Copper Repiping

If your home, office or building is more than 25 years old, chances are that it still has “ye olde fashioned” zinc coated, galvanized steel piping. Although the zinc coating was meant to inhibit corrosion, it doesn’t make the steel pipes corrosion-proof. Over time, minerals and other elements in the water used in your home eventually corrode the inside of the pipes while the moisture in the air and ground go to work on the outside of the pipes. Inevitably, the galvanized pipes began to fail – causing low water pressure, dirty or fouled water, or they may even burst, causing even more costly damage to your home. The best way to fix all of these problems is to replace your existing old piping system with a reliable and cost-effective copper repiping system.

Replacing the old galvanized piping in your home can be a chore. Often times, gaining access to the piping can incur a great deal of expense, as you may have to remove sections of wall, flooring and even sections of the ceiling in multilevel homes. If you choose to do the work yourself, on a need-to-fix-it-now basis, you can easily find yourself overwhelmed trying to stay ahead of the repairs. If you wait for a leak to appear before replacing the piping, you also run the risk of having to repair your home, not just the piping. Piecemeal replacement is not recommended because it generally costs you more in the long run.

Your best bet is to replace all of the copper piping at once. As a rule, you follow the old galvanized piping layout and install the new copper repiping alongside it as you go. This way, you don’t have to worry about configuring the new piping. It also makes it easier to estimate how much copper piping you will need. We won’t lie to you, installing all the copper repiping at once can be expensive, as each 10 foot length of ½ inch, type M pipe, costs anywhere between $10 and $25, depending on who you buy it from and if you can get any discounts for bulk orders. Add in all of the joints you will need and associated supplies such as solder, flux and tools, and you now have yourself an expensive renovation project.

All that being said, you might decide that hiring a professional plumber is the best option for a couple of reasons. Professional plumbers can buy the necessary supplies for a lot less than you can in most cases and they can get the work done a lot faster than the average Joe. Beyond that, professional plumbers are also bonded, so if there are any mishaps and your house gets flooded in the copper repiping process, then you will be able to recover the cost of additional repairs. Although we are not promoting any plumbing contractors on this site, we are suggesting that your best course of action is to hire a plumber, unless you are confident in your ability to do the job yourself.

Hiring the right plumbing contractor to do your copper repiping can be a chore in itself. There are literally thousands of plumbing contractors in metropolitan areas, so finding one that is experienced in copper repiping takes a little legwork on your end. Calling a few of your own homeowner acquaintances to see who they use, is one way find a decent plumber, but calling building contractors and real estate companies is probably the best way. They know who has a good reputation and more importantly, who to avoid. Always make sure to ask for the plumber’s license number before you go any further, if they aren’t licensed, then they aren’t bonded. Most importantly, make sure you get a signed quote before any work begins to make sure they don’t take you for a ride.

What is Copper Repiping?

Unless you're a plumber or other construction professional, you probably have no idea what copper repiping is. Basically, copper repiping is completely refitting all of the existing pipes in a home or a business. Why do you need to do a copper repipe though, especially if there's nothing wrong with the existing pipes? Well, the main reason is that homes and other buildings built over 25 years ago were built with iron pipes that were coated with zinc. These galvanized pipes, however, have an issue—as they get older, the zinc lining will start to erode. This allows rust to form on your pipes. As they rust, you'll have to start replacing your pipes. Instead of replacing these galvanized pipes with other galvanized pipes that will eventually need to be replaced again, most people choose to replace them with copper pipes. This process is called copper repiping. [Read More]

How Do I Know If I Need Copper Repiping?

Having a full copper repiping done to your home can be very expensive, but it can also be very necessary. It can not only give you better water pressure, make your tap water taste and smell better, and prevent water damage; it can also make your home more valuable and easier to sell. However, when do you know that you need a copper repiping? Because the process can take some time complete and is fairly expensive, you don't want to do it on a whim or when it is unnecessary. [Read More]

Why Repipe with Copper?

If you live in an older home, you may start noticing some things about your pipes and your water pressure. You might notice that your water pressure isn't as strong as it once was. Maybe your water looks a little off color, or maybe you smell something odd around your sink every now and then. Generally, these things will all develop over time—rarely do pipes burst and flood your basement or home. However, they can all indicate that it's time for a copper repiping. [Read More]

How Copper Repiping is Installed

If you've suddenly lost water pressure in your shower, washing machine, kitchen sink, or garden hose, you may have several different issues. However, the most likely problem is that you need to have a copper repiping done. This means replacing all of your old iron pipes with copper ones. Copper piping is much better than iron pipes for several reasons. It's more durable, it's more flexible, and it doesn't rust. This means you won't have to worry about getting rust in your drinking water or dealing with the possibility that your pipes will burst, causing hundreds of dollars in water damage and forcing you to have new pipes installed. [Read More]