If your Katy or Houston home was built before 1995, there's a real chance its plumbing is reaching the end of its useful life. Galvanized steel corrodes from the inside out, polybutylene becomes brittle, and even copper can develop pinhole leaks after decades of Gulf Coast water. The question is: how do you know when it's time to repipe?
The Signs You Need a Repipe
Low water pressure throughout the house — not just one fixture. Rusty, discolored, or sediment-filled water, especially when you first turn on the tap. Frequent pinhole leaks in copper pipes. Visible corrosion on exposed pipes. Or a history of slab leaks — a common problem in our clay soil.
If your home has polybutylene piping — common in homes built between 1978 and 1995 — we recommend planning a repipe proactively. Polybutylene is known to fail without warning, and many insurance companies won't cover water damage from polybutylene failures.
Why We Recommend PEX
For most Katy and Houston repipes, PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) is our recommended material. Here's why:
PEX is flexible, which means fewer fittings and fewer potential leak points. It resists the scale and chlorine that damage metal pipes in our hard water. It doesn't corrode or pit. It handles the temperature swings of Gulf Coast weather — from summer heat to the occasional hard freeze. And because it installs faster than copper, it often lowers the total cost of your repipe.
Copper Still Has Its Place
Copper is rigid, time-tested, and some homeowners and inspectors prefer it for specific applications. We install both PEX and copper, and we'll explain the trade-offs honestly so you can choose what's right for your home.
What a Repipe Involves
A whole-home repipe typically takes 1–2 days for a single-story home. We protect your belongings, access pipes through strategic wall openings, install the new system, pressure-test it, flush it, and patch the access points. We pull all required permits and pass city inspection. You get clean water, full pressure, and a written workmanship warranty.
If you're seeing the signs, don't wait for a catastrophic leak. Call Obsta Plumbing at (713) 253-4810 for a free repipe assessment.
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