Phoenix Valley slab leaks
A repipe replaces the whole supply system, from the main shut-off to every fixture, and retires the old copper or polybutylene under the slab. In single-story Valley homes the new lines usually run overhead in PEX. It makes sense after repeat pinholes, on original copper that is decades into service in hard water, or on polybutylene.
One slab leak can be bad luck. A second on a different line, or pinholes turning up in walls as well as under the floor, says the pipe itself is at the end of its service life. Other signs are blue-green staining at fittings, low pressure that gets worse over the years as scale narrows the bore, and rusty or metallic-tasting water after the house sits unused. Homes plumbed with polybutylene, the grey plastic pipe used in some houses built before the mid-1990s, are a separate case: that material has a known record of failing at fittings, and many owners replace it before it leaks at all.
A repipe replaces every supply line in the house, hot and cold, from the main shut-off to each fixture. In single-story Valley homes the new system nearly always runs overhead in PEX, through the attic and down inside the walls, with a manifold or a short trunk-and-branch layout depending on the house. The old under-slab piping is disconnected and left in place. Walls are opened at each fixture and at points along the route, and the house usually stays livable while the work goes on, with water shut off only for part of the day as each section is switched over.
Water here carries a heavy mineral load, and on copper that has been in service since the 1970s or 1980s it builds scale inside and thins the wall until pinholes form. Outside the pipe, expansive clay and caliche shift with moisture and stress lines locked into concrete. Many blocks of older homes in Mesa, Tempe and central Phoenix share the same original copper, so it is common for neighbours to face the same decision within a few years of each other.
A repipe is the largest of the options and the one that stops the next leak on old pipe instead of fixing just this one. The comparison is honest arithmetic: how many times the floor has been opened, how many lines are left, and what each future spot repair or single-line reroute will cost in flooring and disruption. A pressure test of every branch gives you the facts to make that call. Attic insulation, drywall patching and permits all belong in the scope, so ask for each in writing.
How long does it take? Typically two to five days for an average single-story home, with water restored at the end of most days.
These often come up on the same house, and can be planned from the same visit:
Meter and pressure tests, acoustic listening and thermal imaging to find which line is leaking and where, before any floor is opened.
How it works →Abandon the leaking line under the slab and run a new PEX or copper line through the walls or attic, with no concrete cut.
How it works →A direct-access repair: cut the floor and slab over the leak, replace the damaged section of pipe, backfill and re-pour the concrete.
How it works →Leak detection request
Tell us what you’re noticing and what the water meter did. We call back to set a time.
We’ll call to set a time. If water is coming up now, call (602) 555-0147
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