# Repiping Guides for Philadelphia Homes

> Repiping guides for Philadelphia homeowners: galvanized and lead pipe, PEX and copper rules, costs, permits, low pressure and rusty water. Find your answer.

URL: https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/

Repiping guides with plain answers about the water piping in Philadelphia-area houses, from what is in the walls to what a repipe involves.

## Learn how it works

- Learn [What Old Water Pipes Are in Philadelphia Homes, and When Do They Need Replacing?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/old-water-pipes-philadelphia-homes/)A plain guide to the water pipes inside an older Philadelphia rowhouse or twin: how to tell lead, galvanized steel, copper and plastic apart, how each one fails, who owns which part, what the city's code and permits require, and how to decide between a repair, a partial repipe and a whole-house repipe.
- Learn [What Is a Curb Stop, and Who Is Responsible for It in Philadelphia?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/philadelphia-curb-stop/)The valve near the curb that shuts off water to the whole house: what it is, why Philadelphia makes it the owner's, what happens when it is buried, offset or seized, and why it decides how a main shutoff replacement goes.
- Learn [Does Repiping Include Drain Pipes?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/does-repiping-include-drains/)A repipe replaces the pressurized pipe that brings water to your fixtures. The pipes that carry it away are a different system, built and repaired by different rules. Where the line falls, and why it matters on a quote.
- Learn [How Long Does a Repipe Take When You Are Living in the House?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/living-through-a-repipe/)The schedule depends on floors, fixtures, access and the plaster, not on a standard number of days. How the work is staged so the water is off only at cutovers, and what to get ready before the first day.
- Learn [How Do You Identify the Water Pipes in Your House?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/how-to-identify-your-water-pipes/)A step-by-step way to tell galvanized steel, copper, lead, PEX, CPVC and polybutylene apart, using a coin, a magnet and the printing on the pipe, and where to find each run in a Philadelphia rowhouse.
- Learn [Is PEX Allowed in Philadelphia?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/is-pex-allowed-in-philadelphia/)What the Philadelphia Plumbing Code says about PEX water pipe: where it is allowed, where metal is required, the rules at the water heater and the fittings, the pending code bill, and how the suburbs differ.
- Learn [Is There Lead in Philadelphia Tap Water?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/lead-in-philadelphia-tap-water/)Where lead in drinking water comes from in Philadelphia, what the Water Department does about it, what its testing shows, the steps PWD and the EPA describe for your own tap, and how the pipes in and under your house fit in.
- Learn [Why Is the Water Pressure Low in My Philadelphia House?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/low-water-pressure-philadelphia/)Low pressure in an older Philadelphia house has several possible causes along the line from the street to the tap. How to tell a service line problem from an interior restriction, a valve or a fixture, and when a repipe actually helps.
- Learn [How Do I Check If I Have a Lead Service Line in Philadelphia?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/check-if-you-have-a-lead-service-line/)Reading the Water Department's Service Line Material Map, what an 'unknown' or incomplete record means for your address, how to test the pipe where it enters by the meter, and why the street line and the pipes inside are separate questions.
- Learn [Do You Need a Permit to Repipe a House in Philadelphia?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/philadelphia-repipe-permit/)How the L&I plumbing permit works for a repipe in Philadelphia: when one is needed, who can apply, what the EZ permit covers, the published fee lines and surcharges, and what happens at inspection.
- Learn [What Is a Philadelphia Water Department Notice of Defect, and What Do I Do Next?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/philadelphia-water-notice-of-defect/)Why PWD sends a Notice of Defect, why the repair falls on the property owner, the ways to pay for it, and what happens when the deadline on the notice passes.
- Learn [How Do You Repipe a House With Plaster Walls?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/repiping-plaster-walls/)Plaster on lath can be opened and closed cleanly if the openings are planned. Where the cuts go, how routing keeps them few, the three levels of patching, and what keeps the dust in one room.
- Learn [Why Is My Tap Water Rusty or Brown in Philadelphia?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/rusty-water-philadelphia/)Brown or rust-colored water can start in the street, in the house piping or in the water heater. A few simple checks narrow it down before anyone blames the pipes, and tell you whether the call goes to the Water Department or a plumber.
- Learn [Who Can Do Plumbing Work in a Philadelphia House?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/who-can-do-plumbing-work-philadelphia/)Who is allowed to do plumbing work in Philadelphia: what a master plumber license takes, where journeymen fit, why a home improvement registration is not a plumbing license, what a homeowner can do, and how the suburbs handle it.
- Learn [Who Owns the Water Service Line in Philadelphia?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/who-owns-the-water-line-philadelphia/)Where the Water Department's pipe ends and yours begins, from the ferrule at the main to the last fixture upstairs, and why the line is drawn differently across the city limit.

