How do you repipe a house?

Answer 1

Repiping the supply lines involves the replacement of the old existing water lines with new pipes. The need to repipe occurs when old lines become clogged or begin to show signs they are about to leak. Those signs include rust on the outside of the pipes, sweating and water calcification (a white or greenish residue) plus low water flow and rusty or discolored water.

Repiping today is done primarily with PEX (Poly Ethylene with X-Linked molecules). Some people still use copper though the expense for materials and labor make PEX a much more popular choice. Though other materials like galvanized pipe and CPVC are legal to use they should be avoided due to their inherent problems; namely rust in galvanized and high failure rates in CPVC.

Old supply lines are not necessarily followed during a repipe. Often, lines are covered by concrete or run in such a way to make it impractical. An experienced repiper is more than just a plumber. The repiper will run lines where it makes the most sense and does the least amount of damage. There is almost never a reason to cut concrete when replacing supply lines.

A repipe should not only include the 'horizontal' lines under the floor, it should include all lines to the existing fixtures. This includes the 'vertical' lines in the walls as well as the supply lines from the angle stop shut offs right up to the existing fixtures. Water can do an amazing amount of damage in a very short time and leaks in the walls or under sinks are usually the most dangerous.

A proper repipe starts at the connection in the basement or crawl space. Here, a connection is made to the main line coming into the house from the meter. It is often important to do the main line at the same time as the rest of the house. This can be accomplished in most cases with a directional bore that leaves your landscaping and concrete neat, clean and undisturbed. Once the connection is made, a shut-off is installed and new trunk lines are run throughout the house. From there the vertical pipes can be run up through the same holes and back into the walls or you may chose a deck mount which is drilled from below into a cabinet or behind a washing machine. In the case of the deck mount, the pipes are mounted outside the wall but hidden beneath the cabinet or behind the washer. This saves having to patch the walls again after the job is done.