Plumber Recommendation - Horizontal Galv Piping Replacement (Houston: house, FSBO)

[jeffsboard]

Getting tired of fixing galv piping. Can anyone recommend someone who you had good experience with? I live on the west side of Houston. Thanks.

_jeff

[Svensk08]

Originally Posted by jeffsboard

Getting tired of fixing galv piping. Can anyone recommend someone who you had good experience with? I live on the west side of Houston. Thanks.

_jeff

If you're looking to replace it with Pex, you might call Santhoff Plumbing for an estimate --they're very experienced with its installation.

[urbanviewer]

Originally Posted by jeffsboard

Getting tired of fixing galv piping. Can anyone recommend someone who you had good experience with? I live on the west side of Houston. Thanks.

_jeff

Technically if your replacing it with PEX and the whole system is already set up you can save your money and do the job yourself. Just a few push-fit fittings and a ratchet cutter and you should be good to go.

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Originally Posted by urbanviewer

Technically if your replacing it with PEX and the whole system is already set up you can save your money and do the job yourself. Just a few push-fit fittings and a ratchet cutter and you should be good to go.

The OP said it was galvanized, so it will be very labor intensive. I've retrofitted a house with copper from galvanized pipe; it was a lot of work, and even then, mid 90's, it was just shy of a few thousand dollars. Working in the attic was the worst part. Fortunately the attic height was sufficient to be able to push down full length pipe, but towards the bathrooms where the attic space was small, that really was a pain. BTW, that was with a friend who is a plumber who did it on the side, not the full cost of a plumbing company.

I brought a house in Montrose a couple of years ago and it was a gut job from the inside, I went with all copper (type L) again instead of PEX and I did all the plumbing work myself. Easy to do when walls are open.

I'd say PEX would be simpler, but you still need to fish the PEX through the walls, and hopefully the drops are straight down, and nylon chord is used when pulling out the galvenized pipe to be able to fish the PEX through.

I have heard of a company on the radio that will work with galvanized pipe; they don't replace it, but rather clean it out as much as they can, then they inject some sort of resin that coats the pipe, like Pepto Bismol. When the resin cures, the coating water proofs the steel pipe to prevent leaks. I'd get an estimate from them first. Good luck!

[urbanviewer]

Originally Posted by HookTheBrotherUp

The OP said it was galvanized, so it will be very labor intensive. I've retrofitted a house with copper from galvanized pipe; it was a lot of work, and even then, mid 90's, it was just shy of a few thousand dollars. Working in the attic was the worst part. Fortunately the attic height was sufficient to be able to push down full length pipe, but towards the bathrooms where the attic space was small, that really was a pain. BTW, that was with a friend who is a plumber who did it on the side, not the full cost of a plumbing company.

I brought a house in Montrose a couple of years ago and it was a gut job from the inside, I went with all copper (type L) again instead of PEX and I did all the plumbing work myself. Easy to do when walls are open.

I'd say PEX would be simpler, but you still need to fish the PEX through the walls, and hopefully the drops are straight down, and nylon chord is used when pulling out the galvenized pipe to be able to fish the PEX through.

I have heard of a company on the radio that will work with galvanized pipe; they don't replace it, but rather clean it out as much as they can, then they inject some sort of resin that coats the pipe, like Pepto Bismol. When the resin cures, the coating water proofs the steel pipe to prevent leaks. I'd get an estimate from them first. Good luck!

Well personally I think galvanized pipe is the worst thing to ever happen to plumbing. The faster someone can remove all traces of it from their system the better their life will be. From leaks, cracks, and oxidation the galvanized pipe has become a thing of the past. There is absolutely no reason to go through all the drama of dealing with it. Bold move on installing all that copper on your own and I commend it, but if the PEX tubing was done properly I'd still say it would last longer, and cost you a portion of the amount. It isnt the easiest thing to install, but there is no headaches, no soldering, no chemical build up, no worries about freeze burst, so on and so forth.

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Originally Posted by urbanviewer

Well personally I think galvanized pipe is the worst thing to ever happen to plumbing. The faster someone can remove all traces of it from their system the better their life will be. From leaks, cracks, and oxidation the galvanized pipe has become a thing of the past. There is absolutely no reason to go through all the drama of dealing with it. Bold move on installing all that copper on your own and I commend it, but if the PEX tubing was done properly I'd still say it would last longer, and cost you a portion of the amount. It isnt the easiest thing to install, but there is no headaches, no soldering, no chemical build up, no worries about freeze burst, so on and so forth.

Since cost was not an issue for me, I went for the old true and tested copper. We don't get prolonged hard freezes, so I'm not concerned about that, plus I used the thicker TYPE L copper. But all things compared, what I really based my decision on was the antimicrobial effects of copper. You will get bacteria on the PEX... not that it is harmful, just a preference. Plus, polybutylene plumbing was once thought to be safe, we all know what happened with that... those of us who are older that is. As well, recently it was said that those plastic baby bottles we all used for our babies is now harmful, so many people went back to the true, but tested glass bottles.

[urbanviewer]

Well PEX has been around for over half a century so I don't think that is an issue. California ran so many tests on this topic and they still allow it to be used in all plumbing jobs. I read about this case and they clearly stated it was inefficient in the fact that PEX grows bacteria. Obviously if the water is unused for a long period of time and has become stagnant then it should be cleaned prior to usage. Otherwise I don't see the harm in PEX at all. I hate galvanized steel and PVC myself, would never use the two in any project, or advise it to someone for use. Anything plastic is not safe if left out in the sun, that would be the only issue.