Residential Plumbing Services
Pipe Replacement
Most people only see the pipes of their home when they are coming out of the wall or in an unfinished section of a basement. Homes built in the 1930’s and earlier could have lead pipes if they had not already been replaced. From the 1930’s to the 1980’s galvanized steel pipes were popular, but rusting problems gave way to Copper and PEX in modern homes. Replacing the pipes in older homes is a must in a lot of cases. Lead, and Galvanized pipes pose a significant health risk and should be replaced, while copper and PEX lines usually need to be replaced if they break.
Deciding when to replace your pipes
When it comes down to it replacing the pipes in your home follows the rules for everything else, cost and time. If you can get another year out of your current pipes, that is a year of more saving for new pipes. Though with pipes there are often few warning signs that they are about to go. Leaks are the biggest sign that your pipes are about to go. Often pipes need to be replaced because of corrosion or erosion of the lining. This can be due to the elements in the water, or imperfections in the pipes themselves. A lot of the time complete replacement is not needed, and there are cost-effective methods. PEX pipes can be used to replace sections of other pipes. Often PEX manufacturers also make adapters to allow PEX pipes to connect to copper or galvanized pipes, in addition to those same materials being used to replace damaged sections. Our trained plumbers have the knowledge and knowhow to evaluate your plumbing and let you know what condition it is in so you can make an informed decision.
PEX Pipes Elk Grove Village
PEX pipes are the next evolution of PVC pipes. While PVC is widely used for wastewater removal, PVC pipes for water supply would be good, but PVC melts when hot water flows through it. Cross-linked polyethylene, or PEX, is the next step in PVC piping. The flexible tube does not weaken when hot water is sent through it. This means that you can use PEX in place of any metal pipes in your home. Because PEX comes in different colors, hot and cold water lines can also be color-coded to help in future projects. If you are interested in installing and switching to a PEX piping system for your home contact a local plumber in Elk Grove Village today and they will let you know the best options for your home.
Lead Pipes Elk Grove Village
Lead is the first metal to be used for plumbing, even back in the Roman times. The soft material made it easy to work with and to melt to create tight joints made it watertight. Obviously, the biggest problem with lead pipes is lead poisoning. If the water flows regularly the lead buildup does not pose as big of a problem, but when the water would sit in the pipes for a long time the concentration of lead would build up and pose a health risk to anyone who drank it. This is the reason that lead pipes were abandoned. It is becoming increasingly rare to find lead pipes in homes, and this is due to the fact that everyone replaces them when found.
Galvanized Pipes Elk Grove Village
After lead pipes, galvanized iron pipes were the main choice when it came to home plumbing. Galvanized pipes were put into service shortly after World War II and used widely up until the 1970s. That was when copper pipes were becoming increasingly available and proven to be a superior alternative to Galvanized. Galvanizing is a process in which zinc is added to the outside of the iron. The zinc is used as a rust protection coating and works pretty good, on the outside. Inside air in the water can cause the pipe to rust inside leading to rust getting into the water. Often this can be seen with rust lines on toilets and white clothes becoming stained with rust in washing machines. The rusting of Galvanized pipes also can lead to water leakage as holes start to form during the oxidation of the iron causing galvanized pipes to leak. If you have galvanized piping in your home, reach out to a local plumber in Elk Grove Village to see how much it would be to replace your piping. Copper piping in homes increases the resale value and expands your potential buyers for when you want to sell in the future.
