Galvanized steel pipes were once a common plumbing material, but today, they’re a leading cause of water flow issues and leaks in houses built before the 1970s. Here’s why replacing galvanized pipes with modern materials is a smart investment for your home: Why do galvanized pipes deteriorate? Galvanized pipes are made of steel coated in zinc to prevent rust, but that protective coating wears off over time. This allows mineral deposits and corrosion to build up inside the pipes, gradually narrowing the passages and restricting water flow. Eventually, these pipes can rust from the inside out, leading to leaks and water damage that may go unnoticed until serious problems occur. The average lifespan of galvanized piping is around 50 years, so many homes with these systems have already exceeded that timeline. If your home still has its original plumbing, it’s time to consider a professional inspection. What is the modern standard for plumbing pipes? Today’s plumbing standards favor copper piping for its durability, resistance to corrosion and long-term reliability. Unlike galvanized steel, copper won’t clog from internal rust or scale buildup. It also handles water pressure better and is less likely to fail due to age or mineral exposure. When should you call a professional? If you don’t know what type of piping is in your house, it’s a good idea to have a licensed plumber conduct a full inspection. Plumbing systems typically fail because of age, debris or pressure, all of which can severely affect galvanized piping. A professional evaluation will determine whether your system is at risk and help you understand the benefits of a full or partial repiping.

Should You Replace Your Plumbing Pipes?

By David Langdale General Manager of Benjamin Franklin Plumbing Diamond Certified Expert Contributor

3 Benefits of a Whole House Water Filtration System

DIY Water Heater Maintenance

The Importance of Flushing Your Water Heater

Video: An Easy Way to Improve Your Water

Video: How to Flush a Water Heater


The simplest way to increase your water heater's operating lifespan is to flush its tank annually. Today we're in Novato with diamond certified expert contributor Danielle Gagne of Benjamin Franklin Plumbing to learn how it's done.

Hi, my name is Danielle Gagne, and today I'm going to show you how to flush our water heater. The reason we flush water heaters, and needs to be done at least once a year, is because there's a lot of sediment in the water and sediment tends to sit at the bottom of the water heater tank. And if you don't maintain your water heater, flush it yearly, and take a look at certain components, your water heater is gonna become less and less efficient. It could even start leaking from the base.

So first thing that you need to do, something a homeowner can do very easily themselves, they'll need a garden hose. Usually, you tend the garden hose and you extend it all the way to the outside in the garden or in the girl and the driveway. You need to identify the water shut-off, which is usually on top of the water heater. In this case, it's all the way up here. So first thing to do is to shut the water off. And if you have a what we call a ball valve, then the ball valve needs to be perpendicular to the to the pipe. So now it is actually in a shutoff. And then you take the garden hose. You'll need a pair of channel locks, and at the bottom of the water heater, there's usually going to be a drain valve. And here's your drain valve over here. This one doesn't have a handle. It has a little so you can put a screwdriver and turn it on with a screwdriver.

So I'll attach the hose to the drain valve, just give it that just snug it up a little bit with my channel locks here so it doesn't leak. And then now I'm gonna turn the water on then let the water heat water heater flush. So now you can hear the water flushing through the hose. You might you want to make sure that your hose doesn't have any in it. So you want to go in the driveway or outside and make sure the water is flowing freely. One thing to also keep in mind is your water heater after a while is going to become air locked. So you can either turn the temperature and pressure-relief valve ear on the on position so you let the water heater drain. It's now been draining for about 10-15 minutes, and you want to see the the color of the water at first. It'll come out kind of milky and it'll have some sentiment in it, and then eventually it kind of clears up. Once the water comes out clear then usually you're pretty much good to go.

So when you're done then you could just restore just shut down everything. You could shut your drain valve off during the off position turn your T&P off or shut the faucets in the house if you turn any faucets in the house. And now we can go ahead and remove the drain hose and we'll turn the water back on like turn into valve parallel with the pipe and again same as when we flush our water heater when we refill the tank it can also become air locked. So you have to turn leave a faucet on the hot water side inside the house until water comes out of it so that there is no air that gets stuck in the tank. And once the water comes out of the faucet you turn the faucet off and you're good to go.

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