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What Polybutylene Is and Why You Don’t Want It in Your Home – A Technical Explanation

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CWork

Polybutylene is a plastic resin that was popular between 1978 and 1995 for use in water pipes. This product had a low cost and was easy to install, which made it ideal to use in place of typical copper pipes for people who wanted something more futuristic and affordable. In the Sun Belt area of the U.S., construction was heaving during these years and most homes with these pipes are found here. Some piping was used in the Mid-Atlantic region as well as the Pacific Northwest, too. The pipes are going to be gray or white and have a dull finish.

Many of these pipes were used in underground mains and for piping through distribution plants, but there are about 6-10 million homes that have polybutylene piping in them as well. There is an easy way to tell if your home has this type of piping or not. The exterior of the pipe will be blue, gray, or black (but not polyethylene black pipe), and about to 1 inch in diameter. This piping will come through the basement, crawlspace, or by the water heater. Also the water meter should be checked because it could be used out in that area as well.

Inside, you can find polybutylene running through ceilings of unfinished basements or crawlspaces, being used to feed sinks or toilets, and in other areas of the home. Some plumbers used a combination of poly and copper because it was easy, so people who see copper shouldn’t immediately assume that they don’t have poly pipes at all. Because of the oxidant elements in public water, many poly pipes have failed significantly. These ingredients cause the pipes to flake, become brittle, and eventually create micro-fractures that can ruin the structural integrity of the entire plumbing in the home. In the 1980s, there were dozens of lawsuits filed for the damages and defects caused by this type of plumbing.

The manufacturers of poly have never actually agreed that it is defective, but they agreed to a $950 million class action lawsuit settlement that will help people get compensation for their defective pipes, even if they haven’t experienced problems yet. If you don’t want huge plumbing problems, leaks, and a compromised water supply in your home, you don’t want Polybutylene pipes to be involved anywhere in your water supply lines, including from the water meter to the house as well as anywhere within your home’s plumbing.

Polybutylene

pipes is a disaster waiting to happen. Replacing your polybutylene pipes before a flood happens can save you lots of money and a huge headache.

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