Tankless Water Heater Installation in Tempe, AZ
Outside-Wall & Garage Units | Metal Lines Where They Show | Google 5.0 Rated
A unit is going on the outside wall of a Tempe house, which means the last few feet of water pipe will stand in open air. What decides how those feet are run is the city's own amended plumbing code, which will not have non-metallic potable pipe out there, so the plastic has to stop inside the wall.
Where water pipe, fittings or valves are exposed outside, Tempe's code calls for metal, so the change from the house's plastic pipe to copper or another metal is planned inside the wall. We fit Navien by preference and install other major makes on request.
AZ ROC #150707
Licensed, Bonded & Insured
Navien Preferred
All Major Tankless Brands
Tank-to-Tankless Conversions
1-Year Workmanship on Installs
10% Off Water Heater Installs
Saturdays Included
Installs are scheduled Monday to Saturday, with the day starting at 7 a.m.No Cards, Please
Settle up with cash, a check, or Zelle.Veterans Save 15%
So does anyone 55 or older; seniors, first responders and military members get 10%.Yearly Scale Work
A tankless descale averages about $250.Callback Pace
A message left for us usually gets a call back within 10 to 15 minutes.Priority for Emergencies
Something urgent jumps ahead of planned installs on the schedule.AZ ROC #150707
Licensed, Bonded & Insured
Navien Preferred
All Major Tankless Brands
Tank-to-Tankless Conversions
1-Year Workmanship on Installs
10% Off Water Heater Installs
Saturdays Included
Installs are scheduled Monday to Saturday, with the day starting at 7 a.m.No Cards, Please
Settle up with cash, a check, or Zelle.Veterans Save 15%
So does anyone 55 or older; seniors, first responders and military members get 10%.Yearly Scale Work
A tankless descale averages about $250.Callback Pace
A message left for us usually gets a call back within 10 to 15 minutes.Priority for Emergencies
Something urgent jumps ahead of planned installs on the schedule.Tempe's Rule for Water Pipe on an Outside Wall
What section 605.25 says
Tempe's 2024 plumbing code, in effect from July 1, 2026, carries a set of local amendments, adopted by the City Council on June 4, 2026. One of them, section 605.25, reads: “Non-Metallic potable water pipe, fittings, and valves shall not be exposed in exterior outdoor locations. Components of the exterior exposed potable water system shall be metallic only.” The metallic materials it accepts are listed in the code's pipe and fitting tables, including copper and stainless steel.
Why an outdoor unit runs into it
A tankless unit mounted outdoors has a cold-water line going in and a hot-water line coming out, usually with a pair of service valves beneath it for descaling. All of that sits in the open air, from the wall to the heater's own connections.
Where the plastic stops
If the house is plumbed in PEX or CPVC, the plastic ends inside the wall under Tempe's section, and the lines come through it as copper or another listed metal, with metal fittings and valves from there to the heater. The unit's location sets where that transition can be made. In homes built before 1978, we only take on work that leaves painted surfaces undisturbed; if reaching the transition would mean opening a painted wall, that part goes to a lead-safe certified contractor you hire directly, and we do not perform or arrange it.
Houses, and the question for the city
Tempe's administrative code allows detached one- and two-family homes and townhouses to follow either the International Plumbing Code or the International Residential Code, and the city's residential code amendments contain no corresponding rule. So for a house, the Permit Center (permitcenter@tempe.gov) is the place to confirm whether 605.25 applies. A tank-to-tankless change needs a permit in any case, because it changes the type of heater.
Tempe Tankless Plans, Wall by Wall
“The pipes under our outdoor tankless are white plastic.”
Exposed plastic is exactly what section 605.25 rules out here.
When that unit is serviced or replaced, the exposed part of the run is the piece to price in metal, from where it leaves the wall to the heater's valves.
“We want the heater outside so the garage gets its corner back.”
Choose the wall and the metal run together.
The best wall is one where the lines can turn into metal inside the house and exit right under the unit. A wall that puts the transition behind finished cabinets or tile is a harder route, and the quote says so before you choose.
