WHOLE-HOME REPIPE — PERMANENT FIX FOR OLD LEHI PLUMBING

Whole-home repiping replaces all the water supply lines in a house — from the main shutoff to every fixture. It's a major project, but for Lehi homes with original galvanized steel or polybutylene plumbing, it's the only permanent fix. Spot repairs on bad pipe just buy time until the next pinhole leak.

Two pipe types that need to go

Galvanized steel — gray, threaded pipe used 1900s through the 1950s in Old Lehi homes (Main Street area, older neighborhoods). Internal corrosion narrows the pipe, restricts flow, causes brown or rust-colored water on first draw, and eventually develops pinhole leaks that turn into bursts. By year 60-80, galvanized is at end of life. Most Old Lehi homes with original plumbing are well past this point.

Polybutylene — gray plastic flexible pipe used 1978-1995, recalled in a class action because of widespread joint failures. Common in some Lehi homes built late 1980s through mid-1990s (less common than other Wasatch Front cities but still found). The pipe degrades from chlorine in municipal water; failures look like sudden joint blowouts. Insurance often won't renew on homes with active polybutylene.

Two repipe options

PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) — the modern standard. Flexible, freeze-tolerant, fast install, 25-50 year lifespan. Less expensive than copper and easier to install in finished spaces. Color-coded (red hot, blue cold) for clean install. Good for almost any Lehi home — particularly new-construction-era homes (Traverse Mountain, Holbrook Farms) where you're upgrading PEX for any reason.

Copper (Type L) — the gold standard. 50+ year lifespan, premium aesthetic where exposed, better for high-pressure applications. More expensive than PEX both in materials and install labor. Some buyers and high-end remodels prefer copper specifically.

Lehi-specific repipe scenarios

Old Lehi galvanized (Main Street area, 1900s-1950s homes) — typical scope. Whole house repipe with PEX, 1,500-2,500 sqft homes, $4,500-$11,500. Includes opening drywall in strategic locations, fishing PEX through walls and ceilings, connecting to all fixtures, pressure testing, drywall patch.

Polybutylene replacement (1980s-1990s Lehi homes) — insurance-driven repipe. Some carriers refuse to renew on active polybutylene. PEX repipe runs $4,500-$9,500 typical. We provide insurance documentation showing complete replacement.

Bathroom-only or kitchen-only repipe during remodel — partial repipe leveraging walls-open opportunity. Adding to a remodel scope: $1,200-$2,850. Standalone partial repipe: $2,850-$4,850.

Tankless conversion repipe — sometimes paired with whole-home repipe to upgrade water and gas runs simultaneously. Combined project pricing better than separate jobs.

Repipe process basics

Whole-home PEX repipe in a 1,800 sqft Old Lehi home is typically 3-5 days. Day 1: drywall access cuts (2-4" holes at strategic locations), old pipe identified and isolated. Day 2-3: new PEX runs fished through walls, ceilings, and crawl space. Day 4: connections to fixtures, pressure test. Day 5: drywall patch and cleanup.

We work with your schedule — most homeowners stay in the house during repipe. Water is off in zones, not the whole house, so you typically have water at most fixtures most of the time. We minimize the holes; on average, a whole-home repipe needs 8-15 strategic access holes for a typical Old Lehi house layout.

What Valley does differently

Lehi office at 1490 N 300 E with full repipe crews. We pull permits with the city of Lehi (required) and schedule rough-in and final inspections. 25-year warranty on PEX, 50-year on copper, 10-year Valley workmanship warranty on labor. Drywall patch is included; we coordinate with paint contractors if you want the patches finished.

Quality Service Club Plumbing membership ($79/year) includes annual full-home water pressure check and a free pipe leak detection scan — useful especially in the first few years after a repipe to catch any issues while still under workmanship warranty.