Should You Replace Water Pipes During a Remodel?

If you are considering a home remodeling project, it is a great idea to consider how your plumbing plays into the picture. Most of the big renovations in homes are centralized in kitchens and bathrooms. These areas are known to improve the salability and value of a home above anything else. Examination of your plumbing while the covering materials are open and baring it all saves you the hassle of tearing out the materials, years down the line, for plumbing repairs. The big questions in a renovation, when it comes to plumbing, boils down to how much of the original plumbing must be replaced and what the general cost may total in the end. Let’s consider these issues in detail below.

 

Assessing the Health of Your Pipes

 

In order to keep your renovation costs down, it doesn’t make sense to update your entire plumbing system if nothing is leaking or suspect because of age. You should only replace the parts that really need replacing. However, sometimes, new materials may be incompatible with your existing system, and an entire replacement may be more cost-effective down the line. Most of the problems in a plumbing system are galvanized steel pipes that are corroded from age and copper piping with pinhole leaks from hard water. But, it is also possible to run into entire systems that are crudely assembled and unfit for the long-term. Remember, it may be more expensive to tear down upgraded materials or to replace them if you experience a plumbing problem down the line.

 

Plumbing Code Compliance

 

Compliance with plumbing codes should be at the forefront of your mind when you are installing a new system or assessing the fitness of your current plumbing. If your pipes are not framed correctly, and your drains do not have the appropriate downward slope or ventilation, the system may not achieve optimal function. Because plumbing codes are confusing and highly technical, it makes sense to call a professional plumbing service to ensure you are in compliance.

 

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Choice of Materials

 

A number of new materials have come to the market which offer some big advantages with some speculative trade-offs. PEX piping is one example of a new plumbing material that is flexible, resistant to corrosion, without the worries of freezing and bursting like metal pipes. The drawbacks of PEX are that it has only been in use for 30-years, and that it can degrade when exposed to UV radiation. For this reason, its durability is not well assessed in the real world despite any brilliant engineering. Copper tubing has to be soldered into place and may require professional assistance for this reason. PEX is just a new material that is usually installed by certified experts.

 

Estimating the Price

 

When you consider this other dimension of your renovation project, affordability will be determined upon the cost of materials and whether you are hiring labor or sifting through it yourself. If you have the time and talent, you can save yourself a lot of money. If you do it yourself, you may want to hire a professional plumber to at least come in and give it an inspection before and after with some suggestions. When you calculate the cost of materials, you should generally add 10-percent in order to account for any unexpected overages.

We handle all kinds of Savannah-area plumbing projects. Let us know when you need a Savannah plumber you can rely on!