POLYBUTYLENE WATERPIPES
What is polybutylene?
Polybutylene is a plastic resin used to manufacture water piping and was installed in commercial and residential properties from 1978 through 1995. Polybutylene quickly became a substitute for tradition copper piping due to it’s low costs and much easier installation methods. Polybutylene piping systems were used for both underground water mains as well as interior water distribution piping. On average , polybutylene was installed in around 25% of homes built during it’s time of manufacture and industry experts say it may have been installed in as many as 6 to 10 million homes.
How to tell if your home has polybutylene
Polybutylene water distribution pipes are typically grey but they can also be white and both have a dull finish , it is easiest to see it around the water heater or running across the ceiling in unfinished basements but you can also notice it coming out of walls to feed both sinks and toilets and it is often marked (PB) directly on the pipe. Caution , it is possible that some plumbers used copper “stub outs” to where the pipe exits the wall to supply a fixture, so seeing copper here does not necessarily mean that you don’t have polybutylene piping.
Polybutylene water supply piping is typically a blueish colour but can also be grey or black ( not to be confused with black polyethylene which is a good product and is still being used in installations today). This piping may be found entering the home through a basement floor or wall, or coming up through your crawlspace and then it is attached to the water meter and main shutoff. Most often it enters the home near your water heater but this is not always the case.
Problems with polybutylene
While there is little scientific evidence, it is believed that the oxidants in public water supplies such as chlorine, react with the polybutylene piping and its fittings causing them to flake and become brittle and the structural integrity of the system is then reduced. Once this happens, the system may fail at any time without warning causing damage to the building structure and it’s components. Improper installation is another factor contributing to the failure of polybutylene systems although it is very difficult to detect an installation problem through an entire system.
Throughout the 1980’s , many lawsuits were filled complaining of defective manufacturing and installations resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Although the manufacturers have never admitted that their polybutylene product is defective, they have agreed to fund the Class Action settlement with a minimum amount of $950 million dollars.
Nathan Pile
