Plumbing tips for East Valley homes

Simple checks and habits that can save you a service call, or help you catch a problem while it's still small.

Check for hidden leaks
Desert freeze protection
PEX, chlorine & chloramine
Thanksgiving disposal & grease

Tip 1

Do a 2-hour leak check with your water meter

A slow leak can hide for months while it quietly runs up your water bill. Your water meter can tell you if water is moving when it shouldn't be.

Turn off every faucet, appliance, the irrigation system and the softener (put it in bypass if it's regenerating).
Find your meter, usually in a box near the curb. Many meters have a small triangle or dial that spins when any water flows.
If the leak indicator is moving with everything off, water is going somewhere. If it's still, write down the reading.
Don't use any water for 1 to 2 hours, then check again. If the reading changed, you likely have a leak.

Toilet dye test

Running toilets are one of the most common hidden leaks. Put a few drops of food coloring in the tank (not the bowl) and wait 15 to 30 minutes without flushing. If color shows up in the bowl, the flapper or fill valve is leaking. Flush afterward so the dye doesn't stain.

Also watch for: damp spots or stains on drywall, warm spots on the floor, the sound of running water when nothing is on, and a musty smell under sinks.

Meter still moving? We can find the leak.

Call 480-625-5140

Licensed, bonded & insured | AZ ROC #368511 | Open 24/7 | No after-hours fees

Tip 2

Desert freeze protection: yes, pipes freeze here too

Arizona homes aren't built for cold, and that's exactly why a hard freeze can catch people off guard. Most plumbing here runs in exterior walls, attics or outdoors, and backflow preventers and hose bibs sit fully exposed. A few nights below freezing, which can happen in winter across the Valley and especially in more open parts of Pinal County, is enough to crack a pipe.

Before a freeze warning

Wrap exposed pipes and the irrigation backflow preventer with foam pipe insulation or an insulated cover. Leave the test cocks reachable.
Disconnect garden hoses and cover outdoor hose bibs with foam faucet covers.
Know where your main water shutoff is and make sure it turns.
Check that pool equipment and water heater lines in the garage or outside are covered.

On a freezing night

Let a faucet on an outside wall drip slowly. Moving water is less likely to freeze.
Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls so warm air can reach the pipes.
Keep the garage door closed if water lines run through it.

If a pipe freezes: turn off the water to that line or at the main, open the faucet, and warm the pipe gently with a hair dryer. Never use an open flame. If a pipe has split, keep the water off and call us.

Frozen or burst pipe? We're open 24/7.

Call 480-625-5140

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Tip 3

Chlorine, chloramine and your PEX pipes

If your home was built or repiped in the last 20 years or so, your water lines are likely PEX, the flexible red, blue or white tubing. PEX is a solid material and most of it lasts for decades. But it has one slow, long-term enemy: the disinfectant your water provider adds to keep tap water safe. Here's the short version, without the scare tactics.

Why the disinfectant is there

Utilities add chlorine or chloramine (chlorine combined with ammonia) so germs can't grow on the way to your house. The CDC considers levels up to 4 parts per million safe to drink. Chandler, Gilbert and Phoenix all list chlorine as their disinfectant. Phoenix's 2025 report shows roughly 0.24 to 1.9 ppm, and Chandler targets 1.0 to 2.0 mg/L. Other providers publish the same details in their annual Consumer Confidence Report.

How it wears on PEX

Chlorine is an oxidizer. PEX is made with antioxidant stabilizers, and over time chlorinated water slowly uses them up on the inside wall of the pipe. Testing published by the Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI) shows the inner surface oxidizes first, gets brittle and can develop tiny cracks that may eventually become a pinhole leak or split. That doesn't mean your pipes are about to fail. Age, temperature and water chemistry add up over many years.

Hot water and recirculation lines age faster

Heat speeds up the chemistry. Hot lines, especially near the water heater, age faster than cold lines, and recirculation pumps that run around the clock keep pipes hot for many more hours a day.

Is chloramine worse?

For PEX, the available evidence says no. In a PPI-sponsored lab study, PEX lasted about 40% longer in chloramine than in free chlorine under the same harsh test conditions. That's one study with one tubing product, so it's not the last word.

Read the code printed on your pipe

Look for a code like “PEX 5306” or “PEX 1006.” Under ASTM F876, the first digit is the chlorine rating:

First digit	Chlorine rating
5	Continuous recirculation (hot 100% of the time, up to 140°F)
3	Timed recirculation (hot about 50% of the time)
1	Typical household use (hot about 25% of the time)
0	Not tested or didn't pass: not for drinking water

The second digit is UV (sunlight) resistance, and “06” is the standard pressure rating. PPI lists PEX 1106 as today's minimum for drinking water. The letters PEX-a, -b and -c describe how the plastic was made, not its grade, so check the printed code rather than the letter. The test conditions are deliberately harsher than typical tap water, and the ratings aren't a promise of how long a pipe will last in your home.

Practical ways to protect your pipes

Keep the water heater around 120°F, as the U.S. Department of Energy recommends for most homes. Don't go much lower, because below about 119°F the risk of Legionella bacteria rises.
Put recirculation on a timer or use an on-demand pump so pipes spend fewer hours hot.
Consider a whole-house carbon filter. Standard carbon removes chlorine; chloramine needs catalytic carbon.
Use high-rated PEX for repairs and repipes, ideally a “5” chlorine rating on hot and recirculating lines.

Signs to watch for

Small drips or damp spots near fittings, ceiling or drywall stains, PEX that looks discolored, chalky or cracked, an unexplained jump in your water bill, or a meter that moves when everything is off. One pinhole leak doesn't automatically mean a repipe, but repeated leaks, brittle pipe or tubing from a product line involved in litigation are good reasons to get a professional opinion. (NIBCO settled a class action over certain PEX 1006 tubing made from 2005 to 2012 without admitting a defect, and lawsuits over Uponor PEX are still being decided.)

Want a PEX check or a whole-house filter? Call for a free phone estimate.

Call 480-625-5140

Licensed, bonded & insured | AZ ROC #368511 | Open 24/7 | No after-hours fees

Sources

Tip 4

Thanksgiving: go easy on the disposal and keep grease out of the drain

The days around Thanksgiving are hard on kitchen drains. More cooking, more dishes, more guests and a lot of grease all hit the plumbing at once. A few habits keep the holiday from ending with a backed-up sink.

Grease goes in the trash, not the drain

Let turkey fat, bacon grease and pan drippings cool, then pour them into a can or jar and throw it away.
Wipe greasy pans and roasting trays with a paper towel before washing.
Hot water and dish soap don't make grease safe. It cools and hardens farther down the line.

What not to put in the garbage disposal

Potato peels and mashed potatoes, which turn into paste
Stringy or fibrous scraps: celery, onion skins, corn husks, asparagus
Pasta, rice and bread, which swell with water
Bones, fruit pits and eggshells

Disposal and drain habits

Run cold water before, during and for a few seconds after using the disposal.
Feed scraps in a little at a time instead of all at once.
Scrape plates into the trash or compost first.
With a full house, space out showers and laundry loads so drains can keep up.

If the sink backs up: skip the chemical drain cleaners, which can be hard on pipes and dangerous if we need to work on the line. Turn off the disposal and call.

Holiday clog? We're open on Thanksgiving with no holiday fees.

Call 480-625-5140

Licensed, bonded & insured | AZ ROC #368511 | Open 24/7 | No after-hours fees

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