Repiping a House in Pennsylvania

Why older Pennsylvania houses need repiping

Much of the housing in south-central Pennsylvania was built before 1960. Census estimates for the communities we cover show that share ranging from about a third in newer suburbs to more than nine in ten in some older boroughs. Houses from that era were commonly plumbed with galvanized steel water pipe: steel coated in zinc, joined with threaded fittings.

Galvanized pipe doesn’t fail all at once. The zinc coating wears away, the steel begins to corrode on the inside, and rust and mineral scale build up until the opening is a fraction of its original size. The result is a slow decline that owners often get used to: weaker showers, a long wait for the tub to fill, rusty water after a vacation. Eventually the threaded joints, where the pipe wall is thinnest, start to leak.

Repiping means replacing the supply pipes that carry water to the fixtures. It is a different job from replacing the service line that brings water from the street, which is covered on our water line replacement page, and from the drain pipes that carry waste away. In many older houses all three are due at once, and planning them together saves money.

How to tell what you have

Look where the water line enters the basement and follow it to the water heater and up into the house:

• Galvanized steel: dull grey, threaded joints, and a magnet sticks to it.
• Copper: reddish-brown where clean, soldered joints, not magnetic.
• PEX: flexible plastic tubing, usually red, blue or white, with crimped or expanded fittings.
• CPVC: rigid cream or tan plastic, glued joints.
• Lead: soft, dull grey, scratches to shiny silver and is not magnetic. Lead is rare inside the house but can appear in very old service lines and connectors.

It is common to find a mixture. A previous owner may have replaced the pipe to the kitchen but left galvanized running to the upstairs bathroom. Where copper is joined directly to galvanized steel without a dielectric fitting, the joint corrodes faster.

Partial or whole-house?

You don’t always have to replace everything at once.

• Whole-house repipe replaces every supply line from the main shutoff to the fixtures. It is the most disruptive option but solves the problem in one go and is often the better value when the pipe is all the same age.
• Partial repipe replaces the worst sections first, often the main trunk line in the basement and the risers to the most-used bathroom. It suits owners who are spreading the cost over a few years.
• Repipe during a remodel. If a kitchen or bathroom is being redone, replacing the supply lines behind those walls costs comparatively little while they are open.

A plumber can help you set the order. In most houses the trunk line in the basement carries water to everything else, so replacing it first gives the biggest improvement.

Choosing the new pipe

• PEX is flexible, so it can be fished through walls with fewer openings. It resists scale and freezing damage better than rigid pipe and is widely used in repipes. It must be protected from sunlight and installed with fittings approved for the system.
• Copper is long-lived and familiar, with a long track record. It costs more and takes more time to install, especially in finished walls.
• CPVC is used in some areas, though it is less common in repipes today.

Whatever the material, ask about adding shutoff valves at each fixture and a full-port ball valve at the main, and about insulating any pipe that runs along exterior walls or through unheated spaces; see burst and frozen pipe repair.

What the job involves

A typical whole-house repipe in a two-storey house takes a few days, depending on its size, the number of bathrooms and how accessible the walls are.

1. Planning. The plumber maps the existing pipe, checks the incoming pressure and proposes routes for the new lines.
2. Permit. Most municipalities require a plumbing permit for repiping, followed by an inspection. In some cities, such as Harrisburg, only a licensed master plumber can install or replace plumbing pipe.
3. Protection. Floors and furniture are covered, and work areas are kept as small as possible.
4. Running the new lines. New pipe is installed alongside the old where possible, so water can stay on most of the time. Small openings are cut in walls and ceilings to pull the new lines through.
5. Switch-over and testing. Fixtures are connected to the new system, which is pressure-tested for leaks.
6. Inspection and patching. After inspection, the openings are closed. Many plumbers leave final patching and painting to the owner or a separate contractor; ask in advance.

Living in the house during a repipe

Most families stay at home. Water is usually off during working hours and back on at night, and the plumber will tell you which rooms will be disrupted on which day. Plan for dust, noise and furniture moved away from walls, and keep pets away from open walls.

While the walls are open

A repipe is a good time to deal with other items that are hard to reach later:

• The main shutoff valve, if it is an old gate valve.
• A pressure-reducing valve, if the incoming pressure is too high.
• Old cast iron drain stacks that run through the same walls; see broken sewer line repair.
• Water heater connections, including a new expansion tank if required; see water heater repair.
• The service line, if it is galvanized or lead; coordinate with your water utility.

Is repiping always necessary?

No. If the house has copper that is in good condition, or a recent partial repipe, the right answer may be to fix a single leak. If pressure is low throughout the house, it is worth checking the main shutoff, the pressure-reducing valve and the service line before assuming the pipes inside are to blame. A plumber can measure pressure at the meter and at fixtures to find where it drops.

For a single leak you can’t find, start with leak detection. For drips and weak flow at one fixture, see faucet and fixture repair.

What affects the cost

• The size of the house and the number of bathrooms and fixtures.
• Material: PEX usually costs less to install than copper.
• Access: finished basements, plaster walls and tile make routing harder.
• Scope: whole-house or partial, and whether valves, the water heater connections or the service line are included.
• Permit and inspection fees, which vary by municipality.
• Patching and painting, if included.

Get the scope in writing, including who pulls the permit and what happens to the wall openings. Our how calls work page lists questions to ask.

Repiping questions