How to Diagnose if You Need New Pipes in Your Home

Old plumbing can cause a lot of issues that aren’t fun to deal with. Plumbing breakdowns in your home or business can put a damper on your entire day.

Pipe leaks don’t always happen out of the blue. There may be early indicators that something is going wrong. Homeowners should be on the lookout for a few of the typical signs that they need new pipes.

Full home repiping is one of the less common plumbing services. Pipes are quite durable, and many homeowners will never need to go through a whole home repiping project. However, the longevity and durability of your pipes is highly dependent on the piping material and factors like water pressure or installation quality.

Most pipes can last for many decades, but significant breakdowns are not beyond the realm of possibility. Knowing how to spot bad pipes can save you a lot of trouble further down the road.

Signs You Need New Pipes

• Cracks: Cracks in your pipes are one of the easiest ways to diagnose if you need new pipes in your home. If you can see visible cracks in your pipes, it’s time to replace them. Cracks will lead to leaks that will become noticeable regardless of where the pipes are located in your home. If you notice wet spots on your floor or walls without an obvious source (like a spill), it’s possible that you have a crack in one of your pipes.

• Corrosion: There are a few signs you might notice if your pipes have begun to corrode. Water from a corroded pipe might be discolored, smell strange or taste unusual. You might also notice that you have poor water pressure and that your pipes are clogging more often. Another sign of corrosion in your pipes is drastically shifting temperatures in your water. The corrosion can clog the mechanisms used to heat your water and cause the water to change temperature suddenly without you adjusting it.

• Leaks: Leaks can be caused by a variety of factors and aren’t necessarily indicative of pipe failure, but cracks in pipes are a potential cause. Leaking may simply be due to loose pipes that need to be tightened or poor sealant (i.e. failing to apply Teflon tape or plumber’s putty to threading). If you’re unsure of what’s causing your pipes to leak, contact a plumber.

• Decreased Water Pressure: If you’ve noticed that the water pressure in your home has dropped it could be indicative of an issue with your plumbing. There are several reasons the water pressure in your home might drop, like leaks or issues with the water line in your neighborhood.

• Age and Material: The age and material of your pipes can influence how long they last. It’s important to consider both factors when making your repiping decision. Brass and galvanized steel last longer than other types of pipe materials and can have a lifespan of 80 to 100 years. Cast Iron pipes last about the same amount of time. You can expect copper pipes to last 70 to 80 years. PVC drainpipes in a home that primarily has metal piping may have a shorter lifespan. PVC piping typically lasts 25 to 40 years before needing to be replaced. Being aware of and tracking the age of your pipes can help you diagnose if it’s time to get new pipes installed in your home.

When purchasing a home, knowing its age and the piping material can help you gauge the likelihood that you’ll need to repipe at some point in the future.

Experienced Plumbers You Can Trust in Arlington, Texas

If you’re experiencing issues with your plumbing, you want to work with a business you can trust to fix the issue the first time. Tom’s Mechanical Inc. has been operating in Tarrant County for more than 60 years. We have maintained our A+ accreditation with the Better Business Bureau for more than a decade and have helped thousands of customers fix issues with their plumbing, heating and cooling systems.

Our team offers several plumbing services ranging from drain cleaning and sewer and water line replacement to repiping the whole home and installing water filtration systems. If you need help with the plumbing for your home or business, we can help you. Contact us online or call us at 972-388-3669.