Repiping in Moreno Valley, CA

Moreno Valley homes and their water

Moreno Valley was formed in 1984 from the communities of Sunnymead, Edgemont and Moreno, and city-stats.com puts the median year built at 1988. That means a large share of homes have supply pipe in the 35-to-40-year range. Older parts of Sunnymead and Edgemont predate incorporation, and those houses are the likeliest to have galvanized steel or early copper still in the walls.

Water service depends on the address. Eastern Municipal Water District serves most of the city, while Box Springs Mutual Water Company serves a western area of about 430 acres that includes Edgemont. EMWD says its service line inventory found no lead service lines and no galvanized service lines requiring replacement. That result covers the lines EMWD tracked, not the copper or steel pipe inside a house.

In a late-1980s house, the usual story is copper that has started to pinhole after decades of water flowing through it, often first on hot lines under the slab. One or two leaks can be repaired. When they keep coming, the plumber can compare the cost of another repair with rerouting the whole system overhead.

Spot repair, partial repipe or whole house

Signs the pipe is failing

• Blue-green stains on copper or at fixture connections
• A warm spot on the floor or the sound of running water with every tap off
• Water bill creeping up with no change in use
• Rusty water from galvanized lines in older homes
• Low pressure across the house

Timing and seasonal notes

Most Moreno Valley houses are slab-on-grade, so new lines usually go through the attic. Summer attic temperatures make that work slow and hard on crews, and many owners schedule a planned repipe for fall through spring. If you are dealing with repeated slab leaks, though, it makes little sense to wait. Plan for a permit from the City of Moreno Valley Building & Safety Division; applications are filed online through SimpliCITY or at City Hall kiosks, and the plumber normally handles it.