Pipe repair & repipe
Pipe Repair, Frozen Pipe Service & Repipe Warwick RI
Burst pipes, frozen-pipe thawing, slab-leak detection, and whole-home repipes — most Warwick failures sit on top of decades of galvanized steel. We pressure-test every run before we leave.
Pipe just burst right now?
1. Shut the main water valve. 2. Open every faucet to drain the system. 3. Call us — same-day during business hours.
Winter prevention
Warwick frozen-pipe prevention — by month
Single-digit cold snaps in Warwick come 4-7 times a winter. Bay-side homes lose 4-8°F to wind that the inland forecast doesn't capture.
Disconnect and drain outdoor hoses; close exterior shutoffs.
Water in the hose freezes back into the spigot. Most frost-free hose bibs still fail if the hose is connected.
Insulate exposed pipes in unheated basements, crawls, garages.
Foam pipe sleeves are cheap and DIY-friendly. Most Warwick burst-pipe calls happen on un-sleeved exterior-wall runs.
Identify your main shutoff. Make sure it actually closes.
When a pipe bursts, the difference between minor and major water damage is whether you can shut it off in 30 seconds.
Open cabinets under bay-side sinks during cold snaps.
Lets house heat reach the pipe. 1950s-60s ranches near the bay are the most common burst-pipe addresses on our calls.
Trickle the coldest fixture during forecast single-digit nights.
Moving water doesn't freeze. A pencil-stream of cold from the most-distant tap on an exterior wall is enough.
Keep heat above 55°F if you travel. No exceptions.
Setting it lower to save fuel is the most expensive mistake we see. Set-and-leave at 58°F minimum.
Check exposed pipes for hairline frost cracks even if no leak yet.
A pipe can freeze, expand and crack without bursting until thaw. Visual inspection in March catches latent damage.
Supply line materials
What's in your Warwick walls — and what to replace it with
Galvanized steel
Pre-1970 Warwick
Pros
- +Cheap when new
Cons
- –Internal scaling reduces ID over decades
- –Pinhole corrosion failures common after 50 yr
- –Brown water on first flush
Copper
1960s–today
Pros
- +50+ year lifespan when properly installed
- +Heat-resistant
- +Visible joints, easy to inspect
Cons
- –Pinhole leaks from aggressive water chemistry
- –Higher install cost than PEX
- –Solder joints fail at high stress
PEX (cross-linked polyethylene)
2000s–today
Pros
- +50+ year lifespan
- +Freeze-tolerant — expands rather than splits
- +Single continuous run, fewer joints
Cons
- –UV-sensitive (must run in walls / not exposed)
- –Not for high-temp recirc loops above 200°F
CPVC
1980s–today
Pros
- +Cheaper than copper
- +Good for hot water
Cons
- –Brittle with age
- –Fittings fail under stress
- –Not freeze-tolerant
Whole-home repipe
Three-day project on a typical Warwick cape
Day 1
Walk-through, mapping, water shut-off staging. Cut access points in walls/closets where existing pipe routes.
Day 1–2
Pull old galvanized lines. Run new PEX through chases. Re-terminate at every fixture with new shutoffs.
Day 2–3
Pressure-test every run before closing walls. Verify hot/cold continuity at every fixture.
Day 3
Patch and skim drywall at access points. Final cleanup. Punch list and warranty docs.
How we quote a Warwick repipe
Quoted per-home in writing on-site, not per linear foot. Scope is driven by fixture count, wall access (open chases vs full drywall opens), and whether the old galvanized can be recycled. We walk the home with you before we quote.
Pipe repair FAQ — Warwick
How fast can you thaw frozen pipes in Warwick?+
Same-day during business hours. We thaw with electric thawing equipment, not torch flame, because half the Warwick homes we work in have framing that won't tolerate open flame anywhere near it. Once thawed, we pressure-test the run before we leave so we know whether it ruptured during the freeze.
My older Warwick home has low water pressure — what's the fix?+
Likely galvanized steel supply lines, the underlying cause of most Warwick pressure complaints. The inside of those pipes scales shut over decades, leaving a 3/4" line with the effective ID of a drinking straw. Targeted swap of the worst sections can buy years; full PEX/copper repipe actually fixes it.
How long does a whole-home repipe take on a Warwick cape?+
2-3 days for a typical Warwick-sized cape or ranch. We route through closets and existing chases to minimize wall opening, then re-terminate at every fixture with new shutoffs. Once it's done, water pressure is what it should have been all along.