Whole-Home Repiping in Phoenix

Whole-Home Repiping in Phoenix

There's a point where a house's water lines are simply done. For Phoenix it's usually one of three situations: original galvanized steel pipe that's rusting from the inside and choking off pressure, copper that's developed pinhole leaks from decades of hard water, or polybutylene (the grey plastic pipe used through the mid-90s) that's become brittle and fails at the fittings. If you've had two leaks in a couple of years, you'll have a third. A repipe ends it.

We repipe houses with PEX or copper, working through the attic and walls with as few openings as possible, and we do the finish work so the walls don't look like they were ever opened.

Signs It's Time to Repipe

• Two or more leaks in different parts of the house within a few years
• Rusty or brown water when you first turn on a tap
• Low pressure throughout the house that a new regulator didn't fix
• Grey polybutylene pipe visible at the water heater or under sinks
• Galvanized pipe (dull grey metal, threaded fittings) anywhere in the system
• A slab leak in a home that's already had one

PEX or Copper

PEX is flexible cross-linked polyethylene. It's what we recommend for most repipes: it runs in long continuous lengths with few fittings, doesn't corrode, handles Phoenix water chemistry well, and installs with fewer wall openings. Copper is the traditional choice and still a good one; it's rigid, proven, and some homeowners simply prefer it. We install both and will price both. Either way, every fitting and manifold we use is rated for potable water and installed to code.

What a Repipe Involves

We walk the house and map every fixture. New lines are run from a new manifold at the water heater or entry point, through the attic and down the walls to each fixture, with new shut-off valves at every sink and toilet. Openings in drywall are kept small and are patched, textured and ready for paint when we're done. The old lines are abandoned in place (capped and left; removing them would mean opening far more wall). We pressure-test the whole system, flush it, and check every fixture. Most single-story Phoenix homes are repiped in two to three days, with water back on each evening.

Cost and What Affects It

The number of fixtures, single- or two-story, attic access, slab construction, and whether you choose PEX or copper. We give a firm written quote after walking the house, and it includes the drywall repair. A repipe is a significant job, but it's one job with a one-year labor warranty and a lifetime of not wondering where the next leak is.