TSBPE #M-43891
Pipe Repair & Repipe in Austin — Galvanized & Polybutylene Specialists
Two Austin housing-stock realities drive most of our repipe work. Pre-1970 central Austin homes (Hyde Park, Clarksville, Travis Heights) typically have galvanized steel supply lines — rusted shut after 50+ years. 1978-1995 north and west Austin subdivisions (parts of Wells Branch, Steiner Ranch, Anderson Mill) often have polybutylene supply lines — a class-action settlement plastic that fails at the fittings. Austin Plumbing Pros does emergency single-pipe repair and whole-house re-pipes in PEX-A or Type-L copper, with everything permitted and inspected.
24/7 EMERGENCY · FREE QUOTES · MASTER LICENSED
Or tap the orange button to dial (512) 555-PLBR directly — a real Austin dispatcher answers.
Central Austin’s build-era plumbing map: 78701-78705 Victorian and Craftsman (1880s-1920s) homes commonly had lead supply lines into the 1960s — most were replaced during 1970s-80s renovations but a few still exist. East Austin (78702, 78721) GI Bill homes from the 1940s-60s used galvanized steel for supply and cast iron for drain — both are end-of-life now. South Austin 1970s-80s (78745, 78748) is the polybutylene zone — gray plastic supply that fails at the fittings. North and west Austin 1990s+ (78759, 78727) used PEX-AL-PEX or CPVC, both still going strong. Knowing which era your home is from tells you what’s likely behind the wall before we open it.
Galvanized Steel — Why Your Water Pressure Got Worse Every Year
Galvanized supply lines start as 1-inch ID pipe. Forty years of mineral scale and rust narrows the working diameter to 3/8-inch or smaller. The bathroom on the far end of the run gets 2 GPM at the shower head instead of 8. Hot water comes out brown the first 30 seconds after the heater cycles. Eventually a section gives way at a coupling and you have a flood. Single repairs on galvanized are usually not worth it — cut out the rusted section, sweat in a new copper or PEX section, and you’ll be back next year for the next failure two feet upstream. Whole-house repipe is the answer once the failures start. Cost on a typical 1,800 sqft central Austin home: $7,800-$11,200 for PEX-A or $11,500-$15,800 for Type-L copper. PEX is faster, more freeze-tolerant, and cheaper; copper is what discerning buyers want on resale.
Polybutylene — The Lawsuit Plastic Still In Thousands Of Austin Homes
Polybutylene (PB) is gray plastic supply pipe installed in residential construction from 1978-1995. It reacts with chlorinated municipal water and fails at the acetal fittings, often without warning, with a 100% manufacturer-defect rate over a long enough timeline. The Cox v. Shell class action paid out $1.1 billion before closing. If your house has gray plastic supply lines with copper or brass fittings crimped on, you have polybutylene. Most insurance carriers will not write a new policy on a polybutylene home; some non-renew existing policies. Replacement is the only real answer. PEX-A repipe runs $7,200-$10,800 for a typical North Austin polybutylene swap, two days of work, drywall patches for any wall opens included.
PEX-A vs PEX-B vs Copper — What We Recommend And Why
PEX-A (Uponor, Rehau) uses expansion fittings, has the highest burst resistance, and is the most freeze-tolerant. Our default. PEX-B (Sharkbite, Apollo) uses crimp rings and is cheaper but has reduced flow at the fittings. Acceptable, but not what we use. Type-L copper is the premium choice for visible runs and for resale appeal in $750K+ homes. We’re certified Uponor installers and we’ll explain the trade-offs at the estimate.
Single-Pipe Emergency Repair — The Fast Version
Burst pipe under a sink, behind a wall, or in the attic? We can be on-site in under 60 minutes and the typical patch repair runs $189-$345 depending on access. We use SharkBite or Uponor expansion couplings; we don’t use compression fittings for permanent repairs. Drywall opens we cut neatly so a finisher can patch with a butterfly piece — no jagged holes.
What Happens On A Whole-House Repipe Day
Day one: water off at the meter at 8 a.m. Two-tech crew opens strategic drywall and ceiling sections to run new PEX-A from the manifold to each fixture. We use the attic when possible (faster, less drywall opening). Lunch break we restore water to a temporary jumper so you can use one bathroom. Day two: complete the runs, pressure-test to 100 PSI, hold for an hour, then patch drywall openings and clean up. Permit inspection on day three or four. Most clients sleep in their own house both nights.
