Rusty water, weak pressure or a third leak this year usually means the pipes are worn out, not unlucky. We repipe Covina homes and small rentals in PEX or copper, with the City permit pulled and nothing closed up until the inspector signs off.
Call (626) 746-1970Request service
Written and fact-checked by John, editor, MBA in marketing
Updated against City, utility and state sources
Repipe when leaks keep coming back, the water runs rusty or pressure is weak at several fixtures, especially in a pre-1970 Covina home with galvanized steel supply pipe. Repair when one fitting or section failed in sound pipe. A repipe needs a City plumbing permit, and Handout #14 says no work may be concealed before inspection. Call (626) 746-1970.
Repair a single failure in sound pipe; repipe when leaks repeat, the water changes color or pressure, or the pipe material itself is worn out.
Most repiping calls in Covina start with a leak. A stain on a ceiling, a damp baseboard, a hiss behind the shower wall. The first question is always the same: is this one bad spot, or the first of many? A whole-house repipe replaces every water supply line from the point where the main enters the house to each fixture. It is a big job, so it should be the answer only when repairs have stopped making sense.
Before we recommend either path, the plumber looks at four things: how many leaks the house has had and where, what the pipe is made of, how old it is, and how the water and pressure look at the fixtures. One leak at a fitting under a sink is a repair. Three pinholes in two years, or brown water every morning from 70-year-old steel pipe, is a pattern.
| What you see | Usually points to | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One leak at a fitting, valve or supply hose | Repair | The failure is local and the pipe around it is sound. |
| A pipe hit by a nail or saw during a remodel | Repair | Physical damage, not wear. |
| Leaks showing up in different rooms | Repipe | Angi lists repeated leaks in different spots as a sign a home needs repiping. |
| Brown, rusty or bad-tasting water | Repipe, after testing | Angi and Moen both list discolored water. Rule out the water heater first. |
| Weak pressure at several fixtures | Often a repipe in galvanized homes | Rust inside old steel pipe narrows the opening. |
| Shower temperature swings | Check valves first, then pipe | A worn cartridge can cause it; so can restricted lines. |
| Gray steel pipe at the hose bib, water heater or under sinks | Plan a repipe | Galvanized pipe corrodes from the inside over decades. |
| A second slab leak in a few years | Reroute or repipe | The buried system is wearing out, not just one spot. |
A repipe is also worth pricing before a remodel. If the kitchen or bathrooms are open anyway, the added cost of new lines is as low as it will ever be. We can work with your contractor so the plumbing goes in, and passes inspection, before the drywall.
About two-thirds of Covina's homes were built before 1970, and many from that era still have some original galvanized steel supply pipe, which corrodes from the inside after a few decades.
Covina was founded in 1884, incorporated in 1901, and by 1909 counted as the third-largest orange producer of its day. The groves gave way to homes long ago. The City's 6th cycle Housing Element, certified in March 2024, puts about two-thirds of the housing stock before 1970 and about 58% as single-family detached homes. City code enforcement staff estimate about 30% of homes need some repair and about 10% need major rehabilitation. Supply plumbing is one of the systems that ages out first in houses like these.
Galvanized pipe is steel coated with zinc. Moen's guide to galvanized plumbing says homes built before 1960 are likely to have it, that it works well when new, and that problems start to show after 30 or 40 years. As the zinc wears away, rust builds inside the pipe. Pressure drops, water can turn rust colored, and leaks show up, often at threaded joints hidden in walls. Moen also notes that corroded galvanized pipe can raise lead or heavy metal concerns.
Covina's water adds to the story. The City's 2025 water quality report averages hardness at 230 mg/L, about 13.5 grains per gallon, which is very hard. Golden State Water's San Dimas system reports about 12 grains per gallon. Hard water and old steel pipe together mean scale and rust both narrow the line. Our Covina water suppliers and hardness guide has the numbers for each supplier.
Look at exposed pipe where it leaves the wall under a sink, at the hose bibs, at the water heater and in the attic or crawl space. Moen suggests scratching the pipe with a coin or screwdriver. Copper shows a bright penny color. Galvanized steel or iron looks metallic gray. PEX is plastic tubing, usually red, blue or white. Many older Covina homes are a mix, with copper added during a kitchen remodel and galvanized still feeding a back bathroom. One section of new pipe does not mean the whole house was done.
| Era built | Supply pipe we often find | Common trouble |
|---|---|---|
| Before 1950, including the older blocks downtown | Galvanized steel, often partly replaced | Rust, low pressure, leaks at threaded joints |
| 1950s and 1960s tract homes | Galvanized steel or early copper, sometimes both | Low pressure at far fixtures, brown water after a shutoff |
| Late 1960s onward | More often copper | Pinholes, slab leaks in slab homes |
| Remodeled homes of any age | Mixed copper, galvanized and PEX | Transitions between metals, leftover old runs |
PEX costs less and goes in faster with fewer joints; copper costs more and has the longer track record. Both are used in Covina repipes, and many homes end up with some of each.
City of Covina Handout #12 sets the rules for water heaters, effective January 1, 2026, under the 2025 California Plumbing Code. It does not address PEX directly. It does require an IAPMO-approved shutoff valve on the cold line, R-4 insulation on hot and cold lines, about 5 feet of each insulated where possible, and bonding of metallic piping with #8 copper wire tying the cold, hot and gas lines together at the heater. When a repipe changes the lines at the heater, those items get checked. Our water heater repair and replacement page covers the rest of Handout #12.
Ask and we give both prices in writing, so the choice stays yours.
