About Hilltop Repipe San Francisco

What the work covers

Most of the work is on one system: the pressurized water supply, from the service line at the meter box through the main shutoff to every fixture, whether that means a whole-building repipe, a partial repipe or a repair. Drain, waste and sewer lines are separate work.

• Whole-house repiping: Every hot and cold supply line from the main valve to each fixture, in PEX or copper, tested and inspected.
• PEX repiping: New hot and cold supply in crosslinked polyethylene tubing, routed through joists and chases with fewer openings, tested and inspected.
• Copper repiping: New hot and cold supply in rigid copper tube, joined by solder or press fittings, with dielectric transitions where it meets steel.
• Galvanized pipe replacement: Old threaded steel supply pipe replaced with PEX or copper, with listed transitions, a flush for loosened rust and a city inspection.
• Apartment building repiping: Mains, risers and unit branches replaced in occupied flats and apartment buildings, one stack at a time, with a permit for each unit.
• Condo and HOA repiping: One unit's branches or the whole association's system, with the boundary between owner pipe and shared pipe drawn in the scope.
• Partial repiping: A defined part of the supply system replaced, such as the hot side, one floor, one bathroom group or one flat, with the old pipe that stays written down.
• Old-house repiping: Supply piping replaced in pre-war houses and flats, routed to spare original plaster and trim, with lead-safe openings and modern valves.
• Repiping during renovation: Supply lines replaced while a kitchen, bath, floor or garage is already open, sequenced with the other trades and inspected before the walls close.
• Water service line replacement: The owner's buried water line from the meter box to the building replaced, usually in copper, with the permit, any sidewalk work and the connection to the house.
• Water leak detection: Hidden supply leaks located by isolation and testing, so the wall that gets opened is the right one.
• Pipe repair: Water leak, burst pipe and copper pipe repair on supply lines, with the permit question answered before the wall closes.
• Emergency pipe repair: Burst pipes and active leaks, 24/7: stop the water, make the repair, then the permit and paperwork.
• Gas line repiping: Customer-side gas piping from the meter to each appliance, replaced, tested in front of the inspector and handed back to PG&E to turn on.
• Water heater replacement: Gas tank, heat pump or tankless, installed with the permit, straps, valves, venting and relief piping the code asks for.

Standards the work follows

• California Plumbing Code with San Francisco amendments. The plumbing code San Francisco adopts. It allows PEX and copper for water distribution and requires a pressure regulator where static pressure is above 80 psi.
• DBI plumbing permit. In San Francisco a licensed C-36 or C-4 contractor files the permit on PermitSF, and the inspector signs off before walls close. Daly City and South San Francisco issue their own permits.
• Pressure testing. New piping is pressure tested before any wall is closed, and flushed after cutover.
• Lead-safe work in older buildings. In buildings from before 1979, painted surfaces opened for the work are handled under San Francisco's lead-safe work practices.