Whole-Home Repiping in Middle Tennessee
- Licensed and insured plumbing, HVAC and electrical techs
- Tennessee Limited Licensed Plumber 5279
When leaks keep turning up in different places, the water runs rusty, or the pressure keeps dropping, one more repair may just move the problem down the line. Replacing the water pipes (repiping) fixes the cause instead.
We'll look at the pipe in your walls and crawl space now, tell you whether repiping makes sense or a repair will do, and give you a firm price before any work starts. Repiping during a renovation, while the walls are already open, is often the simplest time to do it.
Signs you need repiping help
- Leaks that keep showing up in different places
- Rusty, brown or cloudy water, especially first thing in the morning
- Water pressure that has dropped over the years
- Gray plastic pipe marked PB, which is polybutylene
- Dull gray metal pipe with threaded joints, which is galvanized steel
- Green stains or pinhole leaks on copper pipe
- A remodel that will open walls where old pipe runs
What we do
Inspection and a plan
We look at the pipe you have, where it runs and what shape it's in, then lay out a plan: which lines get replaced, the route they take and what has to be opened to reach them.
Whole-home repiping
Replacing the water supply lines from the main shutoff to every fixture, with new shutoff valves at sinks and toilets along the way.
Partial repiping
Replacing one failing section, such as the lines in a crawl space, a bathroom or a kitchen, when the rest of the pipe is sound.
Water service line replacement
Replacing the line from the water meter to the house when it's old, too small or leaking.
Renovations
Repiping while the walls are open in a remodel, routed for the new layout and coordinated with the rest of the plumbing, HVAC and electrical work.
Repair or replace?
If the pipe is sound and you have one leak, repair it. There's no reason to repipe a house over a single failed fitting, and we'll tell you so.
Repiping makes sense when the pipe material itself is the problem. Galvanized steel rusts from the inside, narrows and eventually leaks. Polybutylene has a long history of failing without warning. Copper can develop pinhole leaks, depending on the water. When leaks keep repeating, each repair spends money on a system that's wearing out. We'll price a repair and a repipe side by side, so you can compare them.
What it costs, and how we price it
What drives the price
- Whole house or one section, and how many fixtures the lines serve
- PEX or copper
- How the pipe can be reached: a crawl space or basement is simpler than a slab or finished ceilings
- How many walls and ceilings have to be opened, and whether the home has one story or two
- Whether the water service line from the meter is replaced too
- Permits and inspections the local jurisdiction requires
- The diagnostic visit
- Free. We come look, find the cause and explain it.
- Your price
- Firm price given before any work starts.
- How we price
- Priced per job. Each job is priced on its own.
- Why prices stay down
- Low overhead, and the work done right the first time with current methods, equipment and quality materials, so you are not paying for callbacks.
How a visit works
Call or text
Call or text (615) 426-9344 and tell us what's going on. A photo helps. We work Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A free diagnostic visit
We come look, find the cause and explain it in plain words. The visit is free.
A firm price before any work starts
You get the price for the job before we begin, so you can decide with real numbers.
The work, done right the first time
Current methods, good equipment and quality materials. We keep overhead low and skip the callbacks, which keeps prices down.
Follow-up
If anything we worked on gives you trouble, call or text the same number.
PEX or copper: which is right for repiping?
Both are good choices, and the right one depends on your home and your preference.
PEX is flexible plastic tubing. It bends around corners with fewer fittings, is less likely to split in a freeze, resists scale and corrosion, and usually costs less to install. It can't be left in direct sunlight.
Copper is rigid metal pipe that has been used in homes for generations. It holds up to heat and sunlight, and some homeowners simply prefer it. We'll explain both and price either one.
Does my home have polybutylene pipe?
Look where the water line enters the house and at the pipes near the water heater. Polybutylene is flexible plastic pipe, usually gray and sometimes blue or black, often stamped PB2110. It was used in many homes built from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s.
It can fail at the fittings and from the inside, often without warning. If you find it, have it looked at before it fails.
What about galvanized steel pipe?
Galvanized pipe is steel coated in zinc, and it was common in homes built before the 1960s. Over time the zinc wears away, the steel rusts from the inside and the opening narrows. That lowers pressure, can bring rusty water and eventually leaks, often at the threaded joints.
Older homes sometimes have a mix: copper or PEX in one area, galvanized in another. We'll tell you what you have.
How much of the house gets opened up?
It depends on how your home is built. Over a crawl space or basement, many lines can run under the floor with few openings. In finished rooms, some walls and ceilings have to be opened where the new lines run. We'll show you where before we start, so there are no surprises.
Common questions
Is the diagnostic visit really free?
Yes. We'll come look at your pipes for free, tell you what we find and give you a firm price before any work starts. You decide from there.
How long does it take to repipe a house?
It depends on the size of the home, how the pipe is reached and whether it's the whole house or a section. We'll tell you what to expect when we give you the price.
Will I have water during a repipe?
There will be times the water is off while lines are switched over. We'll plan those with you ahead of time, so you know when to expect them.
Can you repipe just part of the house?
Yes. If one area has the problem pipe and the rest is sound, replacing that section can make sense. We'll tell you honestly if the rest of the system is close behind.
Is PEX safe for drinking water?
Yes. PEX made for drinking water is tested and certified to national standards for that use, and it's widely used in new homes.
Should I repipe during a renovation?
If the pipe in the walls you're opening is old, it's the simplest time to do it. The walls are already open, and the new lines can go exactly where the new layout needs them.
Will repiping improve my water pressure?
If old galvanized pipe has narrowed with rust, usually yes. If the low pressure comes from something else, like a failing pressure-reducing valve, we'll find it first so you're not repiping to fix the wrong problem.
Related
- Leak Detection and Repair
- Plumbing Repair
- Water Heater Repair and Replacement
- Whole-Home Water Filtration
- Toilets, Faucets, Sinks and Disposals
Plumbing
Why is my water pressure low?
Low water pressure usually comes from a clogged faucet screen (the aerator) or showerhead, a valve that isn't fully open, a failing pressure-reducing valve, a hidden leak, or old pipes narrowed by rust. First check whether it's one faucet, only the hot water, or the whole house. Each points somewhere different.
Plumbing
How do you prevent frozen pipes in a Middle Tennessee winter?
Keep the heat on and steady, take hoses off outdoor faucets and insulate exposed pipes in the crawl space, attic and garage. In a hard freeze, open sink cabinets and let faucets fed by those pipes drip. Close crawl space vents too, unless there's a gas furnace or water heater down there. Know where your main water shutoff is.
Work that holds.
Call or text for repiping anywhere we serve in Middle Tennessee.