I hear you on the whack-a-mole leaks—my basement started to feel like a water park before I finally gave in and replaced everything. PEX has been a relief, especially since I’m not exactly a fan of surprise plumbing concerts at 2 a.m. The permit process was a bit of a headache, though. The inspector seemed to think I was building a submarine, not just swapping pipes. I did consider copper, but between the price and my fear of accidentally torching the house with a blowtorch, I stuck with PEX. No regrets so far... except maybe for the time I tried to DIY a connection and ended up with an indoor fountain.
That indoor fountain bit made me laugh—been there, done that, mopped up the mess. PEX really does take a lot of the stress out of plumbing, especially if you’ve ever wrestled with old galvanized or copper lines. I’ve seen folks torch more than just pipes trying to sweat copper... one guy I knew singed his eyebrows clean off. Permits and inspectors can be a pain, but honestly, I’d rather deal with a picky inspector than a burst pipe at midnight.
You made the right call swapping everything out when you did. Sometimes people try to patch things up for years, but once you’re chasing leaks all over, it’s usually a sign the whole system’s ready to retire. I’m curious—did you run into any weird surprises behind the walls? I’ve found everything from ancient newspapers to a squirrel skeleton stuffed in a crawlspace. Never a dull moment with old plumbing.
Yeah, chasing leaks is a losing battle once the pipes hit a certain age. I’ve seen people get stuck in that cycle—patch here, clamp there—until it’s basically a game of whack-a-mole. At some point, you’re just throwing good money after bad. PEX is a lifesaver in those situations, especially if you’re dealing with tight spaces or weird angles. Way less drama than sweating copper, and you don’t have to worry about burning the house down. I’ve had my fair share of close calls with a torch, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
Funny you mention surprises behind the walls. Last year, I opened up a bathroom wall and found a whole stash of empty beer cans from the 70s. Guess the original crew liked to celebrate their progress... or maybe just hide out for a bit. Nothing as wild as a squirrel skeleton, though. The weirdest thing for me was a mummified frog wedged behind an old cast iron stack. Still not sure how it got there.
I’ll say this—sometimes folks get a little too worked up about inspectors. Yeah, they can be picky, but most of them are just trying to make sure you don’t end up with a disaster later on. I’d rather deal with one extra round of nitpicking than have to explain to a client why their ceiling’s leaking six months down the road.
One thing I’ve noticed: people tend to underestimate how much gunk builds up inside old galvanized lines. Even if there aren’t obvious leaks yet, the flow can get so restricted that you barely get a trickle at the tap. At that point, swapping everything out is less about leaks and more about actually being able to take a decent shower.
Anyway, never a dull moment with old houses and their mysteries. You never know what you’ll find until you start opening things up... sometimes it’s a plumbing disaster, sometimes it’s just a time capsule from another era.
One thing I’ve noticed: people tend to underestimate how much gunk builds up inside old galvanized lines. Even if there aren’t obvious leaks yet, the flow can get so restricted that you barely get a trickle at the tap.
That’s exactly what happened in our place—water pressure just kept dropping, but no visible leaks. Here’s what worked for me: I started by checking aerators for debris, then isolated sections of pipe to see where the pressure loss was worst. Once I found a section with almost no flow, I cut it open and, sure enough, it was packed with rust and scale. Ended up replacing about 30 feet with PEX, which wasn’t too bad cost-wise.
Curious—has anyone tried flushing old lines before committing to a full swap? I’ve heard mixed things about chemical flushes actually helping, but never tried it myself.
Curious—has anyone tried flushing old lines before committing to a full swap? I’ve heard mixed things about chemical flushes actually helping, but never tried it myself.
Tried flushing once on a rental. Honestly, it was more mess than miracle. You might get a tiny bump in flow, but the rust and scale just come back. Chemicals can loosen stuff up, but then you risk clogging fixtures downstream. At a certain point, those old galvanized pipes are just done—best to bite the bullet and replace. PEX is way easier to work with anyway.
