polybutylene piping -- can it leach? (plumber, leaking, cost, pipes)
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Looking at buying a house in Cary with polybutylene plumbing (and apparently copper fittings)...I know about the concern with polybutylene fittings, that the adhesive can break down and leak...but not asking about that...
I'm used to all copper, is there an issue with polybutylene leaching into the water at all? Any chemists out there?
Looking at buying a house in Cary with polybutylene plumbing (and apparently copper fittings)...I know about the concern with polybutylene fittings, that the adhesive can break down and leak...but not asking about that...
I'm used to all copper, is there an issue with polybutylene leaching into the water at all? Any chemists out there?
Thanks!
Can't answer on the PB leaching, but there is no adhesive in a polybutylene water piping system. It is all mechanical fastening with barbed fittings and crimp rings.
I'm no chemist but I haven't heard of any concerns about PB leaching into the water. The issue with PB pipes is that they get hard and brittle, due to reacting with the chlorine in the municipal water supply, and they eventually split and/or burst. This is going to happen regardless of whether you have the newer copper fittings or not. I had to replace my PB supply line 2 years ago after it split and started leaking under my house. Don't let someone try to convince you that PB with copper fittings isn't going to be a problem - it will be. Tons more info on google if you search for it.
PB is safe, you can eat that $hit. You can put mustard on it and eat that $hit.
Well, that's a colorful way of putting it...
Back on topic, no, PB pipes aren't going to leach. The real issue is with the fittings, which were made of aluminum. Unfortunately, the aluminum fittings will swell and contract with temperature changes, leading to eventual leaks. Also, PB does get brittle over time, and can crack or split, leading to leaks such as deratermi posted. For this reason, most municipalities are no longer considering them to be up to code, and in some, such as Jacksonville, you are required to replace PB piping when the property is sold.
Looking at buying a house in Cary with polybutylene plumbing (and apparently copper fittings)...I know about the concern with polybutylene fittings, that the adhesive can break down and leak...but not asking about that...
I'm used to all copper, is there an issue with polybutylene leaching into the water at all? Any chemists out there?
Thanks!
The polybutylene pipe itself will corrode from the inside due to chlorine in the water. Basically you can't detect it until it fails - it sort of flakes apart.
Virtually every house in Cary built between 1978 and 1995 has Poly pipes. It has its own set of issues just like every other type of plumbing. It is not as problematic as it is made out to be when searching google though, especially with copper fittings as opposed to the acrylic used earlier in its era.
Polybutylene is still used in manufactured homes and RVs. The newer the house the better. The earlier years with aluminum bands were not reliable. The material did burst laterally and did crack circumferentially (at the connections).
sacredgrooves is correct in that every plumbing system has or had had issues of some sort.
If you have replumb you might consider cpvc or pex. (I love flowguard gold cpvc! )
Virtually every house in Cary built between 1978 and 1995 has Poly pipes. It has its own set of issues just like every other type of plumbing. It is not as problematic as it is made out to be when searching google though, especially with copper fittings as opposed to the acrylic used earlier in its era.
The last time I spoke with a plumber about my PB, he said, "I wouldn't feel good to leave the house if I had PB."
He sells re-plumbs....
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