Our house is OLD?? - Page 2

eddyandme · ‎09-24-2011

@juanitalinda wrote:
We are getting a security system installed around our 25 year old house.
While the installer was walking around the crawl space he noticed two small water leaks.

I called a plumber to take care of the problem.

$15,000 to $20,000 to redo all the pipes in my house because copper pipe is obsolete and they only work with PEX. WHAT?

I had no idea!

Wish me luck in finding a plumber who will just fix the leaks without tearing apart the entire house.

My friend is a contractor and he once told me that plastic is good in the warmer parts of the country, but copper should be installed in the colder areas as plastic piping will crack while copper holds up. Unfortunately, copper is more costly.

DrakesMomma · ‎06-02-2010

It could be the "I don't want to do it" price. We are trying to get our house ready to be our Forever Home and we have had several "I don't want to do it" quotes.

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

@juanitalinda Copper is not obsolete. It is just expensive to put in new homes today.

It is also easy to repair. Your plumber is a con artist. He is trying to rip you off. He will make big $$ from you, he will steal your copper and cash it in. Used copper pipes are worth money.

Kick that guy to the curb and call someone else who will just fix the leaks. A house that is 25 years old is not old.

My son is a licensed plumber and my husband can fix copper pipes too. It is not that difficult.

NicksmomESQ · ‎08-19-2014

DH & I just did a big remodel on our home. There are a lot of ripoffs out there.We saved a lot of money doing our due diligence .You have to get several estimates. Make sure your contractors are licensed & insured. This means plumbers too no matter how small a job.

There's no reason why a plumber can't repair your leaks without replacing all your pipes.It's an easy fix. The one who inflated the price was clearly ripping you off.

Venezia · ‎03-09-2010

@juanitalinda - Others have given you good advice.

Mine is run, don't walk, away from that plumber.

Our house is now 24 years old; copper pipes throughout. No plans to change it. If a leak develops, I'll get a plumber to fix it!

"" A little learning is a dangerous thing."-Alexander Pope

Love the Au and Ag · ‎06-29-2010

My house was built in the mid 1980s and we are having a similar problem. When it was built they used the wrong copper pipes and we have had 2 pinhole leaks in the past 2 years. Our plumber was able to repair the leaks by replacing the copper with Pex only where it is leaking. We will have more of the copper replaced with Pex when the plumber has some free time for a larger job. They can replace copper with the Pex only where it is leaking.

Please get multiple estimates. Most likely a smaller plumbing outfit will work with you. You most likely don't need all of your pipes replaced at once. I wish you well.

Edit: it would be best to learn where your water shutoff is in cases there is ever a larger leak. Also, when someone is working on your pipes, you can have them also install other shutoffs so you don't have turn off all the water in your house. We have well water so we had a main shut off put right where the water comes in and then one for each bathroom, laundry room and kitchen. So if there is another leak we can turn off the water for that area, not the entire house.

Carolina925 · ‎03-09-2010

Definitely get another opinion or two. My house is on a slab and I wouldn't be able to replace all my pipes; this just doesn't sound right to me. My elderly neighbor had one of those many contractors come by to clean out his a/c! The poor man had only just purchased his home and the previous owners had put in a new unit within the last 5 years. He sure got scammed and I feel certain it was because he trusted them.

We rescue cats · ‎01-25-2023

A dear friend's SIL is a plumber and he said that fella was hoping to make "Bucks at both ends" meaning get paid for the job and when he sold the copper he was removing . . . but that there is nothing wrong with copper plumbing.

Lynn-Critter Lover!
(especially cats!)

juanitalinda · ‎03-11-2010

Right? I may be old, but I don't think the house is old.

I am looking for another couple of bids. Like others have said, there are lots of outfits that don't want to bid a small job .. so they make it a BIG job.

Our area is crazy with more repair jobs than contractors/handymen to fill them. If you don't get in with word of mouth, they don't even call back. Even then, they quote outrageous prices and huge wait times.

Thank you Amazon and Microsoft.

Fortunately my leaks are really small so I have plenty of time to look for the right folks.

PS. I think I will have my son deal with the plumber .... maybe they won't see a little old lady they can scam.