Repiping & Water Line Replacement

Signs your pipes are done

• Rusty or discolored water, especially first thing in the morning
• Pressure that's dropped off over the years as galvanized pipe scales shut from the inside
• Repeat pinhole leaks — when copper starts, it rarely stops at one
• Visible corrosion or green staining at fittings and joints
• Polybutylene — the gray plastic pipe used in a lot of late-70s to mid-90s construction. It fails without warning, and most insurers know it.
• Water that tastes metallic or leaves stains in fixtures

PEX or copper?

Both are good pipe. They're good at different things.

PEX is flexible, which means far fewer fittings and far less cutting into your walls. It handles our hard water well because there's no interior surface for scale to grab and no metal to corrode. It's quieter — no water hammer banging in the walls — and it's less expensive to install because it goes in faster. The main limitations are that it can't be run in direct sunlight and rodents can occasionally be an issue in unprotected crawl spaces.

Copper is proven, it handles heat without question, it's the traditional choice, and some homeowners simply prefer it. It costs more in both material and labor, and on aggressive water it's the one that develops pinholes.

For most Central Coast homes we recommend PEX-A with expansion fittings. We're happy to do copper where you want it or where the job calls for it.

What the job actually looks like

A typical single-story three-bath repipe runs two to four days. Here's the sequence:

1. Walkthrough and plan. We map the runs, identify access points, and show you exactly where we'll need to open drywall — usually small, strategic cuts rather than gutting walls.
2. Protection. Floors covered, furniture moved and draped, work areas contained.
3. New lines in. We run and pressure-test the entire new system before anything old comes out.
4. Cutover. Water is typically off for part of one day, not the whole job. We coordinate that with your schedule.
5. Inspection. We pull the permit and meet the inspector.
6. Patch and clean. Drywall patched and textured, everything hauled off.

You keep water at the end of every workday except the cutover. That's the part people worry about most and it's the part we plan hardest around.

Water service lines

Not every repipe is inside the house. If your pressure is low everywhere at once, or you've got a wet spot in the yard between the meter and the house, the service line is the suspect. We replace those too — trenched or, where the site allows, with less disruption to your landscaping. Rural properties on wells get their own conversation, since pump, pressure tank, and line sizing all interact.