How to Decide Between an Isolated Repair and Total Re-Piping

Re-piping can seem like a major undertaking for homeowners, which is often why it is avoided entirely in favor of individual repairs to sections throughout the house as the need arises. Defective piping, however, even in isolated areas may be indicative of a larger problem with your pipe system. Water leaks or consistent leaky pipes may cause significant deterioration to your home—especially in places you can’t see it.

Signs You May Need Re-Piping Services

• Changes in water pressure throughout the home
• Change in color or odor of your water
• Abnormally high water bills
• Constant leaks
• Piping is over 25 years old
• Poly B materials

Poly B materials are no longer accepted as part of Canadian building codes, though it has been widely used through Canada and the U.S. as a cheaper alternative to the more traditional copper materials. We’ve found that Poly B is more prone to repairs and re-piping than copper or PEX, since Poly B has lower pressure limits, lack of cross-links, and because the material may struggle to tolerate wide fluctuations in higher and lower temperatures. If you have Poly B piping, re-piping is the recommended course of action to avoid serious damage and costly repairs in the future.

Choosing the Materials

PEX and copper are the two main piping materials used for piping systems that are approved under Canadian building codes.

PEX

PEX is the more inexpensive version and comes with easy installation, making it a solid option for many homeowners. The material is also highly flexible and resistant to acidic substances—and during cold snaps and extreme low temperatures, PEX is less likely to freeze. The downsides to PEX, however, is that the material cannot be used outdoors and it can be damaged by UV lights—and unlike copper, PEX cannot be connected directly to the water heater.

Copper

Copper has been a long-time industry standard, due to its long-lasting durability as well as strong connectors and joints. It should be noted that copper does come with a higher up front cost than PEX, but the benefits to choosing copper are that it has a far longer lifespan.