Plumbing Services in Kennesaw, GA

Galvanized steel, copper, polybutylene, CPVC and PEX each age differently on the supply side, and so do cast iron, plastic and clay on the drain side. Alpha Plumbing and Sewer runs into every one of these materials while providing plumbing services in Kennesaw homes, often several under the same roof. Knowing what you have helps explain the problems you are seeing and frames the choice between repairing a section and replacing the system.

How to tell what your supply pipes are

Look where pipes are exposed: at the water heater, under sinks, near the main shutoff, in a basement ceiling or a crawlspace. Then compare:

• Gray metal with threaded joints is usually galvanized steel. A magnet will stick to it.
• Copper-colored metal, sometimes turned brown or green, with soldered joints, is copper.
• Gray flexible plastic, often stamped PB, is polybutylene.
• Rigid cream or tan plastic with glued fittings is CPVC.
• Flexible red, blue or white tubing with crimped or expanded fittings is PEX.

How supply materials age

Galvanized pipe corrodes from the inside, narrowing the passage until pressure drops and the water turns rusty, especially at hot water lines. Copper generally lasts a long time, though certain water conditions can produce pinhole leaks. Polybutylene, which went into a great many houses between the late 1970s and the mid-1990s, is known for failures at fittings and in the pipe itself, often without warning. CPVC can become brittle with age and heat, so old lines may crack when disturbed. PEX is the newest of the group and is common in repipes because it is flexible and needs fewer fittings. A single leak in any of these calls for leak detection and repair; repeated failures in galvanized or polybutylene usually lead to a conversation about whole house repiping.

Drain and sewer materials

Cast iron drains are heavy and quiet but rust from the inside over many years, often cracking along the bottom of horizontal runs where water sits. Black ABS and white PVC plastic drains do not rust, though joints can separate and long runs can sag. Clay sewer pipe resists corrosion, yet roots can enter at its joints. Material also matters for cleaning: hydro jetting works well on sound pipe, but a badly deteriorated cast iron or clay line can be damaged by it, which is why a camera inspection comes first. Interior problems fall to drain repair, and the line from the house to the street to main sewer line repair.

Where different materials meet

Many houses have been repaired in pieces over the years, so copper may be spliced into galvanized, or PEX into CPVC. These transitions need the right fittings. Joining copper directly to galvanized steel, for example, invites corrosion at the joint unless a dielectric fitting separates the two metals. Leaks and rust at a transition are a hint that the connection, not the whole run, is the weak point.

Repair a section or repipe?

The material is only part of the decision. Also consider how many leaks there have been, whether pressure or water quality has changed, how much of the piping is accessible, and whether walls are already open for a remodel. One leak in copper is a repair. A third leak in polybutylene in two years is a pattern, and patching it piece by piece rarely ends well. The main shutoff, the fixture valves and the line to the water heater are worth checking along the way, through faucet and valve repair, since old valves often fail when repipe work begins.

Kennesaw permits and the current plumbing code

Kennesaw, in Cobb County, runs permits through its own Building Services Department, which takes applications online and offers a homeowner affidavit for owners pulling their own permits. Its page lists the 2024 International Plumbing Code with Georgia amendments among the codes in effect, which is the standard a repipe or other new piping is inspected against.

Pipe material questions Kennesaw owners ask

How can I tell if my house has polybutylene pipe?

Look at exposed supply lines near the water heater, under sinks and where the main enters the house. Polybutylene is a flexible plastic, usually gray, often stamped with the letters PB and a code number. Most of it went in between the late 1970s and the mid-1990s. If you are unsure, a plumber can identify it during any visit.

Can an old cast iron drain be hydro jetted?

Sometimes. Cast iron in fair condition with scale or grease buildup often cleans up well with the right nozzle and pressure. A line with heavy corrosion, cracks or missing sections can be damaged further. A camera inspection before jetting shows which situation you have, and the right answer for a failing line may be repair rather than cleaning.

Is PEX as durable as copper?

Both last a long time when installed correctly. PEX resists scale and the pinhole corrosion some water conditions cause in copper, copes with freezing better and needs fewer fittings, but it has to be kept out of sunlight and supported properly. Copper handles heat and sunlight well and stays rigid. In repipes, PEX is chosen more often, and copper where an owner prefers metal.

Not sure what you have?

Snap a photo of the pipes near your water heater and call Alpha at (404) 409-4448. We can usually tell you what you are looking at and what it means for the house.