Repiping in Knightdale, NC

Knightdale conditions that matter

Census survey data puts the median Knightdale home at 2008, with only about 6% built before 1980. That small older group, around the railroad-era downtown and the first subdivisions, is where galvanized steel and copper old enough to leak are found. Elsewhere, a plumber is more likely to recommend fixing one section than replacing the whole house.

Knightdale's water and sewer system was merged with Raleigh's, and Raleigh Water now owns and runs it. The water is soft, about 25 ppm hardness, with chloramine most of the year and a spring period on chlorine only. Raleigh maintains the line to the property line, and the owner is responsible from there to the house. Building and plumbing inspections are done by Wake County Permits and Inspections on behalf of the town, scheduled through the Wake County permit portal.

Some homes on the edges of eastern Wake are on private wells. The county notes that wells in this part of Wake can carry naturally occurring uranium, radon and radium, which is a water testing question rather than a piping one, but worth knowing before you tie new lines into a well system.

Repair or repipe?

Signs to watch

• A second leak in a different room within a year or two
• Gray plastic tubing labeled PB
• Pressure that falls when two fixtures run
• Water stains on a ceiling under a bathroom

Timing notes

A hard freeze is when weak pipe and fittings give out, so if you already suspect a problem, deal with it before winter. The spring chlorine-only period on Raleigh Water doesn't affect a repipe, but it can briefly change the taste and smell of tap water, which is sometimes mistaken for a pipe problem. If you're buying an older Knightdale home, ask the inspector to note the supply pipe material. Knowing it before closing lets you plan a repipe on your own schedule instead of after a leak, and the Wake County inspection on the finished work gives you a record for a future sale.