Plumbers in Gilbert, AZ

Where Gilbert sits

Gilbert is an incorporated town in Maricopa County in the East Valley, about 18 miles southeast of downtown Phoenix as the crow flies. Mesa lies to the north and Chandler to the southwest. The Santan Freeway (Loop 202) and the Superstition Freeway (US 60) are the main highways, Higley Road is one of the long north-south arterials, and the Heritage District is the town's historic core. Gilbert incorporated in 1920, and the 2020 Census counted 267,918 people.

Canal water, town wells and a town-run sewer

Town of Gilbert Public Works produces its own drinking water. Most of it starts as surface water from Salt River Project and Central Arizona Project canals, and groundwater from 17 town wells fills in the rest. The treatment plants use ozonation and chlorination, and chlorine is what stays in the pipes on the way to your tap. The Town's web pages don't list a hardness number, so if you are sizing a softener or chasing white crust on fixtures, pull the annual report at gilbertaz.gov/water-quality-report.

On the drain side, the Wastewater Division operates the Neely Wastewater Reclamation Plant and shares the Greenfield plant with Mesa and Queen Creek. For a sewer problem in the street, Public Works answers at 480-503-6400; after hours the Town routes those calls through Police non-emergency dispatch at 480-503-6500.

Newer houses, different problems

Gilbert's housing is young. The median home was built in 2003, and only about 4% of units predate 1980. That shifts the typical repair list away from corroded old pipe and toward water heaters reaching the end of their service life, softener and pressure regulator issues, slab leaks under concrete foundations, fixture cartridges worn by scale and irrigation connections. The Town completed a service line inventory and reported no known lead pipes or galvanized lines needing replacement; owners whose line material was listed as unknown were notified directly.

Permits, backflow and gas

Plumbing permit and code questions go to Gilbert Development Services' One Stop Shop at (480) 503-6700 or onestopshop@gilbertaz.gov. The Town's permit pages don't say whether a like-for-like water heater swap needs a permit, so ask before the old tank comes out. Gilbert's Cross-Connection Control program requires internal backflow assemblies on supply lines that pose a contamination risk; its backflow inspection specialists can be reached at (480) 503-6714 or (480) 503-6715.

Southwest Gas is the residential gas utility. If you notice a gas odor, get everyone outside first, then call 911 and Southwest Gas at 877-860-6020 from a safe distance.

How it compares with Phoenix, and what a call looks like

The big differences from the City of Phoenix are the utility (Gilbert's own, with ozone at its plants), the permit office and the age of the houses. When you call the number on this page, say what you are seeing, whether you have shut off the water, and roughly where in Gilbert you are. You will be connected with an independent plumber who serves the town and sets the price and schedule with you directly.