It is evident that Repipe Specialists offers a quality repiping solution for those who are seeking a quality repiping solution. Their offering is unique and any comparison to another company’s offering may be viewed by some as unfair since other companies are not offering the same features or services that Repipe provides. As a result, any attempt to compare one company vs. another company may be inherently unfair, even biased, which I readily acknowledge.

Our own repiping decision was clearly biased in many respects. It was biased in weighing the benefits of securing a "quality" job compared to the cost of securing a company's alleged benefits or services. Basically, I thought if we could save two thousand dollars in the process and achieve what I viewed as the same level of quality that was being offered by RS, that would be a good choice, at least as far as we were concerned. If others can benefit from our decision, even better. I thought that when we made our initial repiping decision and I continue to believe that now.

In making that “quality” decision, each homeowner will have to make their own judgment about what “quality” means. For some, that means an all copper repipe solution. For others, it means the use of all copper fittings with Vanguard pipe, a solution that eliminates the use of brass fittings entirely. For others, it means the use of Wirsbo pipe with their new C314 fittings.

When mentioning the use of the new C314 fittings, there is the yet unanswered question of the status of metallurgical testing on these fittings. While I was under the impression that long ago testing of these fittings had commenced, I have yet to learn of any results. Is there a problem with Sun City's study group disclosing the results of such testing? If, as we had been led to believe, these C314 fittings greatly hinder dezincification, should the homeowners of Sun City not be told? Is there a problem?

My decision was also biased against the value of a warranty, as well as against the value of needing professional housecleaning services. Each of us will be called upon to make these decisions. As to how homeowners value this or that repiping feature is not an unimportant issue since in the end, those decisions will determine the final price you pay, to the extent that price will be a factor in your decision-making process. If price is not a consideration, then by all means, homeowners should seriously consider selecting an all copper solution, offered by Delta Mechanical or by Repipe Specialists. On the other hand, if price is a factor in your decision-making process, you may wish to take some steps to manage your repiping decision.

Repipe Specialists Calls Foul

I mentioned Repipe Specialists because they believe I was not completely fair when I compared their offering with the offering by Town & Country Mechanical. [See prior article.] If I understand RS’s viewpoint, I failed to place any or sufficient dollar value on certain features or services provided by RS on which they placed a great deal of value, thereby suggesting that I had made an unfair comparison to T&C’s offering that did not include those features in their bid or offering. The question of fairness is an interesting one. With respect to the issue of "quality," I believe I was fair in making the observations I did since "quality" was the focus of my conclusions and decisions. [Click here for additional and licensing information on Town & Country.]

While I understand Repipe's position, I’m not in agreement with their view of this matter. Homeowners may and do view the dollar value of features differently. Say, for example, RS offers “x” and places a dollar value on “x” of $500. Does that mean that in comparing RS with, say, Company “A”, which does not offer “x”, should one increase Company “A's” bid by the value that RS places on feature “x”?  While some may think so, I would have great difficulty in doing that if my personal valuation of having “x” was relatively small, or nonexistent.  

Many homeowners are comforted by and place great value in Repipe’s excellent warranty provisions, a lifetime warranty for the current owner plus a 5 year transfer provision. That feature alone will likely be a key selling feature of RS repiping package for some homeowners. Other homeowners may place added value in having their home cleaned by a professional housecleaning service after the work has been completed.

I, on the other hand, place little to no value on such additional features since the focus of my attention was directed at correcting the dezincification problem that brought us to this point. In the end, I do not believe we as homeowners are giving anything up in “quality” by not having those additional features that are not offered by T&C. According to a representative of RS, they place a valuation of $585 for those two features of their basic (standard) package.

As a result, Repipe would argue that their repiping package has a higher dollar value than the repiping package offered by T&C, comparing apples to apples. While there are other features that make Repipe’s repiping solution different, my purpose was and continues to be to demonstrate that compared to the offering by RS, a “quality” solution (not necessarily the same solution) is available at a more affordable price that is more consistent with Pulte’s initial settlement offer of $7,800.

How Does Repipe Specialists Price the Job?

While I do not wish to quibble with Repipe’s valuation and arguments concerning the benefits of their standard package, homeowners who have contacted me noted that the average price for a Repipe Specialists job has been more than 25% higher that their standard or base price of $7,970, or around $10,000. For homeowners who can afford to pay that amount and are looking for the services that Repipe has to offer, I am confident they will be pleased with Repipe's performance.

