Polybutylene piping info

I purchased a house in 2002 that was built 1998. I am trying to sell my home now. I was just informed by the inspector that the piping is PB he thinks. He said the joints are with copper. It does NOT have plastic joints. I was totally unaware of anything about PB.
He said most builders quit using PB in 1995. Is it possible for my home built in 1998 to have PB piping? Why did people continue to use it if it leaks so badly.
I looking at my piping alot and have not detected any leaks or anything.
I am not sure what to do at this point.
billy@billyharrisfishing.com
Thanks
Billy

You should google PB pipe. You will get enough material about the massive lawsuits to keep you busy until sometime next year reading.

Hard to give you a recommendation, because there are too many issues and everyone has an opinion.

Master Plumber

I will sum this up quickly. Repipe the house!

ya I have read a ton of information 1995 and earlier but nothing bad after 1995 stuff. I also talked with several builders and a couple plumbers locally. Each has their own opinion.
Both plumbers and builder said that it would be rare for a house after 1995 to have the pb pipe used. Mine was built in 1998.

I had one licensed plumber here in Murfreesboro tell me unless the house/pipes are 1995 or earlier install not to worry about it if it is pb. He said it would be rare for a 1998 house to have pb pipe. Both the builder and plumber think the inspector incorrectly called it pb and it is probably something else.
thanks
Billy

sbilly said:

and it is probably something else.
thanks
billy

Click to expand...

What color is it??

i crawled under the house and got all the numbers off the pipe.

Silver Max - Orangeburg, SC.
1604r7
pb2110 - i looked that up and polybutylene pipe. color is light grey
The joints are copper. I noticed all the headers are copper as well.
Installed 1998.
I called one plumber locally and he said i am fine if it is copper joints and another said 50/50. Just no clear cut answers huh.

It is what it is. I can't testify specifically to your setup. As far as the class actions, pretty much at this point if you have not had a failure, I don't know if there is any coverage for you. But I have read that besides the fitting issues, which were all the original problems, that the PB tubing is susceptible to pinhole from the chlorine content. Accelerated by heat, so most frequently note close to water heater. I do not know if that applied to only certain brands or models of tube.

As you can see, we have provided more questions than answers. That in itself might be your answer!

Pb

1995 was the cutoff date for claims under the class action suit, but we were repiping houses on one side of the street in the years after that day, while contractors were installing PB in the new houses across the street. You mention "headers", which could mean you have a manifold system and they seldom, if ever, went bad. Probably because they typically use a smaller sized tubing.

I plumbed my own house in PB ~1992. I have never had a single problem with either pipe or fittings. We do not have chlorinated water here. I expect a great many years of service. I also have never had any call backs to any house I plumbed with PB pipe. I have seen it badly installed and have seen a lot of problems with trailer houses that had both plastic fittings (acetal) and aluminum dog-eared crimp rings. I've done a lot of repairs on those.

The main problems with PB pipe installations were chemically-treated water, improper installation, acetal fittings that would crack from the torsion of the crimp rings, and the aluminum crimps that would dissolve if they got wet.

Pb

Here, the PB tubing would split longitudinally, or crack where it made a turn. I have seen some cracked copper fittings, but not many. Never bad connections or crimp rings.