I believe NIBCO purchased CPI around the same time you built your home but not sure.
I hope someone can help me or at least point me in the right direction.
We built our house in 1999 (completed) and the house is plumbed with PEX. In the last six months, the PEX line coming from our water heater has split three times (hot water side). Each time we have had it replaced and each split has been farther down the run each time. The entire affected length appears to be approximately 4 feet. The water heater is in the attic, we are on county (treated) water and live in central NC. We have a PRV and expansion tank. The splits are not near a joint, fitting or bend and are lengthwise (almost like a seam "split" ) at about 1-2 inches in length. I am not sure who the manufacturer is ( there is a logo I am still trying to ID for contact info), but my plumber says it looks like CPI (NIBCO) pex. The manufacture date on the PEX says October 1998 (we started building in September 1998). We have not had any problems anywhere else in the house...
Has anyone ever heard of such a thing? I thought this stuff was supposed to last a lot longer. I know that if PEX is exposed to sunlight it can be affected, but I am pretty sure this was not the case when our home was built...
I have tried to include as much info as I can...
Any help would be greatly appreciated...
THANKS!!!
I'm a large plumbing contractor and began using NIBCO PEX in 2006 as a replacement to failing Flowgaurd Gold CPVC which is also junk. Since 2006 I've started seeing failures in the area of the water heater and throughout the home. PEX is identified and graded in various ways. First you have different types of PEX A, B, and C which is not a rating system. This defines a specific manufacturing process that is used to make PEX.
PEX-A tubing is produced using Peroxide (or, “Engelâ€) method, named after the inventor Tomas Engel. During the manufacturing process, free radicals are created when HDPE polymer is melted and cross-links between molecules occur at temperatures that exceed the decomposition temperature of the polymer. Some of the manufacturers who make this type of PEX are: Uponor (former Wirsbo), Rehau and Mr. PEX.
PEX-B is made using a "Silane" or "Moisture Cure" method of cross-linking, where links between the molecules of the HDPE form after the extrusion process using a catalyst and exposing PEX tubing to water. This type of PEX is the most common and is manufactured by a large number of companies, such as: Viega, Watts, Bow, Everhot, Zurn and many others.
PEX-C is manufactured using “Electronic Irradiation†method of cross-linking, also known as "Cold" cross-linking. Here, cross-linking of the molecules is done after the process of extrusion by exposing the pipe to an electron radiation beam. The radiation emitted allows to break the existing links between molecules of the polymer and initiate cross-linking process. Some of the manufacturers are: Nibco, Roth, Cash-Acme.
Beyond this there is another way to distinguish different "grades" of PEX. A four digit number ie. 1006 or 3306, etc. Generally I believe you will find the Nibco PEX in your home will have 1006 somewhere in the print line of the pipe. It's on there with NSF or ANSI #, etc. Regardless, These numbers all mean something individually and you can probably find information related to this on the web. Each of the four numbers represent testing for Water pressure, Water Temperature, Chlorine resistance and UV (sun) resistance. I don't remember the order but I have docs somewhere to back this up. Bottom line: If you contact the manufacturer to investigate, they may visit your home and will send back a report that says your water pressure is too high, the chlorine content in your water is too high, thermal expansion is an issue in your home and God help you if you have a hot water circulating system that is not controlled with a timer. All this said, the NIBCO pipe is probably defective and if you have the energy or means, fight their claims with the threat of a Class Action Law Suit. I'm going down the same road because I have approximately 10,000 homes with this pipe installed and failures are beginning to be more frequent. I installed piping that I was told would do the job by a company I thought was reputable and I'm in a bad situation now. I wish you luck!!