A repipe needs a City of Covina plumbing permit, and Handout #14 says no work may be concealed before the inspection is approved, so walls stay open until the inspector signs off.
Handout #14 covers mechanical, electrical and plumbing permits. It says a permit is required to install, alter, repair, replace or remodel plumbing systems, which is what a repipe does. For owner-occupied homes and single-family or duplex rentals, the owner or a contractor can apply for the plumbing permit. For other work, a properly licensed contractor applies. We pull the permit for repipes we handle.
Covina does this in person. Building & Safety is at 125 E College St, phone 626-384-5460, open Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed 1 to 2 p.m. There is no online permit portal. Handout #14 says most permits are issued the same day while you wait, and fee information is available at the counter. Inspections are requested by email to bldinspections@covinaca.gov, with the permit number, job address, inspection code and inspection type.
A repipe follows the same order in almost every Covina home: assess, permit, plan routes, install, test, inspect, then patch.
The plumber checks the main shutoff, the water heater, every fixture, the attic and any crawl space. You get a written price that names the pipe material, the fixture count, the expected wall and ceiling openings and whether patching is included. Nothing starts until you approve it.
The permit is pulled at Building & Safety on College Street, usually the same day.
In a slab home, new lines usually run through the attic and drop inside walls to each fixture, so the old under-slab pipe is capped and left in place. In a raised-floor home, lines can run underneath. The goal is short runs with few openings.
Floors are covered, furniture near work areas is moved or wrapped, and openings are cut cleanly so they patch well.
New supply lines run to each fixture while the old system keeps feeding the house where possible. New shutoff valves go in at sinks and toilets. At the water heater, the Handout #12 items are checked.
The house is moved to the new piping, and the system is pressure tested and checked for leaks.
The inspection is requested by email. Openings stay open until it passes, as Handout #14 requires.
Drywall is patched if your written price includes it. Paint is usually a separate item. Old pipe is removed where reachable or capped and abandoned.
Angi publishes a national range of $1,500 to $15,000 for repiping a house; where a Covina home lands depends on size, fixture count, pipe material and access.
| Item | Published range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Whole-house repipe | $1,500 to $15,000 | Angi |
| PEX pipe, materials only | $0.40 to $2 per foot | Angi |
| Copper pipe, materials only | $2 to $8 per foot | Angi |
| Slab leak repair, single leak | $630 to $4,400 | HomeAdvisor via Angi, 2024 |
| Typical plumbing job in Covina | $102 to $339 | This Old House, Covina page |
These are published estimates, not our prices. Call (626) 746-1970 for an exact quote. What moves a Covina repipe within that range:
When a single slab leak is the trigger, compare the slab repair range above with the repipe range. If the house has had more than one slab leak, a reroute or repipe often makes more sense than paying again and again for the same aging pipe. The Covina plumbing costs guide has other published ranges.
Repiping an occupied rental takes more planning: tenant notice, unit-by-unit shutoffs and a schedule that keeps most people in water.
Census figures for 2019 to 2023 put owner-occupied housing in Covina at 57.3%, so more than four in ten homes are rented. Many are single-family houses and duplexes from the same pre-1970 era, often with original galvanized pipe. Handout #14 lets the owner or a contractor apply for the plumbing permit on single-family and duplex rentals. On a duplex or small building, we usually work one unit or one stack at a time.
Businesses and mixed-use buildings along Citrus Avenue are covered on our commercial plumbing page. If a repipe uncovers drain problems, our sewer lateral camera and repair page covers the line the City says the owner maintains.
Call (626) 746-1970 any time; we answer 24/7. Work is done by independent CSLB-licensed C-36 plumbing contractors, the City permit is pulled, and you get a written price before work starts. You can verify any license with our license check guide. If a pipe is leaking right now, the 24/7 emergency plumber page covers what to do while you wait.
A real person answers 24 hours a day. You get an honest arrival window and a written price before any work starts.
Repeat leaks in different rooms, rusty or bad-tasting water, weak pressure at several fixtures and gray galvanized steel pipe under sinks are the main signs. About two-thirds of Covina homes were built before 1970, when galvanized pipe was common. Call (626) 746-1970 for a walkthrough and written price.
Yes. City Handout #14 says a permit is required to install, alter, repair, replace or remodel plumbing systems. Permits are pulled in person at Building & Safety, 125 E College St, and most are issued the same day. Charter Oak is unincorporated and follows County rules instead.
No. Handout #14 says no work may be concealed without prior inspection approval. Inspections are requested by email, and drywall stays open until the inspector signs off. Patching comes after that.
PEX usually costs less, needs fewer joints and fewer wall openings; Angi lists it at $0.40 to $2 per foot. Copper costs more, $2 to $8 per foot per Angi, and Moen says it can last up to 75 years. Many Covina repipes use both. Call (626) 746-1970 for an exact quote on each.
Angi publishes a national range of $1,500 to $15,000. Size, fixture count, PEX or copper, slab or raised floor and patching all move the price. That is a published range, not a quote. Call (626) 746-1970 for an exact quote in writing.
Angi says a few days for a small home and several weeks for a large, multi-story home with many fixtures. Inspection timing matters too, since walls stay open until approval. Most families keep water overnight during the job.
No. The City's 2025 water quality report says there are no lead or galvanized service lines requiring replacement in the City's system. That is the supplier's side. The pipe from your meter into the house belongs to the owner and can be much older.
Yes, a partial repipe can fix a problem area, such as a back bathroom still on galvanized pipe. If the rest of the house is the same age and material, more leaks often follow. We price both options in writing so you can compare.
Facts on this page come from these public sources, checked November 1, 2026.