For any home repair, there’s always an option to fix or replace. To save time and reduce stress, people often choose the simplest method of repair.
Patching up your copper pipes is one type of repair that you’d consider, but when the damage is more severe, you may need a trenchless water line replacement. It’s important to be familiar with the reasons why you would need a trenchless water line replacement or patch.
When to Patch Your Pipes
Patch your copper pipes when you notice leakage. There are several ways to know if your pipes are leaking. If the pipes are visible either inside or outside of the home, you’ll notice that the copper does not resemble copper much anymore. The material looks moldy and changes color. You may see water leaking through the walls, floor or ceiling. Some people see water stains develop, while others see mold start to develop.
If your pipes are corrosion resistant, or the leakage is not visible, you’ll notice a problem with the water bill. The bill may cost twice as much as it did a few months ago. A leak that gradually gets bigger leads to a bigger that gradually increases over time.
Most leaks can be fixed just by patching up a hole in a pipe. Patching the hole requires less effort and money than replacing the entire pipe. A replacement is recommended only if the leaks are found in different sections of a pipe or the material is corroded beyond recognition.
When to Replace Your Pipes
A trenchless water line replacement is the trenchless method of replacing pipes that does not involve excavating the property. Property owners use this method when they want to fix their pipes without having to dig up their yards.
Without the trenchless method, the entire yard could be demolished, including a patio or garden, and needs to be restored later. It’s recommended when many different sections of the piping are damaged and cannot be repaired using simple methods.
Check out one of our case studies here – we show you behind the scene pictures of what a trenchless repair looks like. It saves you time and money by being efficient and non-invasive.
In some homes, a catastrophic problem like pipe bursting results in flooding around the yard. In underground pipes, large tree roots could run into the pathway of pipes and cause destruction. Another reason to get a water line replacement is to replace the old lines with new and improved materials.
There are easy and hard ways to tell when your pipes need an upgrade. Most of the time, your five senses are warned of any problem. You’ll see pipe breakage or corrosion, hear strange clangs or banging noises in the walls, taste tainted water or smell a strange odor from the tap water.
But it’s much harder to know which method is needed to fix the problem, whether it’s a simple plug of a hole or an entire replacement of the piping system.
In either case, hire a professional to help you decide on a trenchless water line replacement or patch and start working on your project.