Hi, our house was built in 1985, has copper, has hard water. We are on a well and do not have a water softener. We live in Oklahoma where temperatures can get down to 0 degrees F in the winter.
Reciently we had a leak in the slab under the bathroom that we want to remodel anyway. I have not fixed it yet, just which is good because 1 month later there is another leak back closer to the source.
I am looking for general advice and thoughts from the community on how to proceed here.
1. I am assuming I can expect that these leaks are going to become more common as time goes on. Is this a correct assumption?
2. Should I consider an entire house repipe?
3. Is there anything else to consider that I am not mentioning here?
Repipe options...
4. I think Attic is a no-go, but I don't know for sure. Neighbors have said that you can wrap the attic pipes in heat tape, my concern is what happens when it freezes and you lose power, or the heat tape electrical powerbrick fails and you don't know it until its too late. What are your thoughts here? I have seen some suggest that you put it right above the ceiling sheetrock and cover it with tons of insulation, hoping that the heat from the house gets through to just on the otherside of the sheetrock.
5. Cut a 6" wide slit in the walls above the doorway and reroute the plumbing through the house that way. Basically from my hot water heater I would divert cold and hot and drill 2 holes throuh every stud on the way to my kitchen and 3 bathrooms 7' off the ground to clear the doors.
6. Route the lines on the inside of the ceiling or wall and then resheetrock the entire ceiling or wall over the pipe (I saw actually suggested somewhere).
7. Route the lines on the inside of the house, like 6, but at the top corner of the ceiling where the ceiling and wall meet, and install crown molding over it.
What are your thoughts or suggestions on the best way to repipe the house?
Reciently we had a leak in the slab under the bathroom that we want to remodel anyway. I have not fixed it yet, just which is good because 1 month later there is another leak back closer to the source.
I am looking for general advice and thoughts from the community on how to proceed here.
1. I am assuming I can expect that these leaks are going to become more common as time goes on. Is this a correct assumption?
2. Should I consider an entire house repipe?
3. Is there anything else to consider that I am not mentioning here?
Repipe options...
4. I think Attic is a no-go, but I don't know for sure. Neighbors have said that you can wrap the attic pipes in heat tape, my concern is what happens when it freezes and you lose power, or the heat tape electrical powerbrick fails and you don't know it until its too late. What are your thoughts here? I have seen some suggest that you put it right above the ceiling sheetrock and cover it with tons of insulation, hoping that the heat from the house gets through to just on the otherside of the sheetrock.
5. Cut a 6" wide slit in the walls above the doorway and reroute the plumbing through the house that way. Basically from my hot water heater I would divert cold and hot and drill 2 holes throuh every stud on the way to my kitchen and 3 bathrooms 7' off the ground to clear the doors.
6. Route the lines on the inside of the ceiling or wall and then resheetrock the entire ceiling or wall over the pipe (I saw actually suggested somewhere).
7. Route the lines on the inside of the house, like 6, but at the top corner of the ceiling where the ceiling and wall meet, and install crown molding over it.
What are your thoughts or suggestions on the best way to repipe the house?
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