The whole house
With a whole-house repipe, every water line is new, from the point where the supply enters the house up to the last faucet. It makes sense when leaks have shown up in one room after another.
Repiping and Water Line Replacement in Minneapolis
When pinhole leaks keep appearing, the water runs brown after a night unused or the upstairs shower barely trickles, the supply pipes may have reached the end of their life. We connect you with a plumber to replace them, room by room or through the whole house.
The water service line from the street is the owner’s in Minneapolis, so this page also covers that pipe and the city’s lead line program.
How much pipe to replace
One area at a time
When the trouble is in one area, such as a bathroom or the runs across the basement ceiling, that part can be replaced on its own and the rest left for later.
The water service line
Out in the yard, the service line runs underground from the city main in the street to your house. A replacement lays new pipe over that whole distance, which is why it is planned as a job of its own.
Lowering a line that keeps freezing
A service line that keeps freezing can be lowered to a depth frost cannot reach. The city suggests hiring a qualified contractor for that job.
Lead service lines in Minneapolis
More than 4 in every 10 Minneapolis homes were built in 1939 or earlier. Service lines put in before 1930 may be lead from the main to the stop box and galvanized steel from the stop box to the meter, and the city or its online map can tell you what yours is made of. A lead line cannot be repaired, only replaced.
The City of Minneapolis is replacing lead water service lines with state and federal money, at no cost to property owners. State funding rules decide the project areas, the city contacts eligible owners before work begins, and contractors do the work while the city inspects it. Check whether your property is in a project area before paying for a new line yourself.
Minnesota has set a goal of replacing every lead service line by 2033, and federal rules require it by 2037. After a lead line is replaced, the city says to flush the home plumbing because the work can disturb lead particles, and it offers a free lead test kit.
The city holds its water at a pH of 8.8 to 9.0 and adds orthophosphate so the water is not corrosive. The thin scale that forms inside service lines keeps lead from seeping into the water.
Permits and inspection for a repipe
Replacing or installing water piping is on the City of Minneapolis list of work that needs a plumbing permit. The 2020 Minnesota Plumbing Code, built on the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code with Minnesota amendments, sets the rules for the new pipe.
New plumbing and the altered parts of an existing system must be inspected and tested. The state schedules those inspections only where there is no local inspection department, and in Minneapolis the permit comes from the city.
Since the walls are already open during a repipe, it can be a good time to read the water heater page too; for hidden drips go to leak detection, or back to the home page.
Call for a free plumbing estimate
Call us to discuss your current issue and how we can assist you. The call is free and you get a free, personalized estimate with no obligation. We're here to help.
Call (855) 321-3426