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Is it a Home Equity Loan (HEL), where you get all the money up front? Or Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) where you can take money out gradually?

If it's a HEL, since you would presumably be paying interest on both the old debt and the new HEL, it will cost you less money to pay off the loans up front. Of course, this is only true if the interest rate on the old debt is higher than the interest rate on the HEL. If the interest rate on the HEL is higher, then you shouldn't use money from the HEL to pay off the old debt.

If you are getting a HELOC, then it depends on the interest rates. Once again, if the interest rate on the HELOC is higher than the interest rate on the old debt, you shouldn't be paying the old debt off with the HELOC anyway. If the interest rates on the old debt are the same or higher than the interest rate on the HELOC, then pay off the old debt up front. For your home repairs, only draw as much out of your HELOC as you need at a time to make the repairs. If you draw money and don't use it, you will pay interest on it that you didn't need to.

If you are getting a loan and not a line of credit then I would say go ahead and pay off the debts in full. Otherwise you'll be paying interest on the old debts and the new loan both. Even if you put some of the loan money in savings you wouldn't draw enough interest to equal what you are paying on the old debts. Also, be careful not to get back in debt after paying them off.

You wouldn't really be paying off your debts, just transfering them to another lender. If the old loans have a higher interest rate, then pay them off with the HEL money.

Perhaps you should just get enough to cover the home repairs and no more.

So many good answers here

It depends..