There are still homes today that have cast iron pipes, which were standard many years ago.  However, the new standard is either copper or PVC, mainly because cast iron pipes were extremely difficult and costly to fix.

Here are a few reasons you might want to have a plumber re-pipe your home:

  • If the pipes in your home are more than 30 years old, you may save money by having it re-piped. This is very true if it seems like you have one leak fixed only to have another one pop up somewhere else in the system.
  • Sometimes the only option to repair leaks in the foundation or slab of your home is to re-pipe them.  Usually a plumber will just re-pipe the house through the walls and overhead because it is a much less expensive way to fix this type of leak.  The other alternative is to do some major demo work, potentially even tearing down the entire house if the entire foundation is affected.
  • If your water bill suddenly increases significantly, there is probably a leak somewhere, and in the case of major leaks, you may find that it's actually cheaper to just have it re-piped.

Preventing water damage to your home also saves a lot of money and stress in the long run because moisture problems can cause mold and mildew, which in turn, creates serious health problems for you and your family.

A plumber can do various tests on your system to find out if you really do need to have the pipes re-piped.  One of the tests they may do is video inspection of the pipes.  This enables them to send a camera down into the pipes so that they can look around and actually see what is going on. Remember that leak detection is an important first step before any major decisions about your plumbing system are made.

Almost any kind of pipe can be re-piped.  Even sewer and drain lines can be replaced. An expert who is skilled in this type of plumbing can help you determine the least expensive and best course of action for any plumbing problem you are having in your home or business.