A complete replacement of the water supply pipes throughout your home or business with copper pipes, also known as re-piping, may be a necessary investment if you have ever experienced any of the following indicators:

• A large leak (or multiple leaks) inside of your building,
• An inexplicable increase in your water bill,
• Low water pressure, rusty colored water flowing from your faucets, or
• Soggy puddles in your yard when there has not been any recent rain.

These warning signs may be happening due to different reasons and they could indicate that your existing piping is leaking or corroded and may need to be completely replaced. For example, if your building has older galvanized steel pipes, they may have begun to rust and corrode. Or if your building was constructed between 1978 and 1995, polybutylene piping, a type of plastic piping, was especially popular during that time, and now has a history of catastrophic water damage.

The best way to determine if you need to have a complete re-piping of your pipes is to call out an expert, like those at Elk Grove Village Sewer and Plumbing, for a professional site inspection. This step is critical, as the re-piping of your building is by no means a do-it-yourself project. There are possibly water lines that are buried in your foundation or under landscaping so an average, or even expert, do-it-yourselfer is not qualified to take this project on.

Once you have a professional site inspection and you are ready to begin, be sure to fully understand what the project will entail. Since re-piping requires removing all old piping and then installing new piping and reconnecting the faucets to all of the water supply lines in your home, this will require time that the water supply will need to be turned off, potentially a few days.

During this time, your old pipes will be excavated and removed and then new copper, galvanized steel, iron, or brass pipes will be installed. Please note that only repairing polybutylene plastic pipes is not recommended because the integrity of this piping is questionable. Usually the joint fittings are not quality made and do not fit correctly and plastic pipes also become brittle over time. This is why it is imperative that a re-piping project not use plastic pipes.

After your new pipes are installed, the water will be turned back on, a pressure test will be done, and any drywall that had been removed will be replaced or patched up and you will be able to return to your home or business.

Yes, it is true that re-piping your property is not an inexpensive project to undertake. But having the peace of mind that you will not have to deal with future burst or leaky pipes and all of the extra costs and repairs that follow, will be worth it.

Give yourself that peace of mind by contacting our experts at Elk Grove Village Sewer and Plumbing for a professional site inspection. We’ll help you determine if a re-piping project is recommended, and if so, we will guide you along every step of the way.