However, apparently not all Repipe customers have been pleased with the quality of the workmanship, as one customer has sadly reported on David's Anthem Journal.

From the Repipe Specialists seminars at Buckman's, many homeowners went away with the impression that the pricing would vary depending on the number of fixtures in the home. In practice, however, some homeowners reported their disappointed upon learning that their smaller home with fewer fixtures were being quoted the same base price as larger homes with more fixtures, effectively making the $7,970 price a base price for many homeowners. While RS may have a tiered pricing structure under some circumstances, I am not aware of that.

How Does Town & County Mechanical Price the Job?

On the other hand, Town & Country's pricing is based on the number of fixtures. For example, the home around the corner from us, one of the “Premier” models with 2 baths and no separate powder room, and with fewer fixtures (15), the base price should be $6,375. “Premier” models with no powder room include the Patriot, Colonial, Independence, and Liberty. “Classic” models, those with less than 1,600 sq. ft.,  may have as few as 14 fixtures, making their base price as low as $5,950. “Estate” model homes typically have about 17 or more fixtures. A word of caution: the number of fixtures in models may vary depending on buyer options at the time of sale, additional home improvements, certain amenities & interior conditions may affect pricing.

Does Everyone Need a New Recirculating Pump?

The issue of what constitutes a “quality” repiping package will differ from one homeowner to another. For someone on a budget, “quality” may entail omitting this or that option deemed to be unnecessary or not presently needed, like replacing or upgrading a recirculating pump. For example, an upgraded pump may not be needed at all if the weight of the water being moved throughout the attic does not require a higher capacity pump. Pump sizing greatly depends on the diameter and lineal footage of the pipe carrying that heated water. For example, if a pump has a working capacity of 400 lineal feet (which translates to a certain weight of the water in the line being pushed through the recirculating line) and your recirculating line is only 150 feet long, there would appear to be little justification for a higher capacity pump. Just continue to use your current pump until it stops working. This would be even more true in smaller model homes since the area of the attic is proportionately smaller than in the larger Estate model homes. The question of what is needed will always be a judgment call, whether you are a homeowner, a plumber, or a sales representative preparing a bid.

Pulte Refuses to Use a NIBCO Valve in the Recirculating Line?

While I'm about discussing one recirculating line issue, there is another issue of some interest. In the REHAU protocol, why did Pulte opt for an unusual ball valve (and not a NIBCO) when it came down to recommending a solution for repairing the REHAU plumbing system? In their protocol, Pulte wrote that plumbers will be required to use the Danfoss Flomatic ball valve in the recirculating line. While it's only a valve, should it make any difference what valve is used? Apparently Pulte's engineers who studied these matters concluded that the standard choice of using NIBCO a valve was just not good enough when it came down to hindering the adverse affects of dezincification in the constant presence of hot water. When I recently investigated this matter, I learned that the NIBCO valve (9% zinc) has three times the zinc content of the Danfoss valve (3%), making the Danfoss valve a clear first choice over all other valves in hindering the affects of dezincification. Unfortunately, this particular 1/2" Danfoss valve is currently not available and wholesalers are unable to acquire any at this time. The manufacture, in New York, told me that this valve should be available by October but they are trying to fast track the production process.

Final Thoughts, The REHAU Protocol, and a Comparison Table

When considering the issue of “quality,” I started with Pulte’s REHAU Protocol since the steps outlined in that Protocol were designed to address the need to mitigate, if not eliminate, as many of the adverse affects of dezincification as possible. Accordingly, when comparing the offerings of Repipe Specialists and Town & Country, my focus was directed at those features identified in that Protocol.

For your convenience, listed below are the features of the REHAU Protocol along with many of the features available from Repipe Specialists and Town & County. If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact me by email at rljohnson32@cox.net, or by phone at 617-8172.

You may read this Comparison Table below or you can click this Link to view it as a .pdf file. As a .pdf file, you may find it easier to read when the file is enlarged to 100%.

For contact purposes:

Town & Country Mechanical, telephone: 491-1873

                Repipe Specialists, telephone: 1-800-737-4746

Ron Johnson, 3 August 2007, Rev. 5 Aug.