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How to Know It’s Time to Replace Your Plumbing

With summer right at our doorstep, one important thing you need to be thinking about is whether it’s time to replace or upgrade the plumbing in your home. It’s likely that your plumbing is outdated, unless your home was built within the last 3-4 years. The last thing you’d want this summer is to be stuck without water while your plumbing gets fixed.

Over time your pipes get damaged due to a number of elements. This results in pipes rusting, cracking and even becoming unrepairable. Do you know the tell-tale signs that indicate its time to replace your plumbing and pipes?

Know the material of your pipes

Many old homes were built using galvanised pipes, which rust and erode very easily. Why is it so important to replace these kinds of pipes if they exist in your home? Because if they are left in bad condition, it can lead to major issues such as uneven water pressure, discoloured water and water leaks.

If your pipes are made out of lead or polybutylene, you should also get these replaced as they are extremely outdated, are highly prone to breakage and can even pose serious health risks.

Sporadic leaks

If you suddenly notice you are getting random leaks in your home more than you did before, this may be a tell-tale sign that your pipes are in need of an upgrade. It’s important that you know how to find sources of water leaks in your home. If you are unsure about how to do this, call a professional plumber to come an perform a maintenance check on your plumbing to help you find out if you have any leaks and where they are in your home. They can also help you determine what is causing the leak, as sometimes leaks can be a sign of pipe blockages.

Water discolouration

As mentioned, old rusty pipes can lead to issues such as discolouration. Discolouration occurs mainly due to rust. A good way to test this is to fill your bathtub and look at the colour of the water. It’s especially good to do this after you’ve come back from a vacation as the water would have been sitting in the pipes for a while.

Low water pressure

Low water pressure could be a sign for many plumbing issues. It could indicate that you have a leak, or a blockage in your pipes. But it could also be a sign that your pipes need repairing your replacing. If there is a leak that is causing low water pressure, this could be because you have holes in your pipes or cracks that are leading to this. If you’re not sure how to check water pressure in your home, check out our blog post here.

Look at the condition of your exposed pipes

If you have any exposed pipes in your home, this can be a useful guide to tell whether your pipes need replacing or repairing. Check your pipes for discoloration, flaking, dimpling, bumps or anything else that doesn’t look right.

Should you repair or replace?

Perhaps you know you need to get your pipes fixed or replaced but don’t know when is the right time. It’s inconvenient to replace underground pipes as it is a messy job requiring demolitions. The best time to do these replacements is during home renovations. Thinking of renovating your bathroom or your kitchen? Be sure to including pipe replacement on your to-do list!

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