A Tempe plumbing inspection is a plumber's check of the supply and drain lines, water heater, fixtures, valves and gas connections, with an optional sewer camera run. Tempe is one of the older suburbs in the Valley, so the age of the pipes often drives the findings. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Tempe.
Are Tempe homes old enough to worry about the pipes?
Many are. Census-based figures put the median Tempe home at about 1983, and as an older inner-ring suburb the city has whole neighborhoods from the 1960s and 1970s. In houses that age, a plumber looks closely at drain lines, original shutoff valves, any remaining galvanized supply pipe and the line running out to the street.
What does Tempe say about service lines and lead?
The city's water report says lead in drinking water comes mainly from private service lines and home plumbing, and Tempe is building an inventory that includes the material of privately owned service lines. An inspection is a good time to have a plumber confirm what the line is made of where it enters the house.
How hard is the water?
City of Tempe Water Utilities reports an average of 10.9 grains per gallon, with a range of 9.5 to 29 depending on the source and location. That is enough to build scale in water heaters and faucet cartridges, so a plumber will check the tank and fixtures for mineral buildup. Tempe disinfects with chlorine, not chloramine.
Older Tempe houses have often had several owners and a few rounds of remodeling. A plumber will look for mixed pipe materials joined together, drains added during kitchen or bath updates with poor slope, and water heaters squeezed into closets with questionable venting. Those details rarely show up in a general home inspection but matter once you live there. If a camera run is added, the plumber can follow the main drain out toward the city sewer and show you its condition on video.
A local note
If the inspection leads to work, Tempe's Development Services counter at City Hall handles permits; the city says leak repairs are exempt only when no valves, pipes or fixtures are replaced or rearranged. Southwest Gas serves Tempe, so if you smell gas, leave the house first and then call 911 and Southwest Gas at 877-860-6020. For a water emergency on the city side of the meter, Tempe lists 480-350-2837; routine billing questions go to 480-350-8361.
Plumbing Inspection questions in Tempe
How can I find out what the water service line is made of?
What extra should be checked in an older home?
What signs of hard water can an inspection pick up?
Who handles a leak on the utility's side of the meter?
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