Moving To An Older Home? Tips For Choosing Plumbing Pipes

If you are moving to an older home, there are many things you need to inspect. One of these things is the plumbing pipes. Because the home is old, the plumbing pipes could also be old. If so, you need to consider replacing these pipes. To help you below is information about the type of pipes that are likely in your home, as well as what types of plumbing pipes you can replace them with.

Current Plumbing Pipes

Because the home is older, it likely has galvanized steel pipes. These pipes are heavy and thick and have a silver or grey exterior. These pipes are no longer used because they are so heavy. This makes this type of pipe very difficult to work with. Even though galvanized steel is durable, over time, the zinc coating will wear down. If this happens, the steel pipes will start to rust. Once the rust starts to appear small holes will develop. This will cause water leaks and a reduction in water pressure. Over time, the pipes could burst completely.

Your home may also have copper plumbing pipes. Copper pipes are much thinner when compared to galvanized steel pipes. In the beginning, copper pipes are a shiny red color but will turn green or dark brown. Copper is durable, is tolerant of heat, and has a long lifespan. One thing to be concerned with, however, is the joints wearing away. This is because the joints are soldered, and the solder used is generally lead-based. Once the joints start to wear away, this would cause a lot of problems as the pipes would start leaking and eventually burst.

Replacement Plumbing Types

If your home has either of these two types, consider replacing them with polyethylene (PEX) pipes. These pipes will never corrode or rust and are resistant to heat. You can find PEX pipes in different colors.  This can be beneficial as you can color code the piping. For example, choose red pipes that go to hot water, and blue pipes that lead to cold water.

PVC piping is another option you have. Just like PEX pipe PVC will never rust or corrode. This pipe is made of a hard plastic and is an off-white color. Talk with a plumber today about this information and they can give you many more details about your options. The plumber can also inspect the entire plumbing system in your home.