Seasonal Plumbing Care for the Desert
Plumbing in the low desert wears on its own calendar. Summer heat bakes every pipe that runs above ground, monsoon storms test the drains and the sewer line, a cold snap now and then catches an uncovered hose bib, and the minerals in the water build up in fixtures and tanks all year long. A few small jobs at the right time of year head off most of the leaks and clogs that follow.
Most of those jobs take a homeowner a few minutes, a flashlight and a rag. A few, such as a shutoff valve that will not turn or a water heater that has never been flushed, belong to a plumber, because an old part can break the moment it is handled.
Season-by-Season Plumbing Planner
Choose a time of year to get its plumbing tasks as a checklist, each with the reason it matters and the kind of work it connects to.
Choose a time of year and press “Show the Season’s Tasks.”
Yearly Tasks and Who Should Do Them
The same jobs come around every year. None of them needs special tools for the homeowner’s part. Where a plumber should take over, the reason is nearly always a valve, a tank or a line old enough to crack or snap when it is turned.
More columns to the right: swipe.
| Season | Task | Why it matters | DIY or call a plumber |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Clean faucet aerators and shower heads | Mineral scale narrows the small openings and cuts the flow | Homeowner: unscrew, soak in white vinegar, rinse |
| Spring | Turn each shutoff valve under the sinks and toilets closed and open again | A seized valve cannot stop a failed supply line | Homeowner tries it; a plumber replaces any valve that sticks or weeps at the stem |
| Summer | Check the floor and the drain pan around the water heater | A slow tank leak dries fast in the heat and leaves only a mineral ring | Homeowner looks; a wet pan or a rusty tank base calls for a plumber |
| Summer | Run water into drains that see little use | Dry air empties the trap and lets sewer gas into the house | Homeowner, a minute per drain |
| Monsoon | Check the sewer cleanout cap in the yard | Storm runoff, mud and debris have to stay out of the sewer line | Homeowner checks; a cracked or missing cap is a short job for a plumber |
| Monsoon | Note slow drains or a gurgling toilet after heavy rain | It can point to a main line that is partly blocked or damaged | A plumber, with a camera inspection of the line |
| Winter | Flush the water heater | Sediment settles in the tank, makes it rumble and makes it work harder | Either; a plumber when the drain valve is old or the tank has never been flushed |
| Winter | Disconnect hoses and cover hose bibs before a freeze | Water trapped in the bib can split it or the pipe behind the wall | Homeowner, the evening before the cold arrives |
Seasonal checks are when trouble turns up early: a valve that will not close, a damp pan under the water heater, a drain that gurgles after every storm. Catching corrosion and scale at that stage is usually cheaper than cleaning up after a failed line or a burst heater tank. Send the details and the shop will be in touch to set up the estimate.
Before You Leave for a Long Trip
A supply hose that lets go while the house is empty can run for days before anyone sees it. A few minutes at the main valve and the water heater before leaving take most of that risk away.
- Shut off the main water valve. It is usually near where the supply line enters the house, or in the meter box near the street.
- Drain the lines: with the main closed, open a faucet at the lowest point of the house and an outdoor hose bib until the flow stops, then close them again.
- Check the water heater setting: put it in vacation mode, or turn it down to a lower setting. With the main off, an electric heater is safest switched off at its breaker.
- If the yard irrigation runs off the house supply, the main shutoff stops it too, so plan the watering around the trip.
- Look under each sink and behind each toilet for a damp spot or a bulging supply hose before locking up.
Coming home, open the main slowly and let each faucet sputter until the air is out. Turn an electric heater back on only after hot water runs steadily from a hot tap, so the tank is full before the elements heat.
Scale, Heater Flushing, Hot Pipes and Cold Snaps
How can I tell that hard-water scale is building up?
White or tan crust on aerators and shower heads, spotted glasses, and a water heater that pops or rumbles while it heats are the usual signs. Inside the pipes, scale narrows the bore the same way it closes up a shower head. A water softener cuts the buildup at the source instead of treating each fixture as it clogs.
How often should a water heater be flushed?
Most tank makers call for a flush about once a year, and with water this hard that is a good habit. A tank that has gone many years without one can hold a thick layer of sediment that clogs the drain valve as soon as it is opened, so that first flush is better left to a plumber. Tankless heaters need a descaling flush too, run through their service valves.
Why does the cold tap run hot in the summer?
Water sitting in pipes that run through a hot attic, along a sunny wall or above ground soaks up the heat. Let the tap run until it cools, and take care with a garden hose left in the sun, which can hold water hot enough to scald. Insulating or shading the exposed runs helps, and it also slows the damage sunlight does to plastic pipe.
Do pipes really freeze around Phoenix?
Not often, but some winters bring a night or two below freezing, and desert plumbing is built with little protection against it. Hose bibs, irrigation backflow assemblies and pipes above ground are the first to split. Disconnect the hoses and cover what is exposed. If a pipe does split, close the main shutoff first; burst pipes covers what to do next.
Is a camera inspection worth it before the monsoon?
For a house with a history of slow drains or backups, it often is. A camera run down the main line shows roots, sags, cracked joints and buildup before the heavy rains, which can find their way into a cracked line or an open cleanout. For a line that has never given trouble, watching for gurgling and slow drains after the first big storm is a sensible start.