What Is Repiping? A Plain-English Guide for Irvine Homeowners Hearing the Word for the First Time
A plumber said your house needs a repipe and you are not sure what that involves. What repiping means, what gets replaced and what stays, how the work is done in an…
If a plumber, inspector or neighbor has told you your house needs a repipe, the word can sound bigger and more disruptive than it is. Repiping simply means replacing the water supply pipes in a home with new pipe. Here is what that involves in practice for an Irvine house.
What gets replaced
A repipe replaces the pressurized water lines that carry cold and hot water to your fixtures. That usually includes:
- The main line from where water enters the house to the water heater and fixtures
- Hot and cold branch lines to every sink, shower, tub, toilet and appliance
- New shutoff valves at each fixture
- Connections at the water heater, washer and refrigerator line
What usually stays
A water supply repipe does not replace drain or sewer pipes, which are a separate, non-pressurized system. Fixtures such as faucets and toilets usually stay unless you want to upgrade them. The water heater stays unless it also needs replacing.
How it is done
Most homes are repiped without tearing out whole walls. New PEX-A is flexible, so it can be run through the attic and fished down inside walls through small openings near each fixture. The typical steps are:
- Protect floors and furniture and plan access openings
- Run new lines and connect them at each fixture group
- Switch the house over from the old system to the new one
- Pressure test and pass the city inspection
- Patch the access openings
Most families stay at home during the work, with water shut off only for part of the day.
Signs a home needs it
- Repeated pinhole leaks in copper
- Rusty or discolored water from galvanized pipe
- Low pressure throughout the house
- Known problem materials such as polybutylene or Kitec
- A slab leak in a home where the rest of the pipe is the same age
Irvine homes and repiping
Irvine's villages were built in waves, starting in the 1970s in areas such as University Park, Turtle Rock and Woodbridge, then Northwood, Westpark and others in the 1980s and 1990s. Many of the older villages still have their original copper lines, and some homes have already had one or two slab or pinhole leaks. Water comes from Irvine Ranch Water District. Repipes here are permitted and inspected through the City of Irvine, and village associations may set rules for work hours and contractor parking.
Related reading
Learn how a PEX manifold system can be part of a repipe, or read about common PEX pipe problems and how a proper install avoids them. Neighbors can visit Tustin, Lake Forest and Costa Mesa, or see every city we serve at repipeinc.com.
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Repipe OC, 23821 Hillhurst Drive, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677, (949) 524-2362, CSLB #1087885 C-36.
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Written by Repipe OC · CSLB #1087885 C-36 · 23821 Hillhurst Drive, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 · (949) 524-2362