How to Repipe a House (And What to Expect From the Process)

Your water pipes had their day, but they’re no longer getting the job done. As such, you’ve decided: it’s time for a repiping.

You have two options: you can hire someone to do it for you or you can try to do it yourself. At this point in time, you’ve decided to opt for the latter. The only problem is that you don’t know how to repipe a house.

Fortunately, we do, and we’re going to help you. So, without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about repiping a house in Salt Lake City, Utah.

How to Repipe a House: The Process

As you might expect, there’s quite a bit that goes into repiping a house. We’ll discuss every step in detail below.

Turn Off Your Water

First and foremost, before getting started, you need to turn off your water. Disconnecting pipes with live water running through them is just asking for a flood. To do this, just find the main valve and give it a proper turn.

Dispose of Remaining Water

Even after you shut off your water main valve, water will continue to remain in your pipes. To get it out, start running your faucets until they’ve run dry. In most cases, this takes only a few minutes.

Put Down Plastic Sheets

Repiping a house is typically a messy endeavor. As such, in order to protect your floors and your belongings, you’re going to want to put down plastic sheets. These sheets will not only prevent traces of water from saturating the area but residue from the drywall as well.

Cut Through the Drywall

The vast majority of water pipes are buried behind drywall. So, as you might expect, in order to access them, you’ll need to cut through your drywall.

The key here is to remove as little drywall as possible, while still providing yourself with plenty of clearance as it pertains to grabbing and manipulating the pipes. Start close to an appliance (like a toilet, for instance), and then use that as a guideline to get from place to place.

Remove Existing Pipes

Now that you’ve cut through your drywall, it’s time to remove existing pipes from their current positions. The easiest way to do this is to cut them into pieces and remove them little by little. Then, once you’ve made it to the fittings, just untwist them and remove them as needed.

Note, to cut pipes, you’re going to want to use a tubing cutter. These are small, handheld devices that can clench onto pipes and split them in half.

Add New Pipes

Next, you’re going to start adding the new pipes. To do this, you essentially just place them in the location of the old pipes. Make sure to have the proper fittings on hand, and make sure you secure those fittings with plumber’s glue and tape.

Patch Up the Drywall

Your new piping has been installed. Now, all that’s left to do is to fix up the drywall that you had to cut through before. This could take a few days, but once it’s finished, everything will look as good as new.

Common Repiping Mistakes

As you might expect, DIYers tend to make mistakes while repiping Salt Lake City homes. After all, this is a deceptively complex task. Some of the most common repiping mistakes include the following.

Putting Thread Tape on Backward

One mistake that you’ll often see is putting thread tape on backward. When this occurs, the tape isn’t able to work its way into the threads. As a result, it ends up unraveling, serving essentially no purpose.

When applying thread tape, make sure to put it on in a clockwise fashion. For an ideal fit, wrap it 3 times.

Failing to Have the Necessary Tools on Hand

There are a number of tools needed to properly facilitate a repiping. Unfortunately, many DIYers fail to have these tools on-hand. As a result, they end up patchworking the project, causing a number of issues down the line.

The tools you need to facilitate a repiping depend on the type of piping you’re using. So, make sure to consult a professional before starting your project.

Using the Wrong Fittings

There are a variety of different types of pipe fittings. These pipe fittings all serve a specific purpose, and should not be used interchangeably. Unfortunately, many DIYers do use them this way and end up facing huge issues as a result.

So, before you get started, make sure that you’re well-read on your fittings. Make sure that you’re placing them in the right areas and that they are, indeed, equipped to do what you’re making them do. If you make a mistake in this department, you could be dealing with water damage issues in just a short amount of time.

Getting Ahead of Yourself

Repiping a house is a serious business. It’s not something that should be taken lightly. Unfortunately, many DIYers do take it this way, allowing hubris to rule the day.

The truth is if you’re not exceedingly knowledgeable in the facets of plumbing, repiping your house on your own is a huge risk. You might be able to pull it off, but you might create a giant disaster instead.

So, if you’re not at least 90% confident that you can do this, you should just leave it to the professionals.

Would You Rather Utilize the Services of a Seasoned Plumber?

Now that you know how to repipe a house, you might see that it’s a little too difficult for you to facilitate. You might instead be interested in utilizing the services of a seasoned plumber. If so, and if you’re in need of a plumber in Salt Lake City, Utah, specifically, we here at Stallion Plumbing are the people to see.

We’ve repiped countless homes throughout the Salt Lake City area. We’ll have your plumbing system operating at optimal levels in no time.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment!