Polybutylene Pipes

Educating Townhome Buyers

As your Realtor, it is our desire to help buyers become informed consumers. When navigating through the maze of inspections and materials used in home construction, be sure to keep a sharp eye for substandard materials that are no longer used. One such material is the polybutylene pipe. This type of pipe was used as a water supply line and was installed in many homes in the Mid Atlantic states from 1978 until 1995. Polybutylene is a form of plastic resin that was used to manufacture water supply piping and was a low cost alternative to other materials used during that period. Offering an easier installation, these systems were viewed as "the pipe of the future" and were used as a substitute for traditional copper piping.

Used For Underground and Interior Water Pipe

Polybutylene piping was used for underground water mains and as interior water distribution pipe. Studies show that it was installed in at least 6 million homes, and some experts indicate it may have been used in as many as 10 million homes. Most probably, the piping was installed in about one in every four or five homes built during the years in which the pipe was manufactured.

How to Tell If You Have Poly

Exterior - Polybutylene underground water mains are usually blue, but may be gray or black (do not confuse black poly with polyethelene pipe). It is usually 1/2" or 1" in diameter, and it may be found entering your home through the basement wall or floor, concrete slab or coming up through your crawlspace; frequently it enters the home near the water heater. Your main shutoff valve is attached to the end of the water main. Also, you should check at the water meter that is located at the street, near the city water main. It is wise to check at both ends of the pipe because we have found cases where copper pipe enters the home, and poly pipe is at the water meter. Obviously, both pipes were used and connected somewhere underground.

Interior - Polybutylene used inside your home can be found near the water heater, running across the ceiling in unfinished basements, and coming out of the walls to feed sinks and toilets. In some homes plumbers used copper "stub outs" where the pipe exits a wall to feed a fixture, so seeing copper here does not mean that you do not have poly.

Will the Pipes Fail?

While scientific evidence is scarce, it is believed that oxidants in the public water supplies, such as chlorine, react with the polybutylene piping and acetal fittings causing them to scale and flake and become brittle. Micro-fractures result and the basic structural integrity of the system is reduced. Thus, the system becomes weak and may fail without warning causing damage to the building structure and personal property. It is believed that other factors may also contribute to the failure of polybutylene systems, such as improper installation, but it is virtually impossible to detect installation problems throughout an entire system.

Class-Action Suit

Throughout the 1980's lawsuits were filed complaining of allegedly defective manufacturing and defective installation causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Although the manufacturers have never admitted that poly is defective, they have agreed to fund the Class Action settlement with an initial and minimum amount of $950 million. It will be necessary for you to contact the appropriate settlement claim company to find out if you qualify under this settlement. For more information and eligibility go to www.pbpipe.com.

A competent home inspector will be able to tell you if the townhome you are contracting to buy has polybutylene pipe.

Be sure to read all the articles in this section about Inspections.