Summer time water temp in Surprise

[Ponderosa]

I'm not sure what the poster above meant by a "frostline". It is an imprecise term. There is no frostline here in the metro area - the ground does not freeze except superficially on cold mornings every now and then. Amen, goodnight, end of story. Codes in the area require that footings bear on undisturbed/engineered soil at least 12 inches deep but that is a structural requirement and not one dictated by frost depth.

Twiggy: Not sure I'm much of a plumber but I can handle a hacksaw and a can of glue. I am a retired (mostly) civil engineer. My work was in the development of water resources systems, primarily groundwater and groundwater recharge facilities. I also did some work as a junior engineer with subdivision infrastructure design including water distribution systems both in AZ and NM.

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Bummer is right, too. My water is cool for the first couple of minutes from being inside the cooled space.

On the plus side of all this, we probably save a good deal of money on water heating costs in the summer.

Thanks, Ponderosa!

Also, great point . . . who needs a hot water heater?

[azkylady2]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

There are several different reasons why the water is warm in summer. The major culprits are source (Verde River and CAP are very warm in summer), above-ground storage and depth of the mains. Soil temperatures vary seasonally to about 25 feet depth which is far more than the typical depth of mains in this area (5-10 feet) so the soil warms in summer and heat is transferred to water in the mains if it is colder than the soil. The bottom line is that one or more factors affect the entire area and it is rare to find a place that has cool water in the summer months.

only places with extreme heat for weeks on end keep the ground hot enough to affect water coming out of pipes. This is no issue in the midwest or anywhere else that I have lived, summers are to short and the temps don't stay hot enough consistantly to have warm water coming out of the pipes , in facts its very cold anytime of the year.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by azkylady2

only places with extreme heat for weeks on end keep the ground hot enough to affect water coming out of pipes. This is no issue in the midwest or anywhere else that I have lived, summers are to short and the temps don't stay hot enough consistantly to have warm water coming out of the pipes , in facts its very cold anytime of the year.

Well you are correct. There are not too many places that have average daily temps (high + low/2) around 90 for weeks. Gotta love it here! Also, consider the roads that overlie the pipes. Here they sit in intense sunlight and heat up tremendously. They radiate all that into the soil underneath as well as the evening air. The ground here is bare for the most part, has little moisture or organic material. In the midwest, many streets are tree lined and shaded. Yards are covered with wet grass and there are several inches of moist organic "insulation". It's hot here. The water gets warm. Whatcha gonna do?

[azkylady2]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Well you are correct. There are not too many places that have average daily temps (high + low/2) around 90 for weeks. Gotta love it here! Also, consider the roads that overlie the pipes. Here they sit in intense sunlight and heat up tremendously. They radiate all that into the soil underneath as well as the evening air. The ground here is bare for the most part, has little moisture or organic material. In the midwest, many streets are tree lined and shaded. Yards are covered with wet grass and there are several inches of moist organic "insulation". It's hot here. The water gets warm. Whatcha gonna do?

get the ice out