If your home still runs on galvanized steel or aging, failing pipe, you're living with the symptoms: rusty water after vacations, pressure that drops when two fixtures run, pinhole leaks that keep appearing in new places. Patching buys months. A repipe fixes it for decades.
Tannor repipes homes across the Willamette Valley with modern PEX or copper — planned to minimize wall openings, done in an organized sequence that keeps your water on as much as possible, and finished with clean, labeled shut-offs.
What this covers
- Full replacement of galvanized, polybutylene or failing supply lines
- PEX or copper — honest advice on which fits your home and budget
- New quarter-turn shut-off valves at every fixture
- Pressure regulator and main shut-off replacement
- Minimal, planned drywall openings
- Whole-home leak check before the job is called done
Signs it's time to repipe
- Rust-colored water when you first turn on a tap
- Repeated pinhole leaks in different spots
- Noticeable pressure drop when a second fixture runs
- Galvanized pipe visible at the water heater or in the crawlspace
- A home built before the 1970s with original plumbing
What To Expect
How a Whole-Home Repipe Actually Works
"Repipe" sounds like living in a construction site for weeks. It isn't. Most Willamette Valley homes repipe in two to four working days, you keep living in the house, and the water is typically only off for a few hours at a stretch — on each evening. The new lines run through the crawlspace or attic wherever possible, with small access openings at fixture points rather than torn-open walls.
The process, day by day
- Day 1: map the runs, protect floors and furniture, open small access points at fixtures
- Days 2–3: run new lines and cut over fixture by fixture — water back on each evening
- Final day: pressure test, inspection, and coordinated drywall patching so painters have clean seams to finish
- Materials: PEX-A for most homes — fewer joints, tolerates freezes, and keeps labor down; copper where it genuinely makes sense
What it costs in the Willamette Valley
- Whole-home PEX repipe: most homes land between $4,500 and $12,000 depending on size and access — single-story homes over a crawlspace, common around here, sit toward the low end
- Copper repipe: typically two to three times the PEX price — worth it in specific cases, not most
- Galvanized-era homes (pre-1960s) trend higher than 1980s poly swaps because of access and drain-line surprises
- One licensed plumber start to finish — no rotating crew, and the guy who quoted it is the guy in your crawlspace
These are market ranges for context, not quotes. Tannor prices your exact job upfront — before any work starts — and the number he quotes is the number you pay.
Why Mathias Plumbing
Licensed, Bonded & Insured — CCB #230155
Family owned and based in Mount Angel, serving Salem, Keizer, Silverton, Woodburn and the surrounding Willamette Valley. When you call, you get Tannor Mathias — the licensed plumber who answers the phone, gives you an upfront price, and does the work himself.
Questions
Frequently Asked
How disruptive is a repipe?
Less than people fear when it's planned well. Most single-family repipes take a few days; water is typically off only in planned windows, and wall openings are kept small and marked for the drywall patch.
PEX or copper — which should I choose?
PEX is faster to install, freeze-tolerant and costs less; copper is time-proven and some owners simply prefer it. Tannor quotes both when it's a close call and tells you which he'd put in his own house.
Do I have to move out during a repipe?
No. The water is off for stretches during working hours, but it's back on every evening — you cook, shower and flush at home the whole time. Most families barely change their routine.
Will you cut open all my walls?
No. New lines run through the crawlspace or attic wherever possible, with small access openings at fixture points. You'll have a handful of neat rectangular patches to paint, not demolished walls.
How do I know if I need a repipe or just a repair?
One leak is a repair. A pattern — pinhole leaks in different places, falling pressure, rusty morning water — means the pipe material itself is failing, and each repair is a patch on a system that will leak again. Tannor will tell you which situation you're in, with a price for each path, and he has no crew quota pushing him toward the bigger job.
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