That’s funny, I actually crawled under my own sinks with a flashlight when I first moved in—old copper pipes everywhere, and half the shutoff valves were stuck. I debated just swapping out the worst bits, but once I started opening walls for the remodel, it felt silly not to do the whole thing. Is it overkill? Maybe, but I kept thinking about what a leak would cost down the line versus just biting the bullet now. Anyone else get nervous about hidden corrosion or is that just me being paranoid?
“once I started opening walls for the remodel, it felt silly not to do the whole thing. Is it overkill?”
I get it—when you’ve already got the walls open, it feels like half measures are just asking for trouble later. I did a similar thing last year and swapped everything out to PEX. Some folks say copper can last forever, but in my place the corrosion was hiding where I’d never have found it until it leaked. Honestly, peace of mind is worth more than patching up old stuff... at least that’s how I justify the extra expense to myself.
Honestly, I don’t think it’s overkill at all. Once you’ve got the walls open, it’s the perfect time to deal with old pipes—otherwise you’re just setting yourself up for a headache down the road. I used to think patching was enough, but after chasing a hidden leak behind new tile, I learned my lesson. If you can swing it in the budget, replacing now saves a lot of hassle (and money) later.
- Totally agree, especially with:
Once you’ve got the walls open, it’s the perfect time to deal with old pipes—otherwise you’re just setting yourself up for a headache down the road.
- In my 1920s place, I thought “patch and pray” would be fine. Ended up with a slow leak that warped the original floorboards... not fun.
- If you’re dealing with galvanized or old copper, it’s not just leaks—sometimes water pressure improves after a full swap.
- Only hesitation: if the pipes are historic and in good shape, is there any value in keeping them? Or is that just me being sentimental about old stuff...
If you’ve already got the walls open, it’s hard to justify not replacing old pipes—especially galvanized. Even if they look “fine” on the outside, corrosion and buildup inside can be a real problem, and you won’t always see it until you cut them open. I’ve seen plenty of cases where folks wanted to keep original copper or even some old brass lines for the sake of history, but honestly, reliability usually wins out. Water pressure is a big one too; swapping out those old lines for PEX or new copper can make a noticeable difference.
That said, if you’re dealing with something like heavy-walled copper from the 1920s that’s still in great shape (no pitting, no green corrosion), I get the hesitation. There’s a certain charm to keeping original materials where possible. But from a practical standpoint, most people end up happier in the long run when they bite the bullet and update everything while access is easy. It’s just one less thing to worry about down the line... and trust me, patch jobs have a way of coming back to haunt you at 2am on a holiday weekend.
