Pb? Polybutylene Piping

[cd2748]

I am purchasing a home that I think has a pb service line. I'm looking to confirm that its actually pb and that I have a problem. All of the distro lines are copper so no worries there. I scraped the pipe at the meter (it was covered in years of dirt) and it looked gray as well. Its approx. a 60ft straight shot to the water meter. I'm guessing this will cost me a grand to do myself (w/copper).

[dcelite]

I would think if it's 60 ' and you are doing it yourself, there shouldn't be more than 400.00 of material. The fitting looks like a poly that was used here (Northern CA) in the 1980s called Quest. They went out of business because of the lawsuits, and it had to be replaced.

[Gary Swart]

The depth, type of soil, and how strong your back is, digging the trench will be the hard part. If you use soft copper, the only connections will be at the meter and in the house. Depending on you ability, you might want a plumber to make those two connections. If you use hard copper, then you will need a plumber to braze the joints. Solder is not OK for underground. I'd use 1" copper, but 3/4" would probably be just fine and save a few buck as well. You should have enough for a vacation out of $1K unless you hire the whole job done.

[cd2748]

Thanks guys. I'll be certain to knock this out before summer.

[hj]

OUtdoor PB pipes were almost always blue, but they could have used the gray "interior" type.