Repiping A Home – What to Know

Sometimes plumbing issues get to such a degree that simple spot repairs aren’t enough to fix the problem at hand. When this happens it may be time to consider repiping your home. We know, we know, that sounds like a lot of work and a little scary to boot. This time on the Economy Plumbing Service blog we are going to give you an overview of the process, from the signs it’s necessary to completion.

Signs Your Home Needs Repiping

Repiping a home can be an expense and rarely is it convenient. That’s why it’s crucial to be aware of the signs your home is in need for it! Getting it taken care of before something catastrophic occurs will make the whole process a lot easier to handle, and cheaper to boot!

Your Home is Over 50 Years Old

‘They don’t build them like they used to.’

No matter how good the construction, nothing lasts forever! Older homes, we’re talking up to the mid-twentieth century, used galvanized steel as the main material in their plumbing. That might sound strong to you (and it is, when new) it corrodes and after about 50 years it needs replacement. If you’re home is heading towards retirement age and hasn’t had it’s plumbing updated, be prepared. This might be a project you have coming up for you.

Frequent Pipe Leaks

Pipes leak, it happens. Sometimes a fitting is loose, or a bunch of other possibilities, but these should still be a rarity. If your pipes are leaking regularly that can be a sign that the plumbing as a whole is in need of replacement.

Mineral/Rust Build Up

There are two clear signs that you have mineral or rust build up in your pipes: low water pressure and red/brown water coloration. Over time minerals and rust can build up in the pipe restricting the flow of water reducing the water pressure. The rust can break off and come through the water giving it that red or brown color. That’s no good!

If you see any of these signs then it’s a good bet, you need to look at repiping your home.

How Repiping Works

The first step in any repiping job is shutting off the water to the home. Replacing pipes with the water turned on is an easy recipe for flooding! Because of the need for shutting off the water, repiping is often done when the homeowner isn’t at home so they have minimal inconvenience but that’s not entirely necessary.

Once the water is off, the plumbing experts will make sure the areas are ready for the work, covering furniture and carpet to protect from debris, dust and making for easier clean up. Again, the idea here is to make this process as minimally inconvenient as possible. Repiping can be a big job, and the less headache the better.

Now that the water is off and the work area is ready the real repiping process can begin. Making cuts into the drywall to locate and map out the piping. This might have you on edge, ‘Cutting into my walls?!’ but trust us, when you have the kind of experience Bryan has, you can practically x-ray the walls with your eyes. We know how plumbing works and how plumbers think, making the process fairly quick and painless.

With the plumbing mapped out it’s time to remove it and replace with the new piping with higher quality materials. While we’re at work in this stage, if you wanted to upgrade other fixtures or appliances, now would be the time. Installing new water heaters and such are easier done when the piping itself can be manipulated to fit the appliance perfectly.

Finally, with all the piping replaced, the last step is to repair and resurface wherever the walls were cut into. After all is said and done, we want the only change in your home to be the working water!

Ready to Repipe?

Now that you know what to look for and what to expect, you have the power to make the decision. Ready to repipe? If you’re in the Tucson area and you’re looking for the fastest service available, give us a call at Economy Plumbing Service LLC. We can get the job done in TWO DAYS and you can stay home while we do the repair work! We make the process as minimally invasive as possible, and our new pipes are made to last longer and not break. We’re so certain of it we give a 25 year warranty on new pipes.

If Water Goes Through It Or To It, We Do It!

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