Sacramento Repipe and Plumbing

It was a week-long adventure that proceeded nicely at times and not so nicely at other times. The reason for the low rating was (1) the lack of insulation around hot and cold water pipes in a very hot attic and (2) the cloud of dust generated by the finish work -- both are explained below. Several pictures are attached. In May, 2018, we had Sacramento Repipe remove the Kitec hot and cold water system which was installed by the builder (17 years ago), and install new PEX hot and cold water lines throughout the house. Work progressed rapidly and the piping work was completed in less than three days. The finish and repainting took two days, so all was completed within 5 days (Monday to Friday). Issues: 1. They said they insulated the attic hot and cold, but they only put a R-value 3 foam tubing over the lines, and there were gaps where red (hot) and blue (cold) PEX could be seen.. Also, the r-3 tubing wasn’t properly sealed and didn’t encircle the PEX in most places. In some places, they left off PEX insulation and didn’t pull back the original blown-in insulation. See attached photos. 2. As a result of inadequate attic insulation of hot and cold PEX, the water temperature in both hot and cold lines can become about 15 degrees above outdoor ambient. This isn’t a problem in summer for the hot side, but is a problem for the cold side. For example, on our 100 degrees outdoor days, measured cold water temperature was 115 degrees for a full 4 minutes. If it reaches 110+ outside (which it does here occasionally), the hot/cold water at outlets is dangerous. 3. Their piping work and drywall finish work was not coordinated. They removed all plastic over the furniture after piping was completed (Wednesday). The cloud of dust from the finish work covered floor, blinds, furniture – everything – afterwards (Friday). More discussion: • At the start of the job (Monday AM), the floors were covered with paper and secured, and all furniture was covered with plastic. Our contact, Kellen, was very helpful to get everything organized. • Work progressed without problem, and when the piping was completed and holes covered (but not plastered), all protective plastic and paper was removed. • During the system test, the only problem was a crossed cold to hot for an outside hose bib. That was quickly fixed. • The drywall repair began Thursday with filling, spraying and texturing. They put down a small number of blankets and nothing over the furniture. • After the texture was dry, an electric sander smoothed the surface, causing a cloud of dust that covered everything in the house. They claimed that they used a HEPA filter vacuum, but that was not effective with the dust cloud. • It took us a full day to clean the dust after they completed painting. Why wouldn’t the original plastic covers be kept on until the entire job was finished? • When re-installing the mirrors, we noticed one was cracked – they had just set it onto a tile floor with no padding. We received $150 to replace it. • Right away, we noticed that the cold water was warm. Sacramento Re-pipe installed a Grundfos re-circulation system. This wasn’t expensive but is a really stupid system, pushing hot water into the cold water line (and back to the hot water tank) whenever the pump is on when and the water at the local sensor (located at the faucets) is not hot enough. The sensor leaks, so even when the pump is off, warmer water passes into the cold water line. We had Sacramento Repipe disconnect the local sensors, and that worked on cool days. • However, the main issue is that Sacramento Repipe did not sufficiently insulate the hot and cold water lines in the attic. The thin foam tubes have a R-value of about 3, and the poor installation of the foam tubes left openings on all hot and cold water lines (they were not sealed correctly). They did nothing to put back the blown-insulation, so insulation was off in some areas almost to the drywall below. See attached pictures. • At record 115 degree outdoor temperatures (we have these here), the cold water will be scalding. That’s certainly a problem with toilet mechanism and refrigerator water feeds. • We plan to get a handyman or insulation company to fix everything (estimated cost is $1,200). As were told by Lincoln City Inspectors (who are currently looking into heat-related piping code issues), the Repipe people don’t know about anything except plumbing. Conclusion: Sacramento Repipe failed to adequately insulate the hot and cold water lines, leading to a potentially dangerous situation. The cold water system is exposed to attic temperature, which could easily cause scalding water at the faucets, toilets and refrigerator inlets, exceeding 120 degrees. Imagine getting into a shower and being sprayed with 120+ water and not being able to turn down water temperature. And in winter, with record cold temperatures of 17 degrees....? They tramped down and swept away blown-in insulation in several areas and didn’t replace it. They tore the A/C coolant line in a few places. They were hasty and careless with all their piping work in the attic. This is unacceptable, and we put a call into Sacramento Repipe. Their response: No response.

David provided a written estimate for the shower of $650 & signed contract. It included all copper for water and steam according to the requirements of both, Thermasol steam generator and Moen-multi shower recommendations. He placed pipes that interfered with light fixtures after being told not to do so and refused to correct unless paid extra. Also demolished entire wall to cap the sink's drainage and water pipes, and refused to return to replace the place holder pipes with the copper ones after the tile work was finished. He also place the toilet drainage neck too high for the toilet to sit flat. David lacks integrity, pride of workmanship, and engages in dishonest billing practices.

Fine, Dave did a good job and he is a very pleasant person. Him and his partner worked very hard during the week of the re-pipe. The city inspector reviewed his work in detail and passed him, with a few minor requests for changes. Dave did a thorough job re-designing the plumbing into our laundry room and installing a new shut off valve for a drinking fountain that we have in our front yard.

I called them from a phone book ad. The owner, David called me promptly and we set up an appointment. He showed up on time and handled himself very professionally. He was personable and knowledgeable. He called me back with a price and I was satisfied with his bid. He worked very speedily and I found that very refreshing. He came back to do the finish, which included setting the toilet and hooking up fixtures. I was very pleased with the outcome!

The plumber gave me a time frame (11-12 noon) and he was there exactly on time. He explained what he would do and then completed the project within 10-15 minutes. It was great.

We asked the owner to come to our home to quote a new water line. He wouldn't, but quoted us on the phone. We informed him we had done the majority of the trenching and asked him again to please come by and check on what we had done. He refused. When he showed up at the appointed time to perform the job, he told us the area he needed to work wasn't to his liking and we needed to dig to enlarge the holes which required we rent equipment. He then left for another job and we had the water shut off anticipating he'd return to do the work. When we finally caught up with him, he told us he was too busy and couldn't return and was 2 weeks out, until he could handle our job. He was extremely rude to deal with and didn't seem to care he left us without water. He told us to find another plumber.