Polybutelene(PB) - is the new PB safe

[STEVEH]

I have to replace the copper in the basement. I will use CPVC and start with the cold line. I just read the info on the lawsuit about the PB fittings and PB lines. My need is to connect the CPVC to the current copper lines that rise up thru the floors and the line that feeds the hot water heater. The QEST compression fittings would fit nicely. Current info does not indicate the problem still exists and failures in these compression fittings will still occur. Does anyone have any insight? And just what is an acetal fitting?

[jimbo]

No fittings for the QEST system are usable on CPVC or copper.

[STEVEH]

Are there any compression type fittings that connect copper to CPVC? Is it s standard name most hardware stores would have? Maybe specialty type hardware stores? With regards to QEST, a GOOGLE search with QEST brings up a site and one of them is a store that sells the components and they indicate it does connect to copper, pvc, pex and pb. It is that find that led me to ask the first question.

[hj]

The fittings will work on copper and I have never heard of them failing. The bad items were the plastic insert fittings with the clamping rings, and the pipe.

[jimbo]

Yes, "acetal" is some type of plastic, and the original failures were related to the acetal inserts and the associated crimp rings. It was later found that the tubing itself is not suitable for hot water service, so the problems continue for those houses which still have it installed. And that is why there are still a series of fittings to repair PB and to join it to copper. I have not seen an adapter to cpvc, but it may exist. I believe it would be glue the cpvc, not compression.

You mentioned "new PB". I am not aware that there is any new PB. It has been decertified almost everywhere for residential use. It may still be allowed for underground service mains, but I think that application has mostly been replaced by polyethylene and PVC. The QEST line of adapter fittings is still available for repair and retrofit applications.


To get specifically to your question: you need to join copper to CPVC. FIrst, the cpvc connection will be a glue joint, not compression. No problem. (There may be compression to CPVC fittings, but I would only use glue in your situation) All the adapters I have seen are either sweat to copper, or IPS on the plastic adapter, to srew into or onto a threaded copper adapter. I believe if you insisted on a compression connection to the copper, you would use a compression X IPS adapter on the copper and a slip X IPS on the cpvc.

[Deb]

Use only CPVC with brass threaded fittings. Do not use the all plastic threaded CPVC fittings anywhere at all.
If you are running CPVC, go to the Flowgard Gold web site and read the installation standards.
Deb
The Pipewench

[Gary Slusser]

Are there any compression type fittings that connect copper to CPVC? Is it s standard name most hardware stores would have? Maybe specialty type hardware stores? With regards to QEST, a GOOGLE search with QEST brings up a site and one of them is a store that sells the components and they indicate it does connect to copper, pvc, pex and pb. It is that find that led me to ask the first question.

Yes, QEST compression fittings adapt CPVC to copper or galvanized and/or PEX and PB etc.. They work very well. They are not the insert/barbed fittings that failed with PB systems.

Gary
Quality Water Associates