Pipe Repair & Repiping: Same Day Service

Signs Your Pipes Need Repair or Replacement

Pipe problems tend to show up as changes in how water behaves: lower pressure, discolored water, banging when a faucet shuts off, or small leaks that keep appearing in new places. Pipe material and age usually explain which one you're seeing. For specific problems, see burst pipe, frozen pipes and low water pressure.

• Visible leaks or drips under sinks or along exposed pipes
• Low water pressure throughout the house
• Rusty or discolored water
• Leaks keep appearing in different places
• Banging pipes when faucets shut off (water hammer)
• Gray plastic polybutylene or galvanized steel pipes

How to Identify Your Pipe Material

Knowing what your pipes are made of tells you a lot about what's likely to fail. Check where pipes are exposed: under sinks, at the water heater, or in a basement or crawl space.

• Copper: orange-brown metal, or green where it's oxidized. Long-lived, but can develop pinhole leaks.
• PEX: flexible plastic tubing, often red, blue or white, joined with crimp rings or fittings.
• CPVC: rigid, cream or light-yellow plastic, glued at the joints.
• Galvanized steel: dull gray metal with threaded joints. A magnet will stick to it. It rusts from the inside and narrows over time.
• Polybutylene: flexible gray plastic, often stamped PB2110, common in homes built from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s and prone to sudden failure.

When a Pipe Problem Is an Emergency

A pipe problem is an emergency when water is escaping faster than you can catch it, or when it's near electrical wiring. Close the main valve first, then call.

• A pipe has burst or split and is spraying or pouring water.
• A frozen pipe is thawing and you can see bulging, frost cracks or new leaks.
• Water is leaking inside a wall or ceiling near electrical fixtures.
• You've lost water pressure everywhere after hearing a pop or seeing water outside.

What to Do When a Pipe Is Leaking

1. Shut off the main water valve.
2. Turn off the water heater.
3. Open the faucets to drain the lines and relieve pressure.
4. Catch dripping water with buckets and towels, and move belongings out of the way.

How Plumbers Repair Damaged Pipe

Most pipe repairs replace the damaged section rather than patching it. The plumber shuts off and drains the line, cuts out the bad piece and joins new pipe in its place. If the pipe around the damage is in poor shape too, they'll point that out before closing up.

1. Locate the damaged pipe and check the material and condition of the pipes around it.
2. Shut off and drain the affected line.
3. Cut out the damaged section and replace it with matching or code-approved compatible pipe and fittings.
4. Pressure test the repair and look for other weak spots nearby.
5. Restore the water and check every connection for leaks.

Spot Repair, PEX Repipe or Copper Repipe

Spot repair

Replaces a short damaged section. Right for a single leak in otherwise healthy pipe.

PEX repipe

Flexible plastic tubing with fewer fittings. Resists freeze damage and is usually faster to install.

Copper repipe

Rigid metal pipe with a long service life and good heat tolerance.

When a Repair Isn't Enough

Patching makes sense for a single leak in pipe that's otherwise healthy. When leaks keep turning up in different places, water pressure is low throughout the house, or the pipe is galvanized or polybutylene, each patch buys less time. That's the point where whole-house repiping usually costs less over the next decade than repeated repairs and water damage.

What Affects the Cost of Pipe Repair or Repiping

Pipe repair cost depends on what the pipe is made of, where it is, and how much of it is failing. A single leak in exposed copper is a short job; repeated leaks in old galvanized steel usually point to repiping.

• Pipe material. Galvanized steel and polybutylene often can't be patched neatly and may need sections replaced.
• Where the damage is. Exposed pipe in a basement is quicker to repair than pipe inside a finished wall or ceiling.
• How much pipe is affected. One split is a spot repair; repeated leaks point to repiping.
• Wall, ceiling and floor openings, and whether you want the plumber or a separate contractor to patch them.
• Permits, which most cities require for repiping.

How Housing Age Affects Pipe Problems

The median home in San Francisco was built in 1946; in Boston, Detroit and Baltimore, 1947; in Philadelphia, 1949. Homes of that age often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until water pressure drops and pinhole leaks start. In these cities, a plumber may recommend replacing whole runs or repiping rather than patching one leak at a time.

Newer cities have a different issue. Many homes built from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, a big share of the housing in places like Jacksonville, used gray polybutylene supply pipe, which can fail without warning.

Local plumbing details: San Francisco, Boston, Detroit, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Jacksonville

Aging Pipe by City

What our city pages say about aging pipe:

• San Mateo, CA: Houses from before 1960 can have galvanized lines and cast iron drains.
• Fayetteville, NC: Early-1900s houses can still have galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains.
• Pensacola, FL: Houses in North Hill and East Hill can have galvanized lines and cast iron or clay drains.
• Huntington, WV: Houses from before the 1950s can have galvanized supply lines, cast iron drains and clay laterals.
• Lawrence, KS: Houses in Oread and Old West Lawrence can have galvanized lines and cast iron drains.
• Marietta, GA: Historic houses can have galvanized lines, cast iron drains and clay sewer laterals.
• New Rochelle, NY: Prewar houses can have galvanized or lead service lines and cast iron drains.
• Bloomington, MN: Clay and cast iron sewer lines under 1950s ramblers crack and take in roots.

What to Know Before the Plumber Arrives

Telling the plumber what kind of pipe you have, even just its color, helps them bring the right fittings.

• Where the leak is and what the pipe looks like (copper, white or colored PEX, gray polybutylene, gray galvanized steel).
• The age of the house and any past repairs on the same line.
• Whether you've had frozen pipes in that area before.

After the Pipe Repair

Watch the repaired joint and the pipes around it for a few days, especially after a freeze, when damage often shows up in more than one spot.

• Check the repair and nearby joints for drips over the next few days.
• If the leak followed a freeze, check other pipes in the same wall or crawl space; freeze damage often shows up in more than one spot.
• Add insulation or heat tape to pipes that froze.

Pipe Guides

• How to Find and Shut Off Your Main Water Valve

How to Protect Pipes From Freezing and Corrosion

• Insulate pipes in garages, crawl spaces, attics and exterior walls.
• Keep water pressure below about 80 psi with a pressure-reducing valve.
• During hard freezes, let faucets on exterior walls drip and open the cabinet doors under sinks.
• Install water hammer arrestors if your pipes bang.

Pipe Repair Questions Homeowners Ask