From the phone call to the water back on
Every job runs the same way, whether it’s a dripping hose bib or a whole-house repipe. The steps below are what to expect.
Calling in
You tell us what you’re looking at. The first questions are about how bad it is right now: is water running, is the main shutoff closed, is anything sparking or smelling of gas. Then where it is, how old the house is, and whether it’s happened before. On a call about a warm spot on the floor, for example, the build year matters because East Valley homes from the 1970s through the early 2000s were mostly plumbed with copper under the slab.
Getting a plumber out
We set up the visit with a licensed, insured plumber who works your part of the Valley. If it’s urgent, that’s the first thing we sort out. If it can wait, you pick a time that suits you, or you get a call back to set one.
Pricing the job
The plumber looks first, then prices. For a leak that means finding it before anyone talks about fixing it. For a water heater it means checking the venting, gas line, drain pan and expansion tank, since a code issue on any of them changes the price. The price comes to you in writing, permit included when the job needs one, and nothing starts until you say yes.
Fixing it and testing it
The repair gets done, then checked. Water lines get a pressure test, drains get run, gas lines get a leak test, and a new tank gets fired and checked for draft. Where the city requires an inspection, the plumber books it.
What we’ll ask on the call
The questions change with the job, but these come up most:
- the address and the nearest cross streets
- the year the house was built, roughly
- where the water, smell or noise is
- whether the main shutoff or the tank valve is closed
- for a water heater: gas or electric, and the age on the label
- for a drain: one fixture or several, and whether it’s happened before
Where the work happens
Calls come in from Mesa, Gilbert and Higley, Chandler, Tempe, Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, and Fountain Hills and Rio Verde. The areas page lists every ZIP code and has a box to check yours.
