Do I Need to Repipe My House? A 10-Question Check

Answer the questions

Answer from memory, a look at the basement, an inspection report or the Water Department's service line map. "Not sure" is a fine answer. A leak happening now shows its result straight away.

How the result is decided

The rules run in a fixed order and the first one that matches decides the result, so the same answers always give the same result. The result lists the answers that decided it.

If you said	The result
Water leaking now	Act now: limit the damage and call a plumber today. This outranks every other answer.
Slow drains, sewer smells or backups as the main problem	A drain and sewer question: a repipe does not fix it, and the result says who to call instead.
Galvanized, or gray pipe mixed with copper, plus constant rusty water, weak flow at several fixtures or two or more leaks	Plan a whole-house assessment.
Copper with two or more leaks in different places	Plan a whole-house assessment, which looks for the cause.
A utility notice that the service line is lead, galvanized or of unknown material, a PWD Notice of Defect, weak flow everywhere, or constant rusty water with copper or plastic inside	Check the street side first.
One symptom: rusty water at first draw or from the hot tap only, one weak fixture, one leak, a damp spot; or a remodel with copper or plastic pipe	Look at the problem area first.
Galvanized with a remodel, sale or purchase coming	Plan a whole-house assessment around it.
Not sure what the pipe is, in a building from before 1980 or of unknown age	No repipe indicated yet: find out what the pipe is.
None of the above	No repipe indicated yet.

What this check cannot tell you

It cannot see inside walls. It does not know how far galvanized pipe has corroded, where a leak will come next, or whether a service line is lead until someone identifies it. Those answers come from a walk-through that starts at the meter and main shutoff.

It does not say whether any piping is safe. Brown water, low pressure and leaks each have more than one possible cause, and the service line, a valve or a water heater can produce the same signs as old piping. That is why several results say to look at the street side or the problem area first.

Repiping replaces the water supply piping. Sewer and drain lines are a separate job; if they are the main problem, the check says so and points you elsewhere.

Next: estimate the cost for your building

How to identify your water pipes

Questions about the check

Can anyone tell whether a Philadelphia house needs repiping without opening walls?

Enough to plan the job, yes. A walk-through starts at the meter and main shutoff, where the pipe is exposed, then compares flow at the lowest and highest fixtures and looks at the leak history. That shows whether the house piping or something upstream, such as the service line, is the more likely problem. Walls are opened later, during the work, at fittings and turns.

Does a service line marked lead or incomplete on the PWD map mean the house needs a repipe?

No. The map is about the service line from the street to the house, not the piping inside. In Philadelphia the owner is responsible for that line, and replacing it is its own job with its own permit and programs. Whether the inside piping needs work too depends on what it is made of and how it behaves, which is what this check and a walk-through look at.

What happens after the check says to plan a whole-house assessment?

A walk-through, then a written quote. The quote should list the wall openings and who closes them, where old pipe stays, the material allowed by the code, the L&I permit, and the water-off windows. During the work the new piping is pressure tested before the walls close and flushed after cutover, and the shutoffs are labeled.