What to Expect With Your New Las Vegas Home

Posted on June 18, 2018 by oozle

There’s no denying that dealing with plumbing issues is not fun. From broken pipes to clogged toilets, we know you don’t want to deal with that. That being said, there are different problems that come with the area that you live in. It depends a lot on the weather, how your city is set up, other climate and geographic factors, and even the way your house is built! So without further ado, here are the home-related things you might have to deal with based on your location here in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas Plumbing Info

Because Las Vegas is located in both a desert and in an area subject to flash floods, builders have had to adjust their strategy. Houses were built with lighter materials to accommodate for the higher temperatures, while also keeping in mind the integrity of the structures to support potential earthquakes.

In Las Vegas your plumbing is going to be a little different. Take your pipes for instance – because the water is so hard here (16.5 grains per gallon), almost every home built after 2000 is pre-plumbed for water softeners. That means that if you are just moving in and aren’t liking the way the water tastes then you can get a water softener fairly easily.

Your water supply is going to be a little different too. Because water is not likely to freeze underground in Vegas many water supply tanks are stored a little higher in the earth. On the rare occasion that Las Vegas does get heavy snowfall, it becomes likely that your water will freeze and you’ll be left wondering why no water is coming out of your pipes. You can prepare for this by checking weather forecasts and insulating your water supply when it snows.

Water Quality in Vegas

When you first move into Las Vegas you might receive your water bill and be surprised at how high it is. What seems like the obvious answer–there isn’t much water in Vegas–is actually false. The reason most residents have high water bills is because all water in Vegas is culinary, meaning it’s been treated and filtered. So whether you consider that motivation to use less water or not, you can rest assured that any water out of the tap or hose is going to be safe to drink.

Swimming Pools in Vegas

Do you plan on having a pool? If you’re like most Vegas residents, you will appreciate having a pool to cool off in during the hot summers. One quirk about installing and filling a pool in our city is that you will receive a discount on your first fill. All you have to do is call the city’s water department and let them know it’s your first fill and you won’t be charged as much! From there you’ll mostly just be topping it off, and you’ll be charged like normal.

Las Vegas Heating and A/C Info

Your home operates on more than just plumbing. When you think about Las Vegas in particular you’re probably hyper aware of how much residents use their A/C. Because of the intense heat in our lovely city homes operate differently than many US cities. Almost every home will have an attic built in to capture and release heat through vents. Because of the type of soil that the Mojave Desert has it’s not practical to dig basements in homes. No basements means you need another place to install your heating and A/C units, so many units in Las Vegas are installed on rooftops.

The HVAC Package

Heating and air units are sold as a “package” or as a single unit. Something unfortunate about this setup is that if a component breaks you may have to replace the entire package which can cost up to $8k, whereas if they were installed separately you could simply replace that unit. We recommend regular maintenance on these units to ensure you never need to replace an entire package.

Otherwise, just be aware of how much and how often you’re running your A/C in the summer so you don’t blindside yourself with an extremely high bill. There are a few tips and tricks to keeping your home cool in the summer, and Energy.gov has compiled them for you here.

Make Sure You Have a Quality Plumbing Contractor

The most important thing with moving into any new home in a new city is to do your research beforehand. Make sure your new home passes all inspections, and you can even do a little digging into the history of the home to find past damages or the type of plumbing it has. From there you can make an educated decision about who you want to help you maintain and install future elements.

ProServ has your back for all home-related issues. From pipe leaks to appliance repair, we are able to efficiently and effectively install or fix them. We love our great city of Las Vegas, even with all of the quirks that come with it. Call us today at 702-656-4500 or fill out a form for assistance with getting settled into your new Las Vegas home, or to fix any existing issues you have!