Whole-house repipe

When the pipes themselves are failing, patching one leak at a time stops being the answer. A whole-house repipe replaces the water supply lines throughout the home, from the meter to the last fixture, in new PEX or copper. Bobrick Plumbing repipes homes across Camas, Washougal, Vancouver, and the surrounding Clark County area, and a licensed, journey-level plumber handles the job from planning through inspection.

When a house needs a repipe

A repipe makes sense when the trouble is the piping rather than a single fitting. Common reasons:

• Repeated pinhole leaks in old copper
• Galvanized steel pipe that has rusted closed and dropped your water pressure
• Polybutylene pipe, common in some homes built from the late 1970s into the mid 1990s
• Discolored water that shows up when you first open a tap
• Water that runs hot and cold when another fixture is used

If you have paid to fix the same kind of leak more than once, a repipe is often the point where the system is simply sound again.

What a repipe changes day to day

A finished repipe shows up in the everyday. The water runs clear from the first draw instead of a rusty first cup, the pressure holds so a shower stays steady when the dishwasher runs, and the fixtures fill the way they did when the house was new. Because the new lines carry new shutoffs at every fixture, later work on any one of them gets simpler too. For a home that has been nursing an old system along, a repipe is the point where the water simply works again.

PEX or copper

We repipe in both PEX and copper.

PEX is flexible tubing that runs with fewer fittings, resists the pinhole corrosion that affects copper, and handles our winters well. It is the material most homes are repiped in today.

Copper remains a durable, proven choice and is what some homeowners prefer.

We talk through how each one fits your home and your plans, then repipe in the one you choose.

What a repipe looks like, day by day

Most whole-house repipes run one to three days depending on the size of the home and the number of bathrooms.

• Planning: we map every run from the main to each fixture and lay out the new lines
• Access: we open a small number of neat, planned openings in walls and ceilings to reach the pipe
• Install: we run the new PEX or copper, tie in every fixture, and set new shutoffs
• Test: we pressure-test the system and the inspector signs it off
• Close-up: we coordinate patching the access points so the walls are ready for paint

The water is off for parts of the job, and we plan those windows with you so the house stays livable throughout.

Permits and inspection

A repipe is permitted work. Depending on the address, the permit runs through the City of Camas Building Division or through Clark County. We pull the permit, build the system to the Uniform Plumbing Code, and schedule the inspection. The pressure test and the sign-off are part of the job, so the new system is documented for you and for any future sale of the home.

Repiping during a remodel

If you are already opening walls for a remodel, that is often the most efficient time to repipe, because the access is there and the two scopes share the same walls. We coordinate the pipe work around the rest of the project so the schedule keeps moving. Our remodel plumbing and repair work connect directly to a repipe when a project calls for both.

Keeping the house livable during a repipe

A repipe does not have to turn the house upside down. We plan the wall and ceiling openings to be as few and as neat as the runs allow, keep the work moving room to room, and set the water-off windows around your day so there is water in the morning and the evening. Most households stay in the home throughout, and when the pipe work is tested and signed off, we coordinate the patching so the walls are ready for paint.

What a repipe renews along the way

A repipe is also the natural moment to handle the parts a new system meets. New shutoffs go in at every fixture, the supply lines to faucets and toilets are renewed, and if the water heater is near the end of its life, replacing it while the water is already down saves a second visit. See our water heater replacement work for how that fits in.

Serving Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver

We repipe homes across Camas, Washougal, Vancouver, and the surrounding Clark County area, from older homes in the historic parts of Camas and Washougal to newer construction across Vancouver. Call (360) 901-9133 or send a few details and we will follow up with a quote.