What is Polybutylene Piping?
Polybutylene piping is a form of plastic resin piping that was used as a substitute to copper piping in many residential and commercial properties between 1978 and 1995. It is typically gray or white in color and was used in both underground water mains and interior plumbing. Common places to look for polybutylene piping inside your home are near the water heater, running across the ceiling in unfinished basements, and coming out of the walls to feed sinks and toilets. A certified plumbing technician can also inspect your plumbing and determine if polybutylene is a danger in your home.
Polybutylene Pipe and fittings are known to break down over time which causes leaks and extensive water damage. Source: http://www.polybutylene.com/poly.html
The Problem with Polybutylene
These pipes tend to leak or break when the oxidants in the public water supplies, such as chlorine, reacts with the polybutylene causing the pipes and fittings to scale, flake and become brittle. If a fracture results from the reaction the structural integrity of the system is reduced, which can cause leaks and damage to your property.
Replace Polybutylene Pipes
If you have polybutylene piping in your home or business you may want to consider repiping your system since it often disintegrates over time and causes leaks. Repiping an entire house or commercial property is a large job but getting it replaced can save your property from extensive damage from a unexpected pipe burst or constantly repairing small sections at a time. While leaking pipes don’t always mean you have polybutylene piping if your house or business was built between 1978 and 1995, when these types of pipes were used in construction of homes and businesses, chances are higher that polybutylene was used.
Residential and Commerical Repiping
Robinson’s Plumbing Service repipes individual homes and as well as multi-unit apartment or condo complexes, hotels, motels and other commercial properties.. Contact us for an estimate to repipe your home or commercial property.