Future Polybutyl Repair

**jechow** · 04-10-2009, 09:28 AM

Touch wood but my PB pipes have not leaked. I am posting this question as a proactive measure.

Assume that I develop a leak in a PB pipe in my home. I would like to "buy" sometime before calling in a plumber to replace the entire system with copper or PEX. Therefore, I would like to add a shut off valve or termination cap at the leak as a temporary fix. How do I do this?

In addition, is it possible as a long term fix to cut out the leak and then make the following connection PB-PEX-PB? What do I need?

Thanks

**Gary Slusser** · 04-10-2009, 11:23 AM

Any plumbing supply house or a hardware store usually can fix you up, or you can take your chances at a big box store. But the PB may never fail.

**Redwood** · 04-10-2009, 05:51 PM

Originally Posted by Gary Slusser

Any plumbing supply house or a hardware store usually can fix you up, or you can take your chances at a big box store. But the PB may never fail.

Great Advice Gary!

Yea.. Go see this guy...

The day I give that advice I'm going to stop posting!

**Redwood** · 04-10-2009, 06:07 PM

Gary is correct in one aspect of his post and that is that the Polybutylene may never fail. One of its problems was the chemicals used for water treatment on municipal water systems.

I often use sharkbites under trailers making PEX repairs.
However, they are not rated for use with Polybutylene and I would be leary of using them in a house.

You can use Qest Fittings. They are rated for Polybutylene, PEX, Copper, & CPVC. They in conjunction with a small length of PEX could get you by until getting the line repiped.

**master plumber mark** · 04-10-2009, 07:07 PM

[quote=Redwood;195084]

I often use sharkbites under trailers making PEX repairs.
However, they are not rated for use with Polybutylene and I would be leary of using them in a house.

I beg to disagree with you but I am pretty sure that they are rated for use with the nasty PB stuff as long as you have those inner-inserts ....

we have gotten out of some nasty , god awful
situations with the shark bite fittings....
having to scab onto and re-connect sections of that
old crap back together...their is really no better way...

I really dont think you can screw the PB stuff up any
worse than it already is...

**Redwood** · 04-10-2009, 08:44 PM

No Mark they are not rated for Polybutylene.

PEX is SDR-9 and it's outer dimension is CTS, Polybutylene is CTS but is not SDR-9. The wall thickness of PEX is thicker than Polybutylene so the stiffener supplied with the sharkbites is not big enough to support the Polybutylene. That is why they do not have the rating.

They do work with the Polybutylene and I have never had one fail used on Polybutylene that I know about but I am still leary of using them inside a house with Polbutylene. If one failed under a trailer the damage would be limited to making mud pies. Inside a house????

wet or dry repairs
There’s no faster way to
make a repair -- wet or dry.
You can connect copper,
CPVC or PEX pipe in any
combination.
http://www.cashacme.com/_images/pdf_...B_Brochure.pdf

**tritontr** · 04-13-2009, 07:16 AM

Go to www.mobilehomerepair.com and you can click on articles and it will show you how to connect from Poly to Pex. There are specific fittings that transition from Poly to Pex. They come in several sizes with the appropriate crimp rings in each package( the crimp rings are different for Poly and Pex) once you convert to Pex you can add a cutoff valve or whatever pex fitting you need.

**Redwood** · 04-13-2009, 08:09 AM

Originally Posted by tritontr

Go to www.mobilehomerepair.com and you can click on articles and it will show you how to connect from Poly to Pex. There are specific fittings that transition from Poly to Pex. They come in several sizes with the appropriate crimp rings in each package( the crimp rings are different for Poly and Pex) once you convert to Pex you can add a cutoff valve or whatever pex fitting you need.

These would be the proper fittings...
http://www.watts.com/pro/_products_s...=70&parCat=512

Then all the poster needs to do is buy a crimping tool $100+
Seems a little steep for a what if tool to hold him over until a plumber repipes the house...

**Gary Slusser** · 04-13-2009, 09:46 AM

I've used Qest fittings on a fair bit of PB and never had a compliant or a leak. That's without any insert. It works the same as a brass compression fitting on soft copper;, follow directions and don't over tighten nut.

And I wouldn't repipe a house or mobile home until I had to.

**tritontr** · 04-13-2009, 05:53 PM

You can buy a pocket crimper or close quarters crimper for under $40.00 for emergencys. I would keep a supply of PB to Pex fittings in the sizes of pipes in your house. This is for you to make repairs or if you call a plumber the one thing he might not have on his truck is these fittings. Once you do a couple of replacements you will see the PB to Pex is no big deal and is fast and easy.

**Redwood** · 04-14-2009, 04:51 AM

Originally Posted by tritontr

You can buy a pocket crimper or close quarters crimper for under $40.00 for emergencys.

You are talking about the crimp tool they sell on that popular on line auction site? The one that gets squeezed with vice-grips?

Oh Boy... I didn't even think of using that one...
Some tools are so beneath me....
make sure that you use a Go/No-Go Gauge in each crimp with that...

I have some real doubts about the repeatability of the crimping action with that thing...

**tritontr** · 04-14-2009, 09:17 AM

I have not seen the one that uses vice-grips. This is a Close Quarters tool you put the crimp ring between two bars then tighten two bolts evenly to make the crimp. I have used it in places where the long handle crimp tool would not fit. I agree you should always use a go/no-go gauge no matter what your crimp tool is.