Hiring a Copper Repipe Specialist

October 11, 2010 – If your home has old galvanized pipes, consider hiring a copper repipe specialist before the pipes start corroding and causing problems.  Typically if a home is older than 25 years, the steel pipes will need to be replaced.  Watch for signs of corroding pipes such as brown discoloration in the water, rust stains in commodes or sinks, leaking pipes, and an unpleasant taste to the water.

If your pipes show these signs, do not waste time finding a repipe specialist.  Leaving the pipes without repair causes corrosion to worsen and create more water damage.  You will spend much more on fixing the water damage than the simple cost of hiring repiping specialists.  Having repipe specialists repair your plumbing will also raise your building’s value.

First, pick a repipe specialist with many years experience.  Ideally, your repiping specialist will have 6 to 10 years experience.  Choose knowledgeable and experienced repipe specialists who work with the best materials and do the job promptly.  Check references before contracting the job.  Make sure your repiping specialists are licensed and that the licensure is current.  Repiping professionals carry at least $500,000 of liability insurance and an equal amount of worker comp insurance.

A quality, copper specialist charges hourly or will bid for the whole project.  Negotiate any terms of the project before the specialists start the work.  Be aware of additional charges arising from unexpected plumbing issues or additional copper fittings having to be added at the customer’s request.  You cannot easily predict these situations.  Be sure, however, that the contractor fills out work order sheets in the case of added plumbing features and extra copper fittings.

Repiping a commercial building will naturally cost much more than putting new pipes into a residence.  Larger buildings require more installers to get the job done in a timely manner.  Large jobs also take more time and materials.  Do not be surprised if things get pricey.  Ideally, you want a written guarantee.  That way, if something on the job does not work correctly, the specialist will fix it for you at no cost.

Get a quote on the job from a specialist.  Some contractors will only provide an “estimate” instead of committing to a definite price quote.  If they refuse to set a firm price, it may be because of unusual plumbing in a structure or because you did not give an exact order of what you wanted done.  Be careful if one specialist gives you a low estimate just to get the job while another firm gives you a higher quote.  The higher quote may be safer if the low estimate is just a ploy to get in and then raise the price.

Since it takes much training and experience to do repiping, you should always get a specialist and not a plumber.  Plumbers do copper repiping everyday as do specialists.  Plumbers may even charge more to do a job that cannot match the services of a specialist.  Look online for a quality repiping specialist for your project.

 

 

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