Plumbing Inspection in Litchfield Park, AZ

Local conditions

Litchfield Park is a small planned city that grew out of Goodyear Tire and Rubber's Litchfield Ranch and is centered on the Wigwam Resort. Liberty Utilities, through Liberty Litchfield Park, provides both water and wastewater here, not the city.

Liberty's water is groundwater with hardness of 150 to 360 ppm, or 8.8 to 21.1 grains per gallon, and some of it goes through arsenic removal treatment before distribution. Liberty says it has not detected lead in its treated or source water. At the harder end of that range, scale builds quickly in water heaters and fixture valves.

Where backflow prevention is required at the meter, Liberty requires the device to be tested at first and then every year by an AWWA certified tester, and a failed device must be repaired and retested within 15 days. The device installed just after the meter belongs to the property owner.

Fix or replace

Signs worth an inspection

• You're under contract and want plumbing answers
• Heavy crust on fixtures or a noisy water heater
• No record of the last backflow test
• Water stains in cabinets or around toilets

Timing notes

Book early in your inspection period. Permits for any repair work come from the City of Litchfield Park Building Safety Department on Wigwam Boulevard. For a water or sewer emergency on Liberty's side, call 623-935-3395. If you smell gas, leave the house first, then call 911 and your gas utility.

Ask the plumber to note the meter and backflow device locations in the report, plus a pressure reading and the water heater's age. Hard groundwater shortens the life of tank water heaters and fixture cartridges, so the report can also say whether a softener makes sense. Photos of each item help when talking with the seller. Liberty customer care is at 844-367-2030 for non-emergency questions, and it's worth keeping the report with your closing papers.