Tempe is an older inner-ring city with a median home built around 1983, so many faucets here are original or close to it, and hard water speeds their wear. A drip or stiff handle usually means worn seals or a scaled cartridge that a plumber can replace. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Tempe.
Why does a Tempe faucet scale up faster at some addresses?
Tempe Water Utilities draws mostly on Salt River Project surface water from the Salt and Verde watersheds, plus city wells and Central Arizona Project water, treated at the Johnny G. Martinez and South Tempe plants. Because the blend varies across the system, so does hardness. The city's water quality report lists a range of 9.5 to 29 grains per gallon, with an average of 10.9. Homes on the harder end of that range will see white crust on aerators and stiff cartridges much sooner than homes near the average. Tempe disinfects with chlorine, not chloramine, and keeps a residual close to 1 mg/L.
Does replacing a faucet in Tempe need a permit?
Possibly. The city's homeowner guide to permits says leak repairs are exempt only when they do not involve replacing or rearranging valves, pipes or fixtures, and separate plumbing permits apply when needed. Swapping a cartridge or O-ring inside an existing faucet is a repair. Replacing the whole fixture or moving supply lines may fall outside the exemption. The plumber can tell you which side of that line your job sits on, and the Development Services permit counter at City Hall, 31 E. 5th Street, can confirm.
Should an older Tempe home worry about lead at the tap?
The city states that lead in drinking water comes mainly from private service lines and home plumbing, not the public system, and it is building an inventory that includes privately owned service lines. Faucets made before today's lead-free brass standards can contain some lead too. If your home dates to the city's older neighborhoods and still has its original fixtures, replacing a worn-out faucet with a current model is a reasonable step.
One more Tempe note
Tempe mixes dense apartments and condos near Mill Avenue, Tempe Town Lake and the ASU campus with lower-density single-family streets to the south. In a condo, a faucet leak can reach the unit below, so close the stops early and let the association know if the ceiling under you may be affected. If water is surfacing outside at the meter or in the street, call Tempe Water Utilities at 480-350-2837. When you reach a plumber, say whether you own or rent, which faucet is failing and whether it has one handle or two.
Faucet Repair questions in Tempe
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