AquaTek Plumbing offers repiping for homes throughout San Jose, CA, San Francisco, and the Bay Area. We have served area homes and businesses since 1982. We replace aging plumbing from the water main to every fixture, and our own crew repairs the drywall and stucco afterward. You don’t need to be home the whole time, and copper piping we install carries a 10-year workmanship warranty.
Why Repipe Your Bay Area Home?
Millions of California homes were built between 1945 and 1973, so many Bay Area homes are now 50 years old or more. Galvanized steel pipes, common in older homes, rust from the inside over time, restricting water flow and raising the risk of leaks. Copper isn’t immune either. After decades of use, especially with hard water, it can corrode and develop pinhole leaks.
If your home has aging pipes or you keep paying for repeat repairs, repiping may be the more cost-effective fix. New piping improves water flow and cuts down on the cycle of patching one leak after another.
Signs Your Home May Need Repiping
While some residential plumbing issues require simple repairs, recurring problems throughout your home may indicate that your piping system is reaching the end of its lifespan. If you’re experiencing any of the following issues, it may be time to consider repiping.
- Frequent Plumbing Or Pipe Leak Repairs
- Declining Or Low Water Pressure
- Discolored Or Rusty Water
- Mold Or Mildew Growth
- Corroded Or Deteriorating Visible Pipes
- Pinhole Leaks In Copper Piping
- Aging Galvanized Steel Plumbing
- Water With Unpleasant Taste Or Odor
- Rising Water Bills Caused by Hidden Leaks
Getting To Your Home’s Pipes
As a licensed and bonded company, we don’t require the homeowner to be home during the entire course of the repipe. Access in and out of the home is all that is necessary. We employ our own sheetrock and stucco repair crew. Unless otherwise noted on your written estimate, we will cut all walls where needed to access areas of piping.
- Under Cabinets
- Behind Toilets
- Behind Water Heaters
- Shower Valves
After pipe installation and inspection by a city inspector, the sheetrock and stucco will be replaced by our crew to a textured surface, unless texture is painting process. Painting and wallpaper repairs are to be performed by others.
Replacing Your Piping System
Unless otherwise noted on our estimate sheet, all domestic piping will be replaced from where water main enters the home to all fixtures. Where Smitty remodeling plates are used on showers and tub/showers, existing risers will be reused to eliminate wall and tile damage. All warranties apply.
We suggest that the water main be replaced from the meter to the house. If it is of galvanized steel, AquaTek will dig and backfill to a finished grade. Shrubbery is excluded unless otherwise noted on the estimate. We suggest either Schedule 40 PVC or type (L) copper water main for a long-lasting build.
Residential Pipe Materials
We use Type L, commercial-grade copper for your home’s piping. Thinner and thicker grades exist, but in our professional opinion Type L is the best fit for a home. Your estimate may also specify PEX (cross-linked polyethylene tubing), PVC, CPVC, or other pre-approved materials. We join copper with lead-free solder, 95% tin and 5% alloys.
Repiping Fittings & Valves
Fittings are wrought copper or rough brass. Wherever there are gate valve shut-offs, we install ball valves instead. They open and close with a quarter turn, and their brass and stainless steel construction is built for many years of use. We replace shut-off valves throughout the home.
- Water Heater
- Water Main
- Water Softener
- Irrigation Isolation Valves
Piping Below The Floor & Shut Offs
All manifold piping below floor is suspended by Teflon straps, copper straps, and Teflon-coated hangers, keeping it clear of direct wood contact. This matters because pipe naturally expands and contracts — contact with wood over time can cause noise and squeaking, which we avoid as a matter of craftsmanship. Risers are suspended the same way.
We install angle stops (shut offs for each fixture) using Brasscraft units, with supply tubes from the angle stops replaced with braided stainless steel. Existing fixtures and flex lines are not replaced unless we note it on your repiping estimate.
Repiping Permit Costs
Because your entire home is being repiped, it is not considered to be a “repair.” The Bay Area city or county that you reside in will require that a permit be issued. A representative of AquaTek will stand the inspection when the piping has been completed.
Permits are to be charged as extra (in addition to the contract total) . The fee is actual cost plus a $140.00 administrative fee to acquire the permit (waiting time, etc.). However, you, the property owner, reserve the right to acquire your own permit and list AquaTek Plumbing, Inc. as the contractor on the permit application in order to eliminate this cost.
Hot Water Recirculation Systems Available
Hot water recirculation systems are available from AquaTek. They supply hot water quickly throughout the home. Our systems use a Grundfos pump and timer attached to a fully insulated water and recirculation pipe manifold.
If there is not an electrical plug within 3 feet of the recirculation pump, one will need to be installed by an electrician at your expense. The timer can be set to fit your household’s schedule.
Our Warranty
The warranty begins on the date of final payment of the contract. AquaTek Plumbing, Inc. guarantees against defects of workmanship for (10) years on all copper water piping that we supply and install.
A one-year warranty is given on all valves, pumps and fixtures that we supply. Materials and workmanship are included. Warranty is valid provided that failure occurs within (10) years from the date the warranty begins and the homeowner or homeowner representative promptly notifies AquaTek Plumbing, Inc. of failure in writing.
We will correct that failure by repairing or replacing the Product within a reasonable amount of time, without charge. The decision for repair or replacement shall be that of AquaTek Plumbing, Inc.
We do NOT warrant against failure in the following instances:
- Failure of fixtures that were present at the time of the project and/or that we did not both supply and install.
- Failure caused by, contributed in whole or in part by, or resulting from, natural disasters, such as, without limitation, flooding, earthquake, windstorm and lightning.
- Failure caused by, contributed in whole or in part by, or resulting from abuse, such as, without limitation vandalism.
Schedule A Home Repiping Consultation
If you’re experiencing recurring leaks, low water pressure, discolored water, or other signs of aging plumbing, AquaTek Plumbing can help. We provide professional repiping services throughout San Jose, San Francisco, and the Bay Area. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and learn whether repiping is the right solution for your home.
