Everything in the world has its own lifespan. The pipes of your house too. Over a long period of time, old pipes can be corroded (rusted) and decomposed. This leads to the likelihood of leakage, which can cause damage to the finishing materials and furniture of the house. And if there are problems with the sewer, then the damage to your home can be thousands of dollars. Therefore, it is worth taking care of replacing pipes in the house on time.
The most important question - is it time to replace the pipes or can we still play for time? Replacing old pipes in a home is an expensive undertaking, costing between $4,000 and $10,000 for a 1,500-square-foot, two-bath home. Chasing the floor or walls may be required, depending on how the pipes were originally installed.
Need to know your pipes
The type of pipes and connections determines the life of the equipment.
To do this, you need to read the report on the house, which you should have received with the purchase. Additionally, we advise you to invite a plumber to inspect your plumbing system. But in any case, regardless of the type of pipes and their service life, the system must be monitored.
Removing lead and polybutylene from your home
The most dangerous of old pipes are those containing lead and polybutylene. If such materials are found in your home, they must be removed immediately.
Lead pipes were used in the early 1900s and can release lead into the water.
The polybutylene pipes used from the 1970s to the 1990s are extremely unreliable and can leak at any time.
What do you need to pay attention to?
If your home has celebrated its 60th anniversary, then it needs an annual inspection of all open areas. It can be a basement, utility rooms, exits from floors, or walls. Look for discoloration, spots, dimples, pimples, or peeling - all of these are signs of corrosion. If you find such signs, call a plumber and listen to his conclusion.
The appearance of small leaks may indicate that the plumbing system of the entire house needs to be updated. Today, better materials have appeared on the market for materials. More information about them and the cost of new pipes can be found in the article.
“So if you have sporadic leaks in some places, they will soon start showing up throughout your system,” says Philadelphia plumber Joseph Emanuel. "It's time to change your water lines."
One of the signs of problems with the pipes can be the color of the water in the tub is filled. It should not have shades. If the water is not crystal clear, then there may be signs of rotting pipes inside. This will be especially noticeable if you have not used your plumbing system for a long time (for example, you were on vacation). In this case, you should consider replacing the pipes in the near future.
Better options for pipe replacement
Our advice is not to rely on the opinion of one plumber. It is necessary to listen to the recommendations of 2-3 experts before starting the project.
If your pipes are not mounted under the floor or wall, then the work will cost less. After all, it is quite easy for plumbers to get to the pipes and replace them. If we're talking about a 1,500-square-foot, two-bathroom home, then you'll pay between $2,500 and $6,500. Such a difference in prices may be due to the cost of the materials used, as well as the timing of the work.
The ideal time to replace water pipes is during the entire house or its individual rooms. Our advice is to replace all the pipes that will be available to you when you open the walls and floor. Since in this case, the pipes will be open, there will be less work for the plumber and, in general, the cost of the work will be small.
PEX plumbing cost vs Copper plumbing cost
A recently appeared modern material for pipes PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) is considered one of the best in terms of price and quality. Also, the flexibility of PEX pipe allows plumbers to easily run pipes inside walls and floors as electricians do. What can not be done with a copper pipe?
PEX complies with building codes almost everywhere and comes with a 25-year warranty.
Work to replace all plumbing in a 1,500-square-foot, two-bath home with copper pipes costs between $8,500 and $11,000. What is not a small amount for the project.
When using PEX pipes, a project for the same house will cost between $4,200 and $6,500. It's almost twice the price! Lower material and labor costs allow you to get exactly this amount for the project. “If it takes you two days to make copper in a house, you can make the same house in a day with PEX,” says Emanuel. And this is already 2 times less than the time of plumbing work.
There are statements on the Internet that the material has been used in the USA for only 10 years and there is not enough experience. But this material is widely used in Europe, Canada, and other countries of the world. There, it is also considered optimal in the production of work on replacing old water pipes with new ones.
If you're still worried about the life of new material, you always have the option of sticking with proven materials like copper.