Repiping Guides for Philadelphia Homes

A plain guide to the water pipes inside an older Philadelphia rowhouse or twin: how to tell lead, galvanized steel, copper and plastic apart, how each one fails, who owns which part, what the city's code and permits require, and how to decide between a repair, a partial repipe and a whole-house repipe.

The valve near the curb that shuts off water to the whole house: what it is, why Philadelphia makes it the owner's, what happens when it is buried, offset or seized, and why it decides how a main shutoff replacement goes.

A repipe replaces the pressurized pipe that brings water to your fixtures. The pipes that carry it away are a different system, built and repaired by different rules. Where the line falls, and why it matters on a quote.

The schedule depends on floors, fixtures, access and the plaster, not on a standard number of days. How the work is staged so the water is off only at cutovers, and what to get ready before the first day.

A step-by-step way to tell galvanized steel, copper, lead, PEX, CPVC and polybutylene apart, using a coin, a magnet and the printing on the pipe, and where to find each run in a Philadelphia rowhouse.

What the Philadelphia Plumbing Code says about PEX water pipe: where it is allowed, where metal is required, the rules at the water heater and the fittings, the pending code bill, and how the suburbs differ.

Where lead in drinking water comes from in Philadelphia, what the Water Department does about it, what its testing shows, the steps PWD and the EPA describe for your own tap, and how the pipes in and under your house fit in.

Low pressure in an older Philadelphia house has several possible causes along the line from the street to the tap. How to tell a service line problem from an interior restriction, a valve or a fixture, and when a repipe actually helps.

Reading the Water Department's Service Line Material Map, what an 'unknown' or incomplete record means for your address, how to test the pipe where it enters by the meter, and why the street line and the pipes inside are separate questions.

How the L&I plumbing permit works for a repipe in Philadelphia: when one is needed, who can apply, what the EZ permit covers, the published fee lines and surcharges, and what happens at inspection.

Why PWD sends a Notice of Defect, why the repair falls on the property owner, the ways to pay for it, and what happens when the deadline on the notice passes.

Plaster on lath can be opened and closed cleanly if the openings are planned. Where the cuts go, how routing keeps them few, the three levels of patching, and what keeps the dust in one room.

Brown or rust-colored water can start in the street, in the house piping or in the water heater. A few simple checks narrow it down before anyone blames the pipes, and tell you whether the call goes to the Water Department or a plumber.

Who is allowed to do plumbing work in Philadelphia: what a master plumber license takes, where journeymen fit, why a home improvement registration is not a plumbing license, what a homeowner can do, and how the suburbs handle it.

Where the Water Department's pipe ends and yours begins, from the ferrule at the main to the last fixture upstairs, and why the line is drawn differently across the city limit.

Old pipe is a reason to price the house correctly, not always a reason to walk away. What to look at during a showing and an inspection, how to check the service line before closing, and how a written scope turns pipe worries into numbers.

Why copper water pipe develops pinholes, what Philadelphia's water does and does not explain, how to read the pattern of leaks, and how to decide between a spot repair, a partial repipe and a whole-house repipe.

The City routes that can replace a lead or galvanized service line at no charge, who each one reaches, what it leaves to the owner, and what to do if none of them reaches your block.

How PEX and copper compare for a Philadelphia repipe: what the city code allows, how each handles Philadelphia water, cold basements and rodents, what each means for the walls, and which way each moves the price.

The Water Department's zero-interest loan for service line and other exterior plumbing work: the terms, who qualifies, the lien on the property, who does the work, and the interior piping it does not cover.

Epoxy lining coats the inside of the pipe you have; a repipe replaces it. What each method does, where lining can make sense, where its limits show up in old Philadelphia houses, and how to compare the two honestly.

For owners of rented houses and small apartment buildings: how to decide when old pipe should go, why vacancy is the easiest window, how to repipe one stack at a time with people living there, and what the owner has to handle on a lead service line.

A neutral look at the city-promoted service line protection program, homeowners insurance and service line endorsements: what each is built to pay for, where the coverage line usually falls, and why none of them is the same thing as planning a repipe.

Typical ranges for a whole-house and a PEX repipe, what sits inside the price, the City's permit fees, and why two quotes for the same rowhouse can differ.

PWD's own estimate for a private replacement, the City fees and PWD charges inside it, the parts with no public price, and the programs that lower or remove the cost.