Key takeaways
- Galvanized steel rusts from the inside and loses pressure.
- Polybutylene can fail suddenly and is a concern for insurers.
- Cast iron drains corrode and crack over many decades.
- A plumbing inspection identifies what you have.
Galvanized steel supply pipe
Common in homes built before about 1960, galvanized pipe is steel with a zinc coating. Over decades it corrodes from the inside, which shrinks the opening, lowers pressure and can turn water brown. Leaks at threaded joints are also common.
Replacement with PEX or copper restores pressure and clean water.
Polybutylene
Gray, blue or black flexible plastic pipe used from the late 1970s into the mid-1990s. It is known for failing at fittings, sometimes without warning. Many insurers ask about it and some buyers treat it as a deal issue.
If your home has it, planning a replacement on your terms is much better than discovering the failure with a flooded room.
Cast iron drains
Cast iron was the standard drain pipe for most of the twentieth century. It lasts a long time, but it eventually corrodes, scales up and cracks, causing slow drains, smells and leaks under bathrooms. A camera inspection shows how much life is left.
Replacement with PVC is a clean, long-lasting fix, and sound wrap can keep drains quiet.
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Quick answers
How can I tell what pipe my house has?
Look near the water heater and main shutoff. Galvanized is dull gray metal that a magnet sticks to, copper is orange-brown, polybutylene is flexible gray, blue or black plastic and PEX is flexible red, blue or white.
Do I have to replace all the old pipe at once?
Not always. Options range from targeted repairs to full repiping, and a plumber can explain the trade-offs.
Ready to talk it through? Get a free estimate or call 615-431-3789.