PROTECTING YOUR PIPES IN THE WINTER
Be sure to cover or insulate any outdoor exposed pipes from the freezing temperatures. Some materials you can use: old blankets, rugs, towels, insulation wrapped with duct tape.
Reminder: Carefree Water Company is responsible for water line and service pipe maintenance up to and including the water meter of each customer’s service. All problems in service lines, irrigation devices or other fixtures starting from the exit side of the meter to the point of water use are the responsibility of each customer. Water Company employees will not be responsible or perform maintenance on water facilities located after the meter. We will continue to assist you in locating water leaks in your system, turn on and off your water service so you may address water leaks or other problems and provide water quality and conservation information as a free service.
SHUT OFF VALVES
You should have a shut off valve within 18" of your side of the meter so you can turn off your service without involving the Water Company. If you need your water turned off at the meter please call the Water Company to have water turned off instead of doing so yourself. If you, your plumber, or whoever you hired, turns off our valve and breaks it you are responsible for paying for the repair.
Reminder: It is illegal to allow water usage thru your service for the purpose, either intentional or otherwise, of circumventing the establishment of an account and the normal monthly billing and water accounting processes. This practice is not allowed by the Water Company's Service Agreement nor by Arizona R14-2-407. Our policy is that the account holder is and will be held responsible for all water use that passes through their meter. It has come to our attention there are Water Company Customers currently allowing other individuals and/or parties to connect into their service and/or irrigation systems to use water without establishing service with the Water Company. If the Water Company encounters a Customer who is allowing others to use water thru an illegal connection the account holder will be subject to disconnection of water service an subject to any established reconnection fees. The account holder will be expected to pay for the water usage without any considerations, including payment extensions. It is neither proper nor fair to all of our other Customers.
PRESSURE REDUCING VALVE
Because our water delivery system has different pressure zones controlled by pressure pumping systems, pressure regulating valves or gravity flow from elevated water storage facilities we recommend that a pressure regulator and a check valve be installed between your water meter and the inlet to your home. This will protect your in home water services from variations in pressure or water draining from your water service as a result of a mechanical failure of the distribution system infrastructure or from repairs to our distributions system as a result of water leaks or construction damage to our water lines. These devices need to be maintained and checked for proper function.
Experience has shown that they begin to fail between 5 and 8 years after installation.