Whole House Repiping in McDonough, GA

Whole house repiping replaces the pressurized water supply inside a home: the hot and cold lines that run from the main shutoff to every faucet, shower, toilet and appliance. It does not, by itself, touch the drains that carry water away, the sewer line in the yard or the gas piping. Those boundaries cause more confusion than almost anything else about the job, so Alpha Plumbing and Sewer spells them out for McDonough homeowners before any work is priced.

What a repipe normally includes

• Main trunk lines, hot and cold, from the main shutoff through the house.
• Branch lines to every sink, toilet, tub, shower and appliance connection.
• New stop valves at sinks and toilets, and new connections at each fixture.
• The cold feed and hot outlet piping at the water heater.
• Lines to outdoor faucets and the washing machine box.
• A pressure test of the new system and a check of every fixture afterward.

What stays outside the scope

• Drains and vents: the pipes that carry used water down and out work by gravity and form a separate system, often cast iron, galvanized steel or plastic. A slow tub or a cracked drain under a vanity calls for drain repair, not new supply pipe.
• The sewer line: the building sewer runs from the house to the public sewer, and recurring backups or roots are a matter for main sewer line repair.
• The service line: the buried pipe from the meter to the house is usually handled as a separate item through main water line repair, even when it is replaced at the same time.
• Gas piping: lines to a furnace, range or gas water heater belong to a different system and are not part of a water repipe.

Items that fall in between

Some parts sit right on the boundary and should be named one way or the other in the estimate: the main shutoff valve, a pressure-reducing valve, tub and shower valves, the water heater itself, a whole-house filter or softener loop, and an irrigation connection. None of these is automatically in or out. A clear line in the scope for each one prevents surprises on the day the new system is connected.

Why drains get mixed into the conversation

Houses old enough to need new supply pipe often have aging drain piping as well. Galvanized steel drains rust from the inside, much as galvanized supply lines do, and cast iron can crack or build up scale. It is fair to ask about the drains while the walls are open, but the answer should come from looking at them rather than from assumption. A sewer camera inspection shows the inside of drain and sewer lines and tells you whether they need anything at all.

Planning the jobs together or apart

If both the supply and the drains need work, doing them in the same window can share wall openings and a single round of patching. If only the supply needs replacing, there is no reason to disturb sound drains. When the question is simply which material and layout to use for the new supply lines, the overview of whole home repiping covers the options.

McDonough permits for supply and sewer work

The city's Building and Inspection Division reviews plans, issues plumbing permits on its own application form and inspects the work. Sewer work is permitted separately under the city code, with the connection to the public sewer made by an authorized city representative, so if sewer repairs join the project, expect a second set of approvals.

Questions about repipe scope in McDonough

Does a whole house repipe replace the drain pipes too?

No. The repipe covers the pipes that deliver water under pressure. Drain and vent piping works by gravity and is a separate system, often of a different material and age. If the drains are old, have them checked on their own merits, and if they need work, ask for it as a separate line in the estimate so the two jobs can share openings.

Is the line from the water meter part of the repipe?

Usually not. The buried service line from the meter to the house is generally a separate job. If it is old or undersized, replacing it at the same time can make sense, because a new interior system fed through a restricted service line will not perform as well as it could. Ask for it to be listed and priced on its own line.

Does a repipe include a new water heater?

Not unless the estimate says so. The repipe connects new cold and hot lines to the heater, but the heater itself sits on the boundary of the job. If it is near the end of its life, replacing it during the same shutoff means the connections are made once; if it is sound, the new lines simply attach to it.

Settle the scope before pricing

Want the edges of a repipe drawn clearly for your McDonough home? Give Alpha Plumbing and Sewer a call at (404) 409-4448, and we will separate the supply work from everything else before you decide.