Repiping a house is a fairly extensive and somewhat costly project. Nonetheless, it can pay major dividends by improving the performance of your plumbing system and helping you avoid leaks and plumbing repairs. If you're concerned about the condition of your home's pipes, these are the things to look for that can help you determine when repiping is necessary.

Do You Have Lead, Galvanized Steel, or Polybutylene Pipes?

The majority of plumbing systems nowadays use copper pipes for all of the water lines. Polyurethane PEX piping is also becoming quite common as an alternative to copper due to it costing less and being easier to install. Nonetheless, you can still find older homes that have galvanized steel, polybutylene, or even lead water lines. If your house has any of these three types of pipes, you should hire a professional to repipe your plumbing system as soon as possible due to the risks they pose to your home and especially your health. Lead pipes are the biggest concern since they leach lead into the water and can result in lead poisoning, which comes with other health issues. Lead is especially a concern for children since it can interfere with their growth and development. The risk of lead poisoning is also why you should repipe your house if you have galvanized steel pipes. That's because the coating on galvanized steel also contains lead and can leach other heavy metals and harmful chemicals into the water as well. Polybutylene pipes were commonly used between the 1970s and 1990s. At the time, this type of pipe was considered a great alternative to copper as a result of it being much cheaper and easier to install. Unfortunately, everyone quickly realized that the polybutylene resin continually deteriorates at a rapid rate, resulting in the pipes being extremely prone to leaking and often only lasting for 10 to 20 years. This issue is so bad that it resulted in a nearly $1 billion class-action lawsuit as a result of polybutylene pipes leaking and causing so much damage to homes and businesses. If you have any polybutylene pipes in your house, you can consider yourself extremely lucky that they haven't started leaking yet. Nonetheless, you can be almost certain if you don't replace them that, it won't be all that long before you have to deal with extensive leaks and major water damage.

Is Your Water Pressure Low?

A variety of different issues can lead to a house having poor water pressure — one of the most common of which is the build-up of mineral deposits inside the plumbing system. While the Nashville area has fairly soft water compared to many other parts of the country, mineral deposits still continually form inside pipes unless the home has a water softener. In older plumbing systems, the problem can get bad enough that the deposits essentially start to choke off some or all of the water lines in the house. That means the inner diameter of the pipe is much smaller than it should be, which results in a fairly substantial reduction in water pressure. If you're constantly dealing with low water pressure, a plumbing company should be able to quickly determine what the cause is. One thing that they'll do when troubleshooting the issue is to use a camera to inspect inside your pipes. If they discover a large amount of mineral deposits in your pipes, repiping will be the only effective option for ensuring your house has sufficient water pressure.

Do You Experience Frequent Leaks or Other Plumbing Issues?

Dealing with an occasional leak is fairly common. If you're dealing with frequent leaks and continually needing plumbing repairs, it's a sign your pipes are old and should be replaced. Every municipal water supply contains some amount of minerals along with things like fine silt, sand, and sediment. As these things travel through metal pipes, they essentially end up slowly eating away at the pipes. That means the pipes get thinner and weaker over time, leading to an increased chance of pinhole leaks forming. Another similar issue is that the turbulence of the water moving through the pipes can lead to issues like pitting and corrosion. The turbulence is always highest in places where there's a bend in the pipe and the water has to change direction. This is why older plumbing systems can often experience issues with an elbow or joint coming loose and creating a much bigger leak. If your home's pipes are old and you're frequently needing to pay a plumber to repair them, all you're really doing is throwing that money down the drain. Investing in having your home repiped makes much more financial sense in this situation since it can minimize the need for future repairs. It will also help you avoid potentially encountering a major leak or flooding and needing to pay for extensive repairs to other parts of your house.

Are Your Pipes Visibly Corroded?

Experts recommend having your plumbing system fully inspected by a professional at least once every two to three years, but ideally every year. One thing a plumber will do during the inspection is check all of your exposed pipes for any signs of rusting or corrosion. Corrosion on the outside of a pipe is always a bad sign and indicates a high chance of the pipe soon developing a pinhole leak or even completely bursting. This is why it's also a good idea to occasionally check your exposed pipes yourself. If you see any flaking, discoloration, or rusty-looking spots, it's also a definite sign you should have your pipes replaced.

Does Your Water Looks Discolored or Smells/Tastes Bad?

One of the main reasons that copper pipes are used for water lines is that copper is highly resistant to rust and corrosion. Nonetheless, copper pipes can still corrode over time, especially if the home's water is fairly acidic. At some point, the corrosion can get so bad that it results in the water looking rusty or discolored and having an unpleasant taste and/or smell. If you have a tank water heater and only notice these issues with your hot water, it means your water heater is rusted inside. In this case, you definitely want to replace it fairly soon or else it could end up massively leaking or even burst. If these issues are also present in your cold water, it indicates there's a large amount of corrosion inside your pipes. As such, you should have your home repiped as soon as you can or else you'll likely start experiencing frequent leaks fairly soon.

Nashville's Trusted Plumbing Experts

Benjamin Franklin Plumbing® is a local, independently owned franchise specializing in all residential plumbing services. We were named the top-ranked plumbing company in the country for 2024 by Forbes, which is a testament to our unmatched level of service and support. Whether it's repiping your home or any other service, we'll always discuss your choices with you beforehand. That way, you can choose the pricing option that works best for you and fits your budget. With our Straightforward Pricing®, you can trust you'll receive an honest price without any hidden fees. If you're dealing with a plumbing emergency, you can turn to us 24/7/365 to get the immediate assistance you need. Our trusted plumbers are here to help you with your plumbing solutions, so call us or contact us online today!