Plumbing is a lot like heating and cooling in the sense that it can be difficult to decide whether to repair or replace older components. Perhaps you live in an older home with plumbing that has seen better days. Next time you call for plumbing service, the plumber might recommend replacing whatever is broken. But how do you know if that’s the right choice?
The Challenges of Older Plumbing
Beehive Plumbing is a residential and commercial plumbing contractor serving Utah’s Salt Lake, Utah, and Davis Counties. Some of the homes they work on are pretty old. They say that older plumbing presents unique challenges thanks to outdated materials, aging pipes, changing consumer demand, and evolving plumbing codes. Yet when things go wrong in older homes, plumbing repairs are still necessary.
Beehive says that a general rule of thumb in their industry is to look at the big picture. A technician would consider the age of a home’s plumbing, its general condition, and its repair frequency. Based on that holistic view, it’s easier to make a recommendation about repair or replacement.
I am inclined to trust the advice of a plumbing contractor with a good reputation. But I’m not averse to doing some research if I suspect I’m not getting sound advice. Since I ultimately have to make the choice about repair or replacement, there are certain things I have to consider.
Issue Frequency and Severity
At the top of the list is the frequency of my plumbing problems and the general severity of each one. Infrequent, minor issues don’t rise to the level of complete replacement. But if I am constantly having serious problems with my plumbing, that’s a different story.
Along the same lines are the actual components causing me trouble. If I’m mainly dealing with a fixture issue, and the underlying water lines are still solid, replacing the whole thing probably isn’t necessary. If anything, I can probably solve the problem just by replacing the fixture.
Addressing Existing Water Damage
Some plumbing jobs require dealing with external damage caused by a leak. So the next question is this: what will it take to repair that damage? If the damage is significant enough, it may be to my advantage to simply replace that section of plumbing as part of the overall project. Then I will not have to worry about future problems in that same area.
The Age of the System
The age of my plumbing system is an important factor. Even the most well-designed and constructed systems do not last forever. So if I’m looking at pipes or fittings that are already 50-60 years old, I probably have to give some serious consideration to replacing them. But if I’m looking at a system that is less than a decade old, repairs make more sense from a financial perspective.
The Budget
Speaking of making financial sense, the budget is always a consideration. The fact is that total replacement can get quite expensive depending on the size and scope of a project. But if I don’t have the money to spend, I have to make a decision. Is it better to go into debt to replace bad plumbing or pay for less costly repairs now and set aside money for future replacement?
None of the questions have easy, pat answers we can apply in every situation. Older homes offer too many variables. The best we can do is take a holistic view, looking at all the factors involved in repair and replacement. With a good understanding and sound advice, we hopefully make a good decision.