## Decide what to do

- Decision Guide [Should You Buy a Philadelphia House With Old Galvanized or Lead Pipes?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/buying-a-philadelphia-house-with-old-pipes/)Old pipe is a reason to price the house correctly, not always a reason to walk away. What to look at during a showing and an inspection, how to check the service line before closing, and how a written scope turns pipe worries into numbers.
- Decision Guide [What Causes Pinhole Leaks in Copper Pipe, and Should You Repair or Repipe?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/copper-pinhole-leaks/)Why copper water pipe develops pinholes, what Philadelphia's water does and does not explain, how to read the pattern of leaks, and how to decide between a spot repair, a partial repipe and a whole-house repipe.
- Decision Guide [Can I Get My Lead Service Line Replaced for Free in Philadelphia?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/free-lead-line-replacement-philadelphia/)The City routes that can replace a lead or galvanized service line at no charge, who each one reaches, what it leaves to the owner, and what to do if none of them reaches your block.
- Decision Guide [PEX or Copper: Which Is Better for Repiping a Philadelphia House?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/pex-vs-copper-repipe/)How PEX and copper compare for a Philadelphia repipe: what the city code allows, how each handles Philadelphia water, cold basements and rodents, what each means for the walls, and which way each moves the price.
- Decision Guide [How Does the PWD HELP Loan Work for a Water Service Line?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/pwd-help-loan/)The Water Department's zero-interest loan for service line and other exterior plumbing work: the terms, who qualifies, the lien on the property, who does the work, and the interior piping it does not cover.
- Decision Guide [Should You Repipe or Line Your Water Supply Pipes?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/repipe-vs-pipe-lining/)Epoxy lining coats the inside of the pipe you have; a repipe replaces it. What each method does, where lining can make sense, where its limits show up in old Philadelphia houses, and how to compare the two honestly.
- Decision Guide [When Should You Repipe a Rental Property in Philadelphia?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/repiping-rental-property-philadelphia/)For owners of rented houses and small apartment buildings: how to decide when old pipe should go, why vacancy is the easiest window, how to repipe one stack at a time with people living there, and what the owner has to handle on a lead service line.
- Decision Guide [Do I Need a Water Line Protection Plan in Philadelphia, and Does Insurance Cover Repiping?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/water-line-protection-plans-philadelphia/)A neutral look at the city-promoted service line protection program, homeowners insurance and service line endorsements: what each is built to pay for, where the coverage line usually falls, and why none of them is the same thing as planning a repipe.

## Plan the cost

- Cost Guide [How Much Does Repiping Cost in Philadelphia?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/repiping-cost-philadelphia/)Typical ranges for a whole-house and a PEX repipe, what sits inside the price, the City's permit fees, and why two quotes for the same rowhouse can differ.
- Cost Guide [How Much Does Lead Service Line Replacement Cost in Philadelphia?](https://philadelphiafreedomrepipe.com/guide/lead-service-line-replacement-cost-philadelphia/)PWD's own estimate for a private replacement, the City fees and PWD charges inside it, the parts with no public price, and the programs that lower or remove the cost.