Princeton's homes are mostly older, with a median build year of 1977, so plenty of houses still have original galvanized or copper supply lines. When those start leaking in more than one place, a repipe is often the lasting fix. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Princeton.
What we know about Princeton homes
About 57% of Princeton's homes were built before 1980, according to Census survey data, and the median home dates to 1977. Houses from that era were usually plumbed with galvanized steel or copper. Galvanized pipe rusts from the inside and loses flow over the years. Copper lasts longer but can develop pinhole leaks. Homes built from the late 1970s into the 1990s may have polybutylene, which tends to fail at the fittings.
Public detail on Princeton's water system was thin for this page. The town bills water and sewer at Town Hall, and that's the place to ask for the annual water quality report if you want to know about your water's chemistry. Which office handles plumbing permits for Princeton also wasn't confirmed; it's likely Johnston County Inspections in Smithfield, and a plumber who works in the area will know.
Comparing your options
| Approach | What it involves | Good fit when |
|---|---|---|
| Repair | Cut out the failed piece and splice in new pipe | The rest of the line looks sound |
| Replace one area | New lines to a bathroom group, kitchen or addition | Problems are confined to one part of the house |
| Full repipe | New lines from the main shutoff to every fixture | The original material is failing throughout |
A plumber should be able to explain which row your house fits and show you the pipe that led to that answer.
Signs the pipe is failing
- A leak repaired one year and another somewhere else the next
- Rust in the water when you first open a tap
- Pressure that is weaker than it used to be at every fixture
- Crusty or corroded fittings in the crawl space
Picking a time
Old pipe tends to fail in cold weather, and a burst in January is harder to schedule around than a planned job in October. If you plan to remodel a kitchen or bathroom, do the repipe first or at the same time, since the walls will already be open. Ask for the scope in writing before work starts: which fixtures get new lines, whether the water heater connections and main shutoff are included, whether old pipe comes out or is left in place, and who patches the openings. That makes it easier to compare quotes from more than one plumber.
Repiping questions in Princeton
What kind of pipe do I have, and how do I check?
Could an older house here have lead somewhere in the plumbing?
Why does copper pipe develop tiny leaks?
How many days does a full repipe take?
More plumbing services in Princeton
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