Plumber in Sun City

Need a plumber in Sun City, AZ? HQ Plumbing & Air sends licensed plumbers to Sun City homes around the clock, for leaks, drain and sewer lines, water heaters, gas lines and repiping. Del Webb opened Sun City on January 1, 1960, and almost every house here went up in the twenty years that followed, so much of the plumbing is original or on its second round of repairs. Sun City is not a city. It is unincorporated Maricopa County, so the county handles permits, and EPCOR supplies the water and runs the sewer under the streets. We work to those rules, explain what we find in plain words, and give you the price before any work starts.

Sun City is home to some of the oldest residential plumbing in the Valley. Galvanized steel lines from the 1960s can be severely corroded. We do honest assessments and help Sun City residents understand what needs immediate attention vs. what can wait.

Census estimates count about 26,600 homes in Sun City. About 15,400 were built in the 1970s and about 7,700 in the 1960s, so close to nine in ten date from 1960 to 1979, and the median home was built in 1973. That puts most of Sun City's original plumbing at 45 to 65 years old.

At that age the weak spots are predictable. Galvanized steel supply pipe rusts from the inside, which shows up as low pressure at every faucet or brown water after the tap sits. Cast iron drain pipe typically lasts about 50 to 60 years on the InterNACHI life-expectancy chart, and an old drain shows its age as slow drains in more than one fixture, a sewer smell, or a backup in the lowest drain in the house.

We camera-inspect drain and sewer lines from a cleanout so you can see the inside of the pipe yourself before deciding anything. Old pipe does not always mean a whole-house repipe: we show you which sections are failing and which still have years left, and you choose the repair.

EPCOR puts the dividing line at the water meter. Everything leading up to the meter is EPCOR's system to maintain, and everything between the meter and your home is yours. Sewer works the same way: EPCOR services the sewer line under your street, and you are responsible for the line from the main to your home. If water is running at the street or the meter, call EPCOR first, at 1-800-383-0834, 24 hours a day.

A leak on your side of the meter often shows up as a meter that keeps turning with every tap off, a wet patch in the yard, or a bill that climbs while your use stays the same. We find hidden water line leaks, including ones under concrete or asphalt, with a line locator and ultrasonic sounding equipment, so you are not left with a large dig while a plumber searches. On a slab home, we find the leak first, then decide with you whether to repair the pipe under the slab or reroute the line.

EPCOR also keeps a public inventory of service line materials, a step the federal lead rules require of every water system. You can look up your line on EPCOR's safety page.

Why is my water pressure low? In a Sun City house the usual cause is old galvanized supply pipe narrowing with rust and scale. When every faucet is weak, the supply line is the suspect. When one faucet is weak, its aerator or cartridge is usually clogged with hard water scale.

Why is the water from my faucet brown? Rust from galvanized pipe turns water brown, most often first thing in the morning or after a trip. If it clears after a minute of running, the rust is coming from your own pipes. If the cold water stays brown, call EPCOR, since the cause may be on the water system's side.

Why is my sink gurgling, and why does my bathroom smell like sewage? Both usually point to the drain or its vent. A partial clog in an old cast iron drain pulls air through the nearest trap, which gurgles and can let sewer gas into the room. A trap that has dried out in a room nobody uses does the same, and running water for a minute refills it. A smell that comes back is a reason for a camera inspection.

Why is the water in my toilet bowl low? A cracked fill tube, a worn fill valve, or a partly blocked vent that siphons the bowl can each leave it low. We check the tank parts first, since they are the quick fix.

Why is my water heater leaking? Water at the base of a tank usually comes from the drain valve, the relief valve, or the tank itself. A leaking relief valve can mean the pressure or temperature is too high, which needs a look. A tank that leaks from its body cannot be repaired and has to be replaced.