Pipe repair fixes a single leak or damaged section, while repiping replaces the supply lines through the whole house. In older Dallas homes with galvanized or failing copper pipe, repeated pinhole leaks, rusty water and low pressure usually mean the pipes are wearing out. Call and describe what you are seeing and when the house was built.
What pipe repair and repiping includes
- Testing water pressure and inspecting accessible pipe, fittings and valves.
- Repairing a failed section, fitting or shutoff valve when the rest of the line is sound.
- Replacing a pressure regulator or shutoff when high pressure is stressing the plumbing.
- Whole-house repiping with PEX, routed through the attic and walls where possible.
- Reconnecting fixtures, the water heater and the main supply to the new lines.
- Patching the small drywall openings needed to run the new pipe.
How pipe repair & repiping works, step by step
- You call and describe the leaks, water color, pressure and the age of the house.
- The plumber identifies the pipe material and locates any active leaks.
- The plumber explains whether a spot repair or a repipe makes sense and confirms the price for your specific job.
- The repair or repipe is done, usually with PEX or copper, through small, planned wall openings.
- The new lines are pressure-tested, with any permit and inspection the City of Dallas requires.
Not sure what you need? Call (877) 340-0703 and describe your issue to a local plumber over the phone. Calls are answered 24/7.
Pipe repair and repiping: fix the leak or replace the line
Pipe repair fixes a specific leak or damaged section, while repiping replaces the home's supply lines throughout, and the right choice depends on whether the problem is one bad spot or a plumbing system that is wearing out everywhere. A single failed fitting is a simple repair. A house with repeated pinhole leaks, brown water and low pressure is telling you the pipes are near the end of their life.
Homes across Dallas span every era of plumbing, from galvanized steel in the oldest houses to copper in mid-century builds, polybutylene in some 1980s and 1990s neighborhoods and PEX in new construction. Knowing what is inside your walls is the first step in deciding what to do about it.
Signs your pipes need repair or replacing
- Repeated pinhole leaks or green and white corrosion on copper lines.
- Brown, yellow or rusty water, especially after the water has been off for a while.
- Low water pressure throughout the house, not just at a single fixture.
- Water stains on ceilings or walls, or damp drywall with no obvious source.
- A metallic taste or smell in the water, or visible flaking at fittings.
- Polybutylene (gray, blue or black plastic) or galvanized (dull gray steel) supply pipes, which are known to fail with age.
- Water hammer, banging pipes or fluctuating pressure.
Which pipes are in Dallas homes?
Houses built before roughly 1960 often have galvanized steel supply lines that corrode from the inside, restricting flow and turning water brown. Homes from the 1960s through the 1990s commonly use copper, which can pit and leak in spots, and some builds from about 1978 to 1995 used polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe that became widely known for failing at fittings. Newer homes use PEX or CPVC.
Local conditions add stress. Expansive clay moves foundations and can flex lines under slabs, hard freezes burst exposed pipes in attics and exterior walls, and moderately hard water leaves scale in older lines. All of that shortens the useful life of supply plumbing.
Repair or repipe?
One leak on an otherwise healthy line is a repair. Two or three leaks in a short time, or a material with a known failure record like polybutylene, points toward repiping. Repiping costs more up front but ends the cycle of leak, repair, damage and another leak. You should get an honest recommendation based on what is in the house, not a default push toward the larger job.
How to protect your pipes
Know where the main shutoff is and test it. Keep water pressure within a reasonable range with a working regulator. Insulate exposed pipes before a freeze. If you see discolored water, pinhole leaks or low pressure throughout the house, call instead of waiting for a full failure.