s and 2000s homes in Desert Ridge and North Phoenix (85050 and 85054) were plumbed with Kitec, an orange and blue pipe with brass fittings that corrode. If we find either one, we give you a repair and repipe quote before a leak finds the weak joint.

Phoenix water comes mostly from the Salt and Verde rivers and the Colorado River through the Central Arizona Project. It is hard, commonly 12 to 17 grains per gallon, and the City of Phoenix water quality report lists the current range. That scale coats heating elements, clogs tankless heaters and chokes aerators, so flushing and softening matter here more than in most cities.

Services we provide in Phoenix

One call covers the work below, from a single toilet to a whole-house repipe.

• Water heater installation for tank and tankless units, including garage heaters that run hard through a 115 degree July.
• Water heater repair for no hot water, pilot and igniter failures, and scale-choked tankless units in Ahwatukee and Desert Ridge.
• Pipe repair for pinhole leaks in aging copper and galvanized lines in Arcadia, Encanto and Sunnyslope homes.
• Repiping to replace polybutylene and Kitec in Ahwatukee and North Phoenix with PEX or copper.
• Gas line repair and installation to code, with permits where the City of Phoenix requires them.
• Toilet repair and installation for running, cracked and weak-flushing toilets, plus new installs with fresh wax rings and supply lines.
• Drain cleaning for slow kitchen lines and tub drains clogged with scale and grease.
• Sewer line service with camera inspection for root intrusion in older Encanto and Coronado clay and cast iron lines.
• Leak detection for slab leaks, with pinpoint location before any concrete is opened.
• Emergency plumbing for bursts, backups and overflows, any hour of the day.