Repipe

Repiping

Frequent leakages and flooding in your house piping can lead to structural damage to your house. Seeped in moisture can weaken wooden structures, hardwood floors, and walls. This can lead to problems like mold on your walls and chipped paint. To avoid these house disasters, a damaged or old plumbing system must be replaced promptly. To help you ascertain, when is it high time to invest a few bucks and repipe your house, we have compiled a list of signs that suggest that you need to carry out repiping of your house.

1. You have an old house: Houses that are more than 50 years older, usually have a Galvanized water piping system installed in them. Galvanized pipes are commonly known for bursting and rusting easily, which is why an older house should be repiped before such an occurrence.
2. You often need plumbing repairs: An old plumbing system is likely to need plumbing fixes more than a new one. pipes that have been fixed again and again over the years will have many mismatched piping components. These joints and components may break due to overuse, making it essential that timely repiping of your house is conducted. Moreover, if the pipes previously fixed in your house were of bad quality and keep leaking or breaking, then it is time to repipe with quality plumbing products.
3. Brown water: A common reason behind repiping is the corrosion of pipes in houses where the water has low pH. Water with low pH is acidic and damages pipes made with metal, brass, or copper components. The rust on the pipe then gets mixed into the water supply and affects the quality and color of the water. Hence, if you are receiving brown or reddish water from certain water taps, then rusting of pipes could be the reason.

In such a case, the damaged piping has to be replaced and you need to fix the low pH issue of the water. If the issue with the water is not resolved, then you will once again face the need for a repiping. If not fixed on time, the corroded pipe can give way to leakages and flooding.

4. Low water pressure: While rusting of pipes is uncommon when the water is clear, the accumulation of dirt in the pipes is a significant reason behind the need for repiping. Years of use can lead to a collection of grime on the inside of the pipe, leading to the low pressure of water. A constantly low pressure of water can cause quite an inconvenience, making it necessary that repiping once the pipes have run their course.

Once you get your house repiped, you will be able to enjoy normal water pressure during your showers. A steady flow of water can also help you save time when carrying out daily chores like laundry, gardening, and dish-washing. Moreover, you will be able to avoid damage to your house due to moisture.

The Repiping Process

Repiping an entire house is an extensive task and you need to hire a plumbing contractor for the work. To ensure that you choose reliable professionals, you must have the knowledge of what goes into the repiping of a house.

1. Evaluate the work: In order to repipe your house, your Piping contractor will have to take a closer look at the layout of your house piping to figure out the size of the project. They will need to plan a new layout for the repiping of the house. You do not want to install pipes at a place that is visible to the people of the house your visitors. You need a piping route that is small and cost-effective.
2. Buy high-quality products: After you have decided where the pipelines or the plumbing system will be installed, you need to select high-quality plumbing material. The plumbing system components that you buy must be strong and rust-resistant. The length and the width of the pipes must be selected keeping the needs of your household in mind. Remember, you do not want to end up with pipes that are easy to break, too narrow, or prone to rusting. Most popularly used pipes are copper, flexible plastic, and PEX. Different pipes can be used in the same plumbing system for mail lines, waste lines, and smaller areas.
3. Prepping the house: Repiping a house can be a messy task. To ensure that your furniture is not damaged during the process, it must be covered prior to starting work. Moreover, you will need to adjust with a few hours of water supply when the work is being done.
4. Installation process: While some repiping projects are limited to the basement, others require breaking the drywall and repainting specific areas of the house. To install the new pipes and probably remove all the old ones, your plumber will have to dig holes in the walls, floor, and ceiling. They will need to make space for the pipes to ensure that the rebuilding is done with precision after the pipes have been put into place.

While most homeowners are intrigued by the cost-effectiveness of non-invasive repiping, you must not forget that the durability of pipes also depends upon where they are installed. Pipes must not be installed at a place where they look shabby, or anywhere where they can be broken accidentally.

Repiping a house may take 5 days of work, or even a week, depending upon how extensive the plumbing system is the number of bathrooms and the layout of the previous piping of your house. After the installation is complete, your plumbing contractor will engage someone in the task of covering up the walls that were rebuilt with paint.

When repiping a house you don’t need to follow your old plumbing layout. Along with changing the pipes, you can also change the route of the pipes and the overall design of the plumbing system. Experienced professionals can help you repipe your house in a simple and clean manner while helping you minimize the cost of repiping.