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Local Knowledge Matters

The water system tells you Santa Fe's whole story. Old town didn't have indoor plumbing until the early 1900s, and when they added it, they had to retrofit everything into buildings that were already 200 years old. You find clay sewer lines under some downtown properties that crack if you look at them wrong. The Eastside expansion after WWII brought subdivision-style development—rows of homes with galvanized supply lines run through crawl spaces, all built the same way. Those pipes are hitting 70 years old now, and Santa Fe's water chemistry eats galvanized steel faster than it should. We're repiping Eastside homes constantly. Copper showed up in the 80s and 90s, which holds up better but still takes a beating from the mineral content. Out in Eldorado and the county, you're dealing with private wells and septic systems, which is a whole different game. Well water here can run even harder than city water, with iron and sulfur thrown in.

How Santa Fe's Climate Affects Your Systems

Winter: Winter here is when we see the most emergency calls. Nights drop into the teens December through February, and with our dry air and altitude, temperatures plunge fast after the sun goes down. Pipes freeze in crawl spaces, in exterior walls, especially on north-facing sides of houses. Then morning sun hits, things thaw out, and suddenly you've got water pouring out of a split pipe. We position trucks around town during cold spells because we know the calls are coming. Water heaters work overtime heating incoming water that's down in the 30s or 40s, and that can push an aging unit over the edge. Boilers and radiant systems get heavy use, so pumps and zone valves that were fine in summer start acting up.

Summer: Summer is less dramatic but brings its own problems. Monsoons in July and August dump heavy rain in short bursts, which can overwhelm gutters and drainage, flooding crawl spaces or basements if you've got them. Spring runoff from the mountains stresses the city water system, and we see pressure surges that can damage old fixtures or appliances. Heat accelerates mineral deposition, so aerators and showerheads clog faster. It's a good time to schedule any major work though—crawl spaces aren't frozen, weather is pleasant for outdoor work, and systems aren't under as much stress.

Year-Round: The hard water never takes a break. Mineral buildup happens constantly, just slowly enough that people don't notice until their water pressure is terrible or their water heater fails. Altitude affects HVAC systems and gas appliances year-round—burners need to be set up for high altitude or they don't burn efficiently and can produce carbon monoxide. Pressure varies around town based on elevation, so hilltop homes have lower pressure and valley properties can have too much. These constant stresses mean everything here needs more frequent maintenance than it would at sea level with soft water.