Leak Detection in Fountain Hills, AZ

Who handles water and sewer in Fountain Hills?

The Town itself runs neither. EPCOR supplies water through its Chaparral City district, and it takes outage and water trouble reports at any hour at 800-383-0834. Wastewater belongs to a separate special district, the Fountain Hills Sanitary District, which handles broken or collapsed sewer lines in the public right-of-way or its easements at 480-837-9444. A water leak in the yard or inside the house, on the owner's side, is what a plumber handles. If water is bubbling up at the meter, call EPCOR first.

Does the water here speed up leaks?

It contributes. EPCOR's water quality report puts Fountain Hills water at about 16 grains per gallon, which is hard. Scale builds inside faucet cartridges, toilet fill valves, shower valves and the fittings on water heaters and softeners, and parts that cannot seal anymore start to drip. Chalky white crust at a joint is often the evidence of a leak that has been evaporating for a while.

EPCOR keeps a service line inventory for this system at epcor.com/safety and says it is responsible for removing any lead pipe it identifies.

Where do Fountain Hills homes tend to leak?

Where a home sits on a sloped lot, the run from the meter can be longer and more complicated, and landscape irrigation may climb terraces and retaining walls. Those buried runs are a common place for a slow leak. EPCOR's cross connection rules call for required backflow assemblies to sit within 36 inches of the meter and to be tested every year, and the irrigation plumbing beyond them is the owner's. Inside, slab leaks, worn angle stops and toilet parts are the usual suspects. A meter test with irrigation off, then on one zone at a time, sorts out inside from outside quickly. Softener drain lines and the loop that feeds them are worth a look too, since a stuck regeneration valve can send water down the drain without any visible sign.

A Fountain Hills note

Repair permits go through Town of Fountain Hills Building Safety, which processes applications in its online TOPPS system (480-816-5123). Ask the plumber whether your repair will need one, and whether a spot fix or a reroute makes more sense for your house. If you ever smell gas rather than find water, leave the house and call 911 and Southwest Gas at 877-860-6020 from outside.