Transparent Austin Plumbing Pricing
Service calls from $79 daytime · $189 after-hours (waived if you authorize the repair) · Free written quote on jobs over $500
Five Promises We Keep On Every Austin Job
Written estimate before we cut
Every Austin job gets a flat-rate quote texted to your phone before any drywall or pipe is touched. No surprise invoices, no nibble-charges. 📞 (512) 555-PLBR
Master plumber on every truck
TSBPE M-43891. The lead tech who arrives at your house is a Master or Journeyman, never apprentice-only. Verify any Austin plumber’s license at tsbpe.texas.gov. 📞 Verify license
Two-year parts-and-labor warranty
Repair fails inside 24 months? We come back free, parts and labor. That’s twice the typical Austin trade warranty and we mean it. 📞 Warranty claim
Every permit, pulled and closed
City of Austin, Travis County, Williamson County, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Leander, Georgetown — we know every jurisdiction and pull every permit. 📞 Same-day permit
Honest repair-vs-replace math
If the cheaper fix is the right answer, we tell you. We don’t run mandatory membership clubs. We don’t manufacture urgency to upsell a whole-house repipe when a $145 cartridge swap is what you need. 📞 Get a quote
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a whole-house repipe cost in Austin?
PEX-A: $7,200-$11,200 for 1,500-2,200 sqft. Type-L copper: $11,500-$15,800. Both include permits, fixture re-connections, and drywall opens (patch and paint not included unless quoted).
Do I really need to replace polybutylene?
Yes — every polybutylene line will eventually fail at the fitting and the failures are sudden and catastrophic. Insurance won’t cover them. Most carriers won’t write a new policy on a PB home. It’s a when, not if.
Can you repair one section of galvanized without doing the whole house?
Yes, and we will if you ask, but the next failure is typically within 18 months. We’ll quote both options and tell you the math honestly.
How long does a whole-house repipe take?
Two days for most Austin homes. Three days if access is difficult or the original copper is run through inaccessible chases.
Will I have water during the repipe?
No water on day one until the temporary jumper is in place (usually by noon). Day two ends with full pressure restored. You can plan to stay or leave for a hotel — most clients stay.
Does PEX really last as long as copper?
Manufacturer warranties are 25 years on PEX-A. Real-world life is 50+ in non-UV-exposed installations. Copper lasts 50-70 in non-acidic water; Austin water is alkaline so copper holds up.
Does Austin require a permit for a repipe?
Yes — full repipe is permitted with the One-Stop Shop and inspected upon completion. Single-pipe repair under 5 feet typically does not require a permit.
More Austin Plumbing Services
Emergency Plumber Austin · Drain Cleaning · Water Heater Repair · Leak Detection
← Back to Austin Plumbing Pros home · Or call (512) 555-PLBR for same-day service
About Austin Plumbing Pros
Austin Plumbing Pros is the city’s premium master-licensed plumbing operation, run out of three depots — South Slaughter Lane, Anderson Mill, and East Riverside — so a TSBPE-licensed plumber is on-site for most calls within 35-60 minutes of dispatch anywhere inside the 130 loop. Every emergency truck carries a Master or Journeyman as the lead tech (never apprentice-only), the standard inventory truck stocks Rheem, A.O. Smith, and Bradford White water heaters plus Moen, Delta, and Kohler cartridges and aerators, and we pull permits with the City of Austin, Travis County, Williamson County, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Leander, Georgetown, and Manor jurisdictions every business day. We’ve spent enough hours pulling cast iron out of pre-1980 Hyde Park backyards and chasing slab leaks under 1990s North Austin builds that we know which symptom is the easy fix and which is buying time. When you call, a real Austin dispatcher picks up. When the truck arrives, the Master plumber writes you a flat-rate estimate before any drywall or pipe is touched. When the job’s done, you get a two-year parts-and-labor warranty. That’s the entire operation in three sentences.
📞 Same-day service in any Austin ZIP — (512) 555-PLBR · Master licensed TSBPE #M-43891 · TRRC #LP-2089 · $2M general liability · Two-year warranty · Free written quote on any job over $500.