Key Takeaway
For most whole house repipes, PEX is the practical choice: it costs less, it bends through walls and joists with fewer joints, so fewer drywall openings, and the job usually goes faster. Copper costs more and needs more access, but it is rigid, has a long track record and handles heat and sunlight better. Either one replaces failing galvanized steel, polybutylene or pinholed copper for good. Corroded galvanized pipe is the most common reason to repipe: once its zinc coating wears away, the iron rusts, deposits build up and the pipe leaks. SKS Plumbing repipes homes with PEX or copper across Hillsboro and the Portland metro, usually in 1 to 3 days, with water back on at the end of each work day. Call (503) 319-9348.
For most whole house repipes, PEX is the better choice: it costs less, needs fewer wall openings and goes in faster. Copper costs more and takes more access, but it is a rigid metal system with a long track record, and some homeowners simply prefer it.
Either one ends the leaks, low pressure and rusty water that come with old galvanized steel or polybutylene. Here is how the two compare, and what a repipe actually involves in a Hillsboro, Beaverton or Portland area home.
Why Homes Here Get Repiped
Most repipes we do start with one of three pipe materials:
- Galvanized steel, common in homes built before about 1970. It corrodes from the inside, so the pipe narrows year by year.
- Polybutylene, the grey or blue flexible plastic used in many homes from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. It can fail without warning.
- Older copper that has started to develop pinhole leaks in different places.
Galvanized pipe is the most common. The East Bay Municipal Utility District explains what happens inside it: "Once the coating is gone, the iron will rust, corrosion deposits can build up inside the pipe, and they will leak." It adds that "old, corroded galvanized pipes can cause low water pressure and discolored water." (EBMUD, Galvanized Iron Pipes)
If you are not sure what you have, our guide to the signs your home needs repiping shows how to check.
PEX vs Copper at a Glance
- Material cost: PEX is lower, copper is higher.
- Install time: PEX is faster, copper is slower.
- Wall openings: PEX needs fewer because it bends around corners. Copper needs a fitting at every turn.
- Joints: PEX runs in long continuous lengths. Copper has many soldered joints.
- Freezing: PEX flexes and is more forgiving if water freezes. Rigid copper is more likely to split.
- Sunlight and heat: PEX must be kept out of direct sun. Copper is not affected.
- Noise: PEX is quieter, with less water hammer. Copper can bang and tick.
The Case for PEX
PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) comes in long flexible coils. That flexibility is what makes it the default for most repipes.
- Fewer openings. A single length of PEX can run from the crawl space up through a wall to a fixture without a fitting at every bend. Fewer fittings means fewer places to open the drywall.
- Lower cost. The pipe itself costs less than copper, and it takes less labor to install.
- Fewer joints. Every joint is a place a leak could start. Long continuous runs cut the number down.
- More forgiving in a freeze. PEX can stretch a little if the water inside freezes, where copper is more likely to split. It is not freeze proof, so pipes in crawl spaces still need insulation, but it gives you more margin in a hard Washington County cold snap.
- Color coding. Red for hot and blue for cold makes the system easy to read later.
The trade-offs: PEX has to stay out of direct sunlight, so it is not used for exposed outdoor runs, and it needs to be kept away from high heat sources such as a water heater flue. The plumber handles both with short copper or metal transitions where needed.
The Case for Copper
Copper has been used for household water lines for generations, and a well installed copper system lasts a long time.
- Rigid and durable. Copper holds its shape, resists physical damage and does not mind heat or sunlight.
- A long track record. Many buyers and inspectors recognise copper straight away, and some homeowners simply prefer a metal system.
- Works anywhere. Exposed runs, garages and outdoor sections are not a problem.
The trade-offs: copper costs more, takes longer to install because every turn needs a soldered fitting, and usually means more access holes. In some water conditions copper can also develop pinhole leaks over time, which is often why an older copper house ends up being repiped in the first place.
Which One Should You Choose?
PEX makes sense for most houses, especially:
- older homes where the walls are finished and you want as few openings as possible
- homes with a crawl space or attic to run lines through
- anyone working to a budget
Copper is worth considering when:
- long runs will be exposed in a garage, a shop or outside
- you want a fully metal system
- part of the house is already plumbed in good copper and you want it to match
Some homes end up with both: PEX for the runs through walls and ceilings, copper where pipe is exposed. We talk through the options during the assessment and price both if you would like to compare.
What a Whole House Repipe Involves
1. Assessment. We map every supply line, identify the pipe material and condition, count the fixtures and work out the routes through the crawl space, attic and walls. You get a written scope and a fixed price before any work starts.
2. Permit. Replacing the water piping in a home needs a plumbing permit and an inspection in Oregon. We pull it. Our guide to Oregon plumbing permits explains why a job like this needs a full permit rather than a minor label.
3. Protecting the house. Floors and furniture near the work are covered with drop cloths and plastic sheeting.
4. Running the new lines. We shut off the main and replace the pipe run by run, from the main line to each fixture. With PEX, most lines can be pulled through existing cavities with small, neat cuts only where they are needed.
5. Water back on each evening. Your water is restored at the end of every work day. You are not left without water overnight.
6. Pressure test and inspection. The whole system is pressure tested for leaks, then every fixture is checked for flow and hot and cold. The inspector signs off before walls are closed.
7. Patching and clean up. Access holes are patched and the work areas cleaned.
Most repipes of a 2 to 4 bedroom home take 1 to 3 days. A smaller home with good crawl space access can be done in a day.
What Drives the Cost
Every repipe is priced after the assessment, because the same size house can vary a lot. The main factors are:
- the pipe material (PEX costs less than copper)
- the number of fixtures and bathrooms
- one story or several, since upper floors need more vertical runs
- access: an open crawl space or basement is quicker than a slab or a tight attic
- how many wall openings are needed
While the walls are open, it is also a good time to replace old shut-off valves and check the main water line that feeds the house, since a corroded main limits pressure no matter how new the pipes inside are.
Get a Repiping Assessment
SKS Plumbing repipes homes with PEX or copper through our whole home repiping service, in Hillsboro, Beaverton, Portland and the rest of Washington County. If you have a leak now and are not sure where it is coming from, our leak detection service can find it first.
We are open seven days a week. Call (503) 319-9348, or book an assessment for a free estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
For most homes, PEX. It costs less, it runs through walls and joists in long flexible lengths with fewer fittings, and that means fewer holes in your drywall and a shorter job. Copper is the better fit if you want a rigid metal system, have long runs exposed to sunlight or heat, or simply prefer it. Both are approved for drinking water and both last for decades when installed correctly.
Most 2 to 4 bedroom homes take 1 to 3 days. A smaller house with an open crawl space or basement can be done in a day. Larger or multi-story homes that need more wall access take longer. We restore your water at the end of each work day, so you are never left without water overnight.
No. New lines are routed through the crawl space, attic and existing wall cavities wherever possible. Where a wall has to be opened, it is a small, neat cut at a fixture or a turn in the pipe, which is patched afterwards. PEX usually needs fewer openings than copper because it bends around corners instead of needing a fitting at each one.
Sometimes. If one section has failed and the rest of the system is sound copper or PEX, a partial repipe can make sense. If the house is plumbed in galvanized steel or polybutylene, the old pipe that stays in will keep causing problems, so a full repipe is usually the better value.
Yes. Replacing the water piping in a home is plumbing work that needs a permit and an inspection before the walls are closed. The licensed plumbing contractor doing the work pulls the permit. Ask about it in your estimate.
