In Anthem, Arizona and the surrounding Phoenix Valley, temperatures don’t drop below freezing very often. But when temperatures do drop, it can cause problems with exposed pipes, outdoor faucets, vacuum breakers, and more. Learn more about freeze protection for your outdoor plumbing and how you can prevent plumbing problems from happening. Water is expensive in Arizona and we want you to save water so you can save money!
How to Protect Your Plumbing from Freezing
It’s best to take preventative measures to protect your pipes from freezing in winter. In Arizona, much of the time homes have more exposed pipes and plumbing because of the warm weather we experience most of the year. Plumbing such as vacuum breakers can be exposed. Vacuum breakers prevent water from being siphoned back into the drinking water system. This prevents contamination if the pressure in the drinking water system drops.
It usually doesn’t get cold enough in Arizona to worry too much about freeze protection for plumbing. But wrapping exposed plumbing in towels or pipe insulation does help. This is especially true when the pipes are older and nearing the end of their lifespan. In general, anytime it gets below freezing, it is recommended to insulate and cover the piping to prevent freezes from breaking or damaging the fixture.
Outdoor faucets can also be exposed to temperatures that can freeze the faucets and cause problems. Faucets that are more exposed can benefit from an outdoor foam faucet cover to give freeze protection.
What to do if Your Plumbing Does Freeze
If you do discover problems in your pipes or breakage in your plumbing, turn off the water supply to your house. You’ll also want to call a professional plumber right away! Next, open up the faucet to allow any unfrozen water to drain out. The running water will also help any ice in the pipe thaw out more. You can also use something like a small space heater to warm up the area around the pipe but you never want harsh, direct heat on the pipe.
Pictured below is a recent job we did where we rebuilt the main riser and corrected some plumbing issues in the rebuild.
Our tech arrived at the property to see what you saw in the before pictures. His report showed he found the 1.5″ main shut off valve was buried under ground. And the water softener loop was cut into the main line causing the entire property to be fed through the softener. This caused salt to get into irrigation and pool, when there was already a properly plumbed in softener loop that didn’t do this inside the garage.
A main riser rebuild was required to correct this issue. In addition, the 1.5″ pressure regulating valve on the main riser has failed as the home water pressure is almost 100 psi which will cause leaks in plumbing if not corrected. So we eliminated the incorrectly plumbed in softener loop on the main riser and gave it all new copper piping. We also replaced the main shut off valve above ground, replaced the pressure regulating valve, replaced the hose bib, and reused the new vacuum breaker that was already in there.
Have you discovered problems from freezing or other plumbing problem that needs fixed? Be sure and contact us for a free, no obligation estimate. Wyman Plumbing & Mechanical offers plumbing services in Anthem, Arizona as well as other areas around northern Phoenix.
