Are the pipes in your home starting to give you never-ending problems? In fine fettle, most pipes last for decades. Even when you have a 20 years old pipe, you can still get some life out of it. However, while they last long they are not invincible, there are certain situations too where you can’t get away with the need to replace them.
Read on to know the signs that will let you know it’s time to call the pipe replacement professionals.
1. Aging pipe
If you have metal pipes in your home, you should know how much life you can expect out of it. Unlike PVC pipes that last long, metal pipes need to be replaced at some point so your plumbing continues to work. Here is how much life you can expect to get out of them:
Galvanized steel – 20 to 50 years
Brass – 40 to 45 years
Copper – 50-plus years
Cast iron – 75 to 100 years
If you have no clue about the kind of plumbing pipes you have in your home, ask a professional to check the next time they make a visit. Then, do the math to see how old the pipes are. It’ll give you some idea of when you should expect they’ll up for pipe replacement.
2. Cracks
Crack in pipe is one of the signs that isn’t difficult to catch. When you take a close look at the pipe and see water coming out of it as it passes through the plumbing pipe, you’ll be able to spot right away the part that needs repair.
Even if the pipe is concealed under foot or behind walls, it will only be a matter of time for you to notice it because it wouldn’t fail to show obvious signs like wet spots in any parts of your home.
Pipes crack because of a number of reasons. Most common is pressure and temperature change. It happens when the ground surrounding the pipe freezes and thaws. The pipes will then experience contraction and expansion, resulting in cracks.
When there’s a crack, it won’t take long before it will wreak havoc in your home. So take this opportunity to replace the pipe, rather than just get it fixed. Repairing cracks will not guarantee a permanent fix as opposed to replacement.
3. Water Discolouration
When you run the tap or go to take a shower, you don’t want to see the water turning yellow, brown or has some kind of sediment floating in it won’t you?
If your water supply at home falls into these categories, two things are possible. There might be a temporary problem with your local water supply, or your pipes are experiencing corrosion on the inside.
You can give it a day or so to see if the colour of your water clears up. If it doesn’t, you might want to wait for the plumber to come out before you use it.
The plumber will most likely suggest a replacement so your plumbing pipe will continue to work efficiently.
4. Leaks
A plumbing leak doesn’t always have to be a crack or a hole on the pipe. In some situations loose connections on the joints can also cause them to spring a leak.
Generally, leaks can start with just a tiny one, but it can easily turn into a big one when it’s not detected in time. This situation is often nothing to cry over if you’re good at detecting leaks, but if not, ask a plumber to inspect your pipes.
A plumber will be able to repair a plumbing leak without replacing pipes, but most likely will suggest a pipe replacement if the pipes are especially in a very bad shape.
5. Corrosion
Does it feel like the plumbing pipes in your home are always clogging up on you? You might want to check your plumbing habits at home if there’s anything that you need to change. But you might also want to consider the chances that your pipes could be wearing out.
Metal pipes, particularly galvanized steel pipes, are less tolerant to corrosion. Once corrosion sets in, sooner or later, you’re going to need to replace your plumbing pipes. Not doing so will reduce your pipe’s efficiency and you’ll have more clogging situations in the future.
When corrosion is not fixed, the pipe will in no time reach its point of failure.
Benefits of Pipe Replacement
Replacing pipes in the house is not an easy task. Depending on where the damage is and its severity, pipeline experts may need to do trenching or digging works to access the pipe for replacement. Other times, they may just need to apply a liner on the damaged portion. Regardless of the situation, replacing pipes in the house offers many advantages such as cleaner and safer water supply, stronger pipe that is able to handle multiple uses at the same time. Newer pipes mean fewer chances that it will experience leaks and clogs too.
If you take into consideration the number of times you’d be paying a plumber to fix a leaky pipe, and you run some figures each time, you’ll be surprised at how much savings you can get.
What Should You Do?
Having your pipes professionally replaced nowadays is not as financially painful and stressful as before. Thanks to the no-dig pipe replacement solutions.
So, if your pipe has been giving you problems lately, contact the professionals, like the Revolution Pipe Relining team right away. We can perform drain pipe replacement, sewer pipe replacement, PVC pipe replacement and underground pipe replacement, all of which will bring your plumbing pipes back into shape within a short amount of time.
When you call, you have nothing to lose! We’ll come and take a look at your pipes both internally and externally. Then we’ll make a recommendation and explain to you in detail how we go about the repair. If you’re happy to proceed, we’ll get things underway and get your home plumbing back up to speed.
