The first real decision in whole house repiping is what the new pipe will be made of. Most repipes today use either PEX or copper, and the choice affects how many walls get opened, how long the crew is in the house and how the finished system behaves. Alpha Plumbing and Sewer talks Alpharetta homeowners through that choice before any drywall is cut, and the Georgia repiping overview describes the wider process.
When a house is ready for new supply pipe
Owners usually reach this point after one of three discoveries: a second or third pinhole leak in aging copper, gray polybutylene flagged during a home inspection, or flow that keeps fading because galvanized steel has scaled up inside. A single leak rarely justifies replacing everything. A pattern of failures in different rooms usually does. If you cannot tell whether you have one problem or many, leak detection and repair is a sensible place to start.
PEX: flexible and easier to route
- It bends around corners, so a single run can travel from the attic or crawlspace to a fixture with few or no joints hidden in the wall.
- Finished walls usually need fewer and smaller openings, which keeps patching down.
- It can be laid out as a home-run system, with every fixture fed from a central manifold that has its own shutoffs.
- It must be shielded from sunlight, and manufacturers set clearances near gas water heaters, so the connections there are often made in metal.
Copper: rigid and long-proven
- It tolerates heat and light and has a long record in residential plumbing.
- Straight lengths mean more joints and more access, especially where a run changes direction inside a finished wall.
- Joints are soldered or made with press fittings; press tools avoid an open flame in tight framing.
- Water chemistry matters. Some water slowly pits copper from the inside, and a house that already suffered pinholes may be better served by PEX.
How the material changes the job
With PEX, the crew often works from above or below and fishes lines down to each fixture, opening the wall mainly where the pipe comes out. Copper typically needs longer openings to set straight runs and make joints in place, which adds time and patching. Either way, the work ends the same: the agreed fixture stops and water heater connections, testing and a final check before the new piping is concealed. If the house has a tankless unit, this is a good moment to have its isolation valves and connections looked at during tankless water heater service. Worn fixture shutoffs outside the repipe scope are a job for faucet and valve repair.
What a clear proposal spells out
- The pipe material, fitting system and layout, manifold or branch.
- Every connection included: sinks, toilets, tubs and showers, laundry, refrigerator line, outdoor faucets and the water heater.
- New stop valves at fixtures, and whether the main shutoff is replaced too.
- Expected wall and ceiling openings and the finish they will be patched to.
PEX and copper questions from Alpharetta owners
Does PEX hold up as well as copper?
For indoor water supply, both have long service records when they are installed correctly. The usual worries differ: PEX must be kept out of ultraviolet light and joined only with fittings its maker approves, while copper's weak spot is aggressive water that eats at it from inside. Neither wins in every house, so the decision usually rests on access, budget and how the old pipe failed.
Can one repipe use both PEX and copper?
Yes, and it is common. A crew may use copper near the water heater or in exposed spots and PEX inside the walls, joined with transition fittings made for that purpose. The proposal should say where each material goes so there are no surprises when the walls are open.
How long does a repipe take in an Alpharetta house?
It depends on the size of the house, the number of bathrooms and floors, the material and how easy the attic or crawlspace is to work in. Ask for a written schedule that marks the days with water outages.
Still deciding on the material?
Still weighing PEX against copper for an Alpharetta home? Talk it through with Alpha Plumbing and Sewer at (404) 409-4448, or send a few details through the service request form.