No more sewage backing up into your shower when someone flushes upstairs. No more holding your breath every time it rains, wondering if a slab leak is soaking into your foundation where you can’t see it.
Your drains actually work. Water pressure comes back. The house stops smelling like something died in the walls.
And when it’s time to sell, you’re not the homeowner scrambling to explain away cast iron pipes to a buyer’s inspector. You’ve already handled it. Your insurance company isn’t threatening to drop you because your plumbing is older than most of your neighbors. You’re done worrying about a $15,000 emergency that hits at the worst possible time.
Most homes in Eau Gallie were built in the 1980s. That means the cast iron drain lines installed back then are already past their expected lifespan in Florida’s humid, salt-heavy climate. Replacing them now with PVC or PEX means you’re set for the next 50 years.
Drain Wizard is a locally owned plumbing company led by Carl, a State Certified Master Plumber. We’ve spent nearly two decades working on older homes across Brevard County, so we know exactly what happens to cast iron pipes in this climate.
We’re not a franchise. Carl personally oversees every job to make sure it’s done right. We handle the permits, the inspections, and the mess, and we leave your home cleaner than we found it.
Eau Gallie has some of the oldest homes in Melbourne. Many were built when cast iron was the standard for drain lines. We’ve replaced hundreds of these systems in the area, and we understand the specific challenges that come with Florida’s acidic soil, high water tables, and concrete slab foundations.
First, we run a camera through your drain lines so you can see exactly what’s happening inside. You’re not taking our word for it. You’re watching the footage with us, and we’ll explain what you’re looking at—cracks, corrosion, root intrusion, whatever’s there.
Then we walk you through your options. Full replacement, partial replacement, trenchless repair if it makes sense. We give you a clear price for each option, and you decide what fits your budget and timeline.
Once you’re ready to move forward, we pull the permits and schedule the work. Most residential projects take a few days, depending on the size of your home and how much of the system needs replacing. We install PVC for drain lines and PEX or copper for supply lines—materials that are built to handle Florida’s conditions for decades.
We dig only where we need to. If we can avoid tearing up your driveway or landscaping, we will. When the job’s done, we handle the final inspection, clean up the site, and make sure everything’s working before we leave.
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We replace everything from your home to the street if that’s what’s needed. That includes the main drain line, branch lines, and any corroded supply pipes that are causing low pressure or discolored water.
You get a full camera inspection before and after the work. The “before” footage shows you why the replacement is necessary. The “after” footage proves the new system is installed correctly and ready to last.
In Eau Gallie, most homes sit on concrete slabs, which means we’re often dealing with pipes that run under the foundation. We use trenchless methods when possible to avoid unnecessary digging. When we do need to excavate, we’re careful about protecting your property and minimizing disruption.
We also handle pipe descaling if your cast iron pipes are in decent shape but clogged with years of buildup. It’s not always a full replacement. Sometimes descaling buys you a few more years. We’ll tell you honestly what makes sense for your situation and your budget.
If your home was built before 1990, there’s a good chance your cast iron pipes are already failing or close to it. In Florida, cast iron drain lines start breaking down after 25 to 30 years because of the humidity, acidic soil, and salt in the air.
The most obvious signs are sewage backups, slow drains that don’t improve with snaking, and foul smells coming from your drains or yard. You might also notice low water pressure, discolored water, or damp spots on your floors or walls.
A camera inspection will show you exactly what’s happening inside the pipes. You’ll see cracks, corrosion, root intrusion, or sections that have completely collapsed. That footage gives you a clear answer about whether you need a full replacement, a partial repair, or just descaling to clear out buildup.
Trenchless repair means we fix or reline your pipes without digging up your entire yard. We insert a new liner into the existing pipe, or we use pipe bursting to break apart the old pipe and pull a new one through the same path. It’s faster, less disruptive, and works well if the pipe layout is good but the material is failing.
Full replacement means we’re pulling out the old cast iron and installing new PVC or PEX from scratch. This is necessary when the pipes are too far gone, when the layout needs to be updated to meet current code, or when tree roots have destroyed the line.
In Eau Gallie, where most homes are on slabs, trenchless methods can save you from tearing up your foundation or driveway. But it’s not always an option. If the pipes have collapsed or shifted, we need to dig. We’ll walk you through what makes sense for your specific situation during the inspection.
Most residential replacements take two to five days, depending on the size of your home and how much of the system we’re replacing. If we’re only doing the main drain line, it’s usually closer to two or three days. If we’re replacing branch lines, supply lines, and dealing with a slab foundation, it can take longer.
We work efficiently, but we’re not rushing through a job that needs to last 50 years. We pull permits, coordinate inspections, and make sure everything is up to code before we call it done.
You’ll still have access to water and working toilets during most of the project. We schedule the work in stages so you’re not completely without plumbing for days at a time. When we do need to shut off water, we’ll give you advance notice so you can plan around it.
It depends on where your pipes are and what method we use. If we can go trenchless, we’re only digging small access points, which means minimal disruption to your landscaping or hardscaping.
If we need to excavate, we’re strategic about where we dig. We avoid driveways and patios when possible. When we can’t, we make sure the area is properly restored after the work is done.
In Eau Gallie, a lot of homes have mature landscaping and concrete driveways that homeowners don’t want torn up. We get that. We’ll walk your property during the estimate and show you exactly where we’d need to dig and what the restoration process looks like. No surprises.
Most full replacements for a single-family home run between $8,000 and $15,000, depending on the size of the house, how much pipe needs replacing, and whether we’re dealing with a slab foundation or crawl space.
Partial replacements or trenchless repairs cost less, usually in the $3,000 to $7,000 range. Pipe descaling, if that’s all you need, is typically under $2,000.
The price depends on your specific situation. After the camera inspection, we’ll give you a clear breakdown of what needs to be done and what each option costs. No pressure, no upselling. You’ll know exactly what you’re paying for before we start.
If the pipes are already showing signs of failure and you wait, the problems get worse and more expensive. Small cracks turn into full breaks. Slow drains turn into sewage backups. A leak under your slab that you can’t see turns into foundation damage and mold.
You’ll also run into issues with your homeowner’s insurance. Many insurers in Florida are adding exclusions for cast iron pipe damage or dropping coverage altogether for homes with older plumbing systems. If a pipe bursts and floods your house, you could be on the hook for the entire repair cost.
When it’s time to sell, buyers will find out during the inspection. They’ll either walk away or demand a price reduction that’s usually more than the cost of replacing the pipes yourself. Replacing them now protects your home’s value and keeps you from dealing with an emergency repair at the worst possible time.
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