“Our tank is in a closet on an outside wall. Can the tankless go on the other side?”
Often the shortest route there is.
The existing water lines are already close, so the transition to metal can sit just inside the wall. The closet then needs the lines capped properly where the tank used to stand.
“Our buyer's inspector flagged the plastic lines under the heater. The wall is being re-stuccoed this spring anyway.”
One job, and the stucco coming off is the reason to do it properly.
Section 605.25 is the city's own wording to present to a buyer, and replacing the exposed stretch with copper and metal valves from the wall to the heater addresses the note without touching the unit. With the wall surface coming off regardless, the lines can be rerouted so they turn to metal deep inside the wall, and the new stucco finishes around copper.
Wall to First Hot Shower: A Tempe Tankless Install
Walls, gas, and the pipe that shows
Call (602) 883-2787 with the wall you have in mind, what heats your water now, and what the house is plumbed in, if you know. At the visit, we check the gas supply, measure the route, and mark where the lines will come through.
One quote, metal shown
The quote lists the unit, the gas work, the venting if the model needs it, and the exposed water lines, fittings and valves in metal, and it notes that a conversion is City of Tempe permit work and whether the Permit Center has answered the 605.25 question for your house.
Mounted and joined in metal
With the unit on the wall, the metal lines are joined at its service valves and the gas is connected. The invoice records where the run turns to metal inside the wall, so whoever opens it next is not guessing.
Serving Tempe From Our Phoenix Base
American Discount Plumbing is based in Phoenix and serves all of Tempe.
Details Pavel (Paul) Plans on a Tempe Outdoor Unit
Tankless Units for Tempe Homes, Inside and Out
A tankless unit can hang on an outside wall, on a garage wall, or go inside the house. Only the first puts water lines in the open air, so only the first brings Section 605.25 into a Tempe plan. Wherever the unit goes, the gas line has to carry its full demand, and the gas side follows the fuel gas code under its own rules.
Sizing and upkeep are covered on our tankless and descaling pages.
Metal Lines, Historic Homes and Indoor Units
Still have a question? Call Pavel (Paul) directly and get a straight answer, no phone tree.
Section 605.25 covers exposed potable water pipe, fittings and valves, so exposed piping feeding an outdoor faucet falls under the same wording. Where a new unit and a faucet share a wall, both exposed runs can be planned in metal on the same visit.
No. It is written for drinking-water pipe. Gas piping complies with the fuel gas code, and the outdoor gas run is planned in accordance with those rules.
Condensate is drain water, and 605.25 speaks to potable water pipe. The condensate route is planned from the unit's own drain requirements.
Yes. A garage or interior wall keeps the water lines indoors, and the unit then vents through the wall or roof as its manual directs.
Tempe adopted the 2024 codes effective July 1, 2026, and permit applications may use either the 2018 or the 2024 codes through December 31, 2026. From January 1, 2027, every application follows the 2024 codes and their local amendments, so ask the Permit Center which set your application falls under.
Yes. Tempe handles single-family applications electronically, and smaller single-family jobs may sometimes be reviewed over the counter; the Permit Center decides whether a tank-to-tankless conversion qualifies.
Tempe's Historic Preservation Office reviews exterior changes to listed properties; interior work is outside its review. Its exemption list covers visible exterior plumbing “with materials that match existing,” so exposed metal pipe on a wall that had none can bring an outdoor unit into review. Underground gas lines and a new gas meter are on the same exempt list, so a buried gas run to the unit does not trigger it.
Every Service in Tempe
Where to go next in Tempe, plus our general tankless guides:
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Our Google listing's star ratings are there to read before you pick a wall.
An Outside Wall in Mind for Tankless in Tempe? Call American Discount Plumbing
Pick the wall first, and the length of the metal run and the price follow from it. That conversation starts at (602) 883-2787.
Copper, metal fittings, and metal valves on every inch of the run that stands in open air.
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