Plumbing

Learn whether a tankless water heater makes sense for Scottsdale and McDowell Mountain Ranch homes, and whether tankless water heaters save money.

How long do tankless water heaters last? How long do gas water heaters last? Learn the average, and when it’s time for replacement.

Scottsdale water runs very hard, which is rough on tankless units. See how scale builds and whether you need a water softener for a tankless water heater.

Learn the warning signs your gas water heater is failing and when Scottsdale homeowners should consider repair or replacement.

Compare tankless water heater installation cost, sizing, efficiency, maintenance, and installation requirements for Scottsdale homes.

In Mesa, we have very hard water. It’s just a fact of life, and it’s been that way for more than a hundred years as the water we use winds its way through mineral-rich soil before it heads to your local water system for treatment. Much of it begins as surface water from the Colorado…

About 85% of the nation’s drinking water meets the definition of hard water, according to the U.S. Geologic Survey. If you live in Mesa, you know this all too well. The water here is very hard and it can impact your water heater’s lifespan, especially if you’re not scheduling routine maintenance. How long do water…

About half of the water in Mesa comes from the Colorado River through the Central Arizona Project (CAP). Another 40% is from the Salt River Project (SRP), and about 8% comes from wells. All of this water flows through mineral-rich Arizona soil, so by the time it’s treated and gets to your home, the water’s…

If you live in Mesa, you’re probably dealing with hard water. Throughout Arizona, the water is considered very hard, much harder than in other parts of the country. And it often leaves spots on dishes, creates white scale on faucets and showerheads, makes soap harder to rinse away, and allows scale to build up inside…

Hard water may not pose any health risk, but it can be hard on your plumbing systems. And in the Valley, there’s an abundance of hard water. In Mesa, the water hardness ranges from 12-22 grains per gallon, indicating a relatively high amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium found in the water. In other words,…

The EPA says the average family can waste 180 gallons per week, or 9,400 gallons annually, from household leaks. That’s bad enough, but if the leak is hidden under a concrete slab, it can cause damage for weeks or months. By the time you notice something off about your water bill, your foundation might be…

Your water is under constant pressure. It’s critical to move it through your pipes and out the tap. But when it leaks or ruptures under the slab in your Gilbert home, it’s a serious problem. An experienced plumbing company like George Brazil Plumbing & Electrical can identify the exact location of the leak, stop it,…

You’re walking across your living room or bathroom in the middle of one of our hot Arizona summers and you’ve got the air conditioning running. But when you step onto a patch of tile or carpet that feels strangely warm. You move a bit, and things are back to normal, but this odd hot spot…

You wake up in the middle of the night to a faint, mysterious hissing sound behind your bathroom wall, or perhaps you open your monthly utility statement only to find a sky-high spike in your water bill. You may have a plumbing problem. If your home was built before the mid-90s, there’s a pretty good…

According to the Insurance information Institute, more than 22% of claims are for water damage in homes. They are more common than you might think and more expensive. The average claim is for more than $15,000 and that only includes fixing the damage, not the underlying problem. When you’re think about water damage, your first…

When you find out you need a sewer line repair in the Phoenix area, you know it’s not good. Most people think of backhoes digging up their yard, jackhammering the sidewalk, destroying their landscaping, and an expensive bill. But that’s not always the case. Before you hire someone to start digging at your home in…

Sewer odors in your home, frequent backups, drains that clear slowly: it may need a simple drain cleaning or it may require a sewer line repair. If it’s the latter, one question you’ll probably have is this: Who is responsible for sewer line repair? In most cases, it’s you. But not always. It depends on…

If you think you might need a Phoenix sewer repair, we don’t blame you if you conjure up images of a backhoe digging up your yard or a jackhammer drilling holes in your slab. For years, that’s how it was done. It meant excavation equipment, removing your landscaping, and cutting a hole in your slab…

A sewage smell from the toilet might just mean your p-trap has dried out, and a good flushing or two can refill it. It might be a drain that’s starting to clog and needs to be cleaned. Or there’s a crack in the wax ring that connects your toilet to the sewer line. In some…

That u-shaped pipe under your sink or built into your toilet is designed to hold a bit of water, which blocks sewer gas from coming into your home. It’s called a p-trap, and if it dries out, the gas can seep in and lead to that awful sewage smell. In many cases, just running the…

If you’ve ever run out of hot water halfway through a shower, you’ve probably wondered whether there’s a better solution. Many Mesa homeowners are upgrading their older tank systems and going tankless. Tankless water heaters provide hot water, on demand, that doesn’t run out, and they last longer than traditional tank heaters. In this guide,…

You turn on the faucet. Then you wait. And wait. In many Mesa homes, especially those with long plumbing runs from the garage to a back bathroom or kitchen, hot water can take more than a minute to arrive. It’s frustrating, and it wastes water and energy. If you’re tired of the delay, there are…

Most water heaters don’t fail overnight. They slowly decline. You may hear popping sounds. You might notice rusty water. Maybe your showers don’t last as long as they used to. In many Mesa homes, the issue is often a lack of regular maintenance. Learning how to drain a water heater and understanding the role of…

It’s easy to ignore your water heater. It sits quietly in the garage or closet doing its job for years. Until one morning, it doesn’t. Then, you’re stuck with a cold shower or find a puddle under the tank. How long does a water heater last and what are the warning signs it’s about to…