Plumbing in Alpine, WY

Alpine sits at about 5,630 feet in the northwest corner of Lincoln County, right against the Idaho line. The Snake, Salt and Greys rivers all come together nearby at Palisades Reservoir, and the town is known as Alpine Junction because US 26 and US 89 split here, one heading north along the reservoir into Idaho and the other south toward Afton. It’s a small place, incorporated in 1988, with a few hundred homes.

The climate is humid continental, with warm summers and cold, sometimes severely cold, winters. For plumbing, that means a long freeze season. Lines in crawl spaces, exterior walls and unheated garages are the first to go, and cabins that sit empty between visits are at the greatest risk. If you’re leaving for more than a few days, keep the heat on, shut off the main and drain what you can.

Hot water works harder here than in most places. Incoming water runs near freezing for months, so a water heater has to lift it much further than one in a warmer climate, and it wears out sooner. Sizing the tank or tankless unit for that cold supply, and flushing it yearly, keeps it reliable. For smaller homes and cabins, a tankless unit frees up floor space and only runs when a tap is open.

Water comes with its own questions. Homes on private wells should test regularly, since what comes out of the ground can carry iron, sediment, hardness or bacteria. We test, explain the results and size filtration or softening to match. Septic systems are common too, and a slow drain in a septic home deserves attention before it becomes a backup.

Through it all, we start with the cause, show you the options and give you a price before any work begins.