What Is Polybutylene Piping (Poly-B)?
Polybutylene piping, Poly-B for short, was a popular plumbing pipe used in the 1970’s through the 1990’s for residential and commercial plumbing systems. Poly-B was popular among plumbers because it was easy to install and much less expensive than copper piping.
Today, there are over 500,000 homes in the United States that still have Poly-B for their water supply lines in their homes.
What’s Wrong With Polybutylene?
After the surge of Poly-B pipes being used for water supply lines in many new construction homes in the United States, homeowners started to notice that the pipes were failing. In fact, polybutylene pipes are now notorious for developing small, pinhole leaks that are impossible to detect when the pipes are hidden behind a wall.
These water leaks can lead to water damage because they are hard to identify. In fact, you won’t even know that your Poly-B pipe is even leaking. When you finally do realize you have a leak, your drywall, framing and insulation will be ruined.
What To Do About Poly-B
If you know that your home was built using polybutylene and you never had it replaced with PEX or copper, then you should call a repiping plumbing company to assess your situation.
It is always best to replace the Poly-B with another plumbing pipe material such as PEX tubing or copper piping. These plumbing pipes are much more durable than polybutylene and will not lead to water leaks. In fact, PEX will last you up to 50 years and it will never corrode.
We Are Poly-B Repiping Experts
If you’re looking for a repiping plumber in Vista, Oceanside, Encinitas, or another North County town, then you’ve come to the right place. We specialize in replacing old polybutylene plumbing systems with newer PEX or copper. Contact us today for a free estimate…
