Repiping in Centreville, VA

Signs a repipe is worth pricing

• Pinhole leaks on copper that keep turning up in new places
• Gray, flexible plastic supply pipe with crimp rings at the fittings
• Water stains on the ceiling under an upstairs bathroom
• Slow pressure loss across the whole house
• A water bill that climbs while no fixture is running

If only one fitting has failed, a repair usually makes sense. Several failures on the same generation of pipe point toward replacing it.

Local conditions in Centreville

Centreville sits at I-66, US-29 and VA-28 and filled in quickly during the 1980s and 1990s. Houses and townhouses from that era were mostly built with copper or plastic supply lines rather than galvanized steel. Some homes from the late 1970s into the mid-1990s were plumbed with gray polybutylene, a material known for failing at its fittings; if you see it, it is worth an inspection even before a leak.

Fairfax Water supplies the area. It owns and maintains the meter, and the underground line from the meter or street valve to the main shutoff inside the house belongs to the homeowner. That buried line is often looked at during a repipe, especially if it is old or undersized. Fairfax Water also keeps a service line material inventory and asks owners to report what their side is made of through its Lead Free Fairfax survey.

Water hardness varies by plant and season. Fairfax Water's Potomac plant results average about 7.5 grains per gallon, enough to leave scale on fittings over time.

What affects the cost

• Townhouse or detached house, and the number of floors
• How many bathrooms and fixtures need new connections
• Finished basement ceilings that must be opened
• PEX, copper or a combination
• Replacing the owner's buried line from the meter at the same time
• Patching drywall afterward, if included

What happens when you call

The number on this page puts you in touch with an independent local plumber who serves Centreville. Share when the house was built, what pipe you can see at the water heater and where leaks have appeared. The plumber can check the exposed lines and recommend a repair, a partial repipe or a full one. Unincorporated Centreville is permitted by Fairfax County Land Development Services through its PLUS system, and the plumber should confirm which permit the job needs before work starts.