Water and drain service
Repiping and copper pipe replacement in NYC
Rusty water, pinhole leaks every few months, pressure that fades upstairs. When the pipes themselves are the problem, patching stops making sense. We repipe houses and replace risers in buildings across Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Manhattan.
Repiping services
Planned around how you live in the house, with water back on every night.
Whole-house repipe
All hot and cold supply piping replaced, from the main to every fixture, in copper or PEX as the building and code allow.
Galvanized steel replacement
The pipe in most pre-1960 NYC houses. It rusts shut from the inside; replacing it restores pressure and clean water.
Copper pipe replacement
Older copper with pinhole leaks from corrosion or past water chemistry, replaced section by section or entirely.
Riser replacement in buildings
Hot, cold and recirculation risers in multi-family buildings, phased by line so only a few apartments are affected each day.
Partial repipes
One bathroom, one floor, or the basement main, when the rest of the system is sound.
Drain and waste replacement
Cracked cast iron stacks and branches replaced with new cast iron or PVC where code permits.
Copper, PEX, and what NYC allows
Copper has been the standard supply material in New York City for decades and remains fully permitted. PEX, the flexible plastic tubing, is permitted by the NYC Plumbing Code for water distribution within limits on building type and location, and it makes a repipe in a finished house far less invasive because it snakes through walls where rigid copper would need them opened. We use each where it is allowed and where it makes sense, and we will explain the choice for your building.
CPVC and uPVC, common in other states for supply piping, are not the materials you will see in NYC supply work; PVC is used for drain, waste and vent where the code permits. If a quote from someone else lists CPVC supply lines in a NYC house, ask questions.
A repipe is filed with the Department of Buildings by our licensed master plumber and inspected. It is also the time to replace every shutoff valve, add an expansion tank if there is none, and correct cross-connections.
Signs it is time to repipe
- Rusty or brown water, especially first thing in the morning
- Pinhole leaks that keep coming back
- Pressure drops when a second fixture opens
- Galvanized pipe visible in the basement
- Green or white crust on copper joints
- House built before 1960 with original plumbing
Repiping and copper pipe replacement by borough
Same-day and scheduled service in every neighborhood we serve.
Brooklyn
ZIP codes 11201–11256
- Williamsburg
- Greenpoint
- DUMBO
- Brooklyn Heights
- Cobble Hill
- Carroll Gardens
- Red Hook
- Park Slope
Queens
ZIP codes 11004–11697
- Astoria
- Long Island City
- Sunnyside
- Woodside
- Jackson Heights
- Elmhurst
- Corona
- Flushing
Staten Island
ZIP codes 10301–10314
- St. George
- Tompkinsville
- Stapleton
- New Brighton
- West Brighton
- Port Richmond
- Westerleigh
- Clifton
Manhattan
ZIP codes 10001–10282
- Financial District
- Battery Park City
- Tribeca
- SoHo
- Chinatown
- Lower East Side
- East Village
- Greenwich Village
Questions
How long does a whole-house repipe take?
A one-family house usually takes three to five working days, with water restored each evening. Patching and painting the access openings follows.
Is PEX allowed in NYC?
Yes, within the limits of the NYC Plumbing Code for water distribution. We use it where permitted and where it reduces demolition, and copper elsewhere.
Do you have to open all the walls?
No. We plan access openings where pipes change direction and use PEX to minimize openings where it is allowed. Openings are patched ready for paint.
Can you replace just the galvanized pipe in the basement?
Yes. A partial repipe of the basement main and the worst runs often restores most of the pressure, and the rest can be phased.
Is a repipe filed with the city?
Yes. It is filed with the Department of Buildings by our licensed master plumber and inspected.
Related: Low water pressure · Leak detection · Plumbing maintenance