Slab leak repiping services in Nevada: partial and whole-home

What a repipe is, in this context

A repipe replaces existing supply lines with new ones. After a slab leak, it usually means running new lines through the attic and walls to the fixtures, and leaving the old lines in the slab, capped. It is a reroute on a larger scale.

The word covers a range. A partial repipe replaces one group of lines, such as the hot side or the lines serving a wing of the house. A whole-home repipe replaces most or all of the supply system.

This site covers repiping only as a response to slab leaks. It does not cover repiping for other reasons, and it does not recommend a repipe in advance of a leak.

When it comes up

The technician raises a repipe in a few situations. The house has had several leaks, on the same line or on different ones. The technician sees wear along the lines they expose. Or a reroute of one line would be followed by others, and the work adds up to most of the house.

It is not the first answer to a first leak. A first leak in an open area is often a candidate for a spot repair, and many houses go on for years without another.

The decision is not made on the day of the leak. The crew explains what they saw, you take time, and you ask questions. Repeat slab leaks covers the repeat conversation.

Partial repipe

A partial repipe replaces a defined part of the system. Common examples are the hot side only, the lines to the bathrooms or the lines under one section of the slab.

It makes sense where the leaks have been on one part and the rest looks sound. It deals with the weak part and leaves the rest alone.

The technician explains what is included and what is not, and what the plan would mean if another leak appeared in the part left as it is.

Whole-home repipe

A whole-home repipe replaces most or all supply lines. New line runs from the main to each fixture, usually through the attic and walls. The old lines stay in the slab, capped.

It is a bigger project, with more openings in walls and ceilings, more days on site and more preparation by the household. It also removes the old lines from service, which can simplify the plumbing history.

It tends to be discussed where leaks have occurred in several places, where the technician finds the remaining pipe worn, or where the owner prefers to settle the matter once.

How the work goes

1. The technician plans the new routes, fixture by fixture.
2. Water is shut off. Openings are cut in walls and ceilings where lines pass or connect.
3. New lines are run from the main, through the attic, to each fixture.
4. Connections are made at fixtures, the water heater and the main.
5. The old lines are capped and abandoned.
6. The system is pressure tested and the meter is checked.
7. Openings are closed, ready for texture and paint.

Expect several days of work for a whole home, and a number of periods without water. Ask for a schedule.

Living through it

A repipe is noticeable. Water is off for parts of each day, crews move through the house and dust is a feature. Pets and children need a plan.

The crew explains which rooms are affected on which days, and when the water is on. Some arrange temporary water for key times.

Ask what is included for closing up. Wall texture, paint, ceiling repairs and any flooring are often separate. After the repair covers what the crew leaves.

Repipe compared with reroute

A reroute replaces one run. A repipe replaces many. The method is similar, and the line between them is a matter of scope.

A reroute fits a specific problem. A repipe fits a pattern. If the technician finds that one reroute would be followed by another, the case for a single larger project becomes stronger.

Slab leak reroute and the overview of slab leak repair and replacement help to place them.

In Nevada homes

Boom-era Las Vegas Valley homes are where repiping after slab leaks comes up most often. A home that has had a first leak on a copper hot line and a second a few years later is a typical case. See boom-era home slab leaks.

Homes from a polybutylene era sometimes come up here too, because the technician may find, on exposure, a line they judge to be at the end of its useful life. See polybutylene-era homes.

In northern Nevada, crawlspace homes can be repiped with access from below. Slab homes follow the Valley’s pattern.

Questions to ask

• Which lines would be replaced, and which would not?
• Why partial and not whole, or the reverse?
• Where would the openings be, and who closes them?
• How long would the water be off?
• What does the price include, line by line?

You decide, and you can take time.

Preparing the house for a repipe

A repipe goes more smoothly when the household prepares. The crew will give a list, but the main points are practical.

Clear access to the attic hatch, the water heater and the main. Move stored items away from walls that will be opened. Take pictures off walls in the rooms involved, and cover or move furniture.

Plan for water. During the work, the house will be without water for parts of each day. Fill containers for drinking and washing, and plan where to bathe if the work spans several days. Ask the crew when the water will be off and when it will return.

Think about pets and children. The work is noisy, and doors will be open. A quiet room for them, or time away, makes everything easier.

If you have an HOA, tell management about the dates and the vehicles that will be on site.

Ask the crew about appliances. The dishwasher, washing machine and ice maker connect to the supply, and they will be disconnected and reconnected. Mention anything unusual, such as a water filter or a recirculating pump, so the crew can plan.

Phasing a repipe

Not every repipe has to happen in one go. A phased approach can suit households that cannot be without water for long, or that want to spread the cost and disruption.

A common first phase is the hot side, since repeat leaks tend to occur there. The crew replaces the hot lines and leaves the cold lines as they are. If the cold side later leaks, it is dealt with then.

Another approach is by area: the bathrooms in one phase, the kitchen and laundry in another. Because each area ties to different lines, this can work where the layout allows.

The trade-off is that a phased repipe leaves some old lines in service. The technician can say what that means in your house, and what the plan is if one of them leaks.

Ask for each phase to be priced and described separately, so you can see the whole plan and decide how much to do now. You are not obliged to commit to the later phases, and the crew should not push you.

After a repipe

When a repipe is finished, the crew pressure tests the whole new system and checks the meter. Run every fixture, hot and cold, and look for leaks at connections, particularly under sinks and at appliances.

Check the water pressure at several fixtures. It should be steady. Ask the crew to explain any change, and whether any pressure adjustment was made at the main.

The openings in walls and ceilings are patched, in most cases to bare drywall. Texture, paint and any trim are separate trades. Ask what has been left and when you can start.

Keep a note of the new routes, with a sketch if possible, and where each shutoff is. It is part of the plumbing history of the house.

Over the following weeks, check the meter with everything off, as after any repair. If it is still, the system is holding. After the repair covers the hand-off to finishing trades.

If you ever sell, say what was replaced and when. A partial repipe, with the parts left unchanged identified, is useful information for a buyer.

Where this comes up in Nevada

Whether to replace the lines is a question that comes up most in older homes. Local pages that cover the homes and conditions around this topic include Sunrise Manor, Central Las Vegas, Hawthorne and Fallon.

The pages note what older housing looks like in each place. See the areas page for the rest.

Common questions

Related reading: pipe lining, slab leak repair and slab leak detection.