Informing buyers about Polybutylene pipe

How would inform your buyers, in an inspection report about Polybutylene pipe Vanguard with copper rings and copper barbed inserts.

I went to Google and there is much information like this .
http://www.polybutylenelawsuit.com/

I just did an inspection of a manufactured home here is what I said. I also explain verbally about the PB issue.

"This picture shows two items to be aware of one is the plumbing supply lines are made of a material called PB (polybutylene). I will send a separate document about PB. PB can spontaneously burst see the document or Google PB for further information. "

I then followed it up with a document that I have that has two pages of details about PB I got off the internet.

Here’s a narrative you can use:

“The presence of polybutylene plumbing was observed. This type of piping has a known history of problems with defective connections and the pipe splitting. During inspection I did not see any problems with the polybutylene plumbing that was visible, but was unable to view all piping. Recommend that you consult with a qualified licensed plumber if you have any concerns and/or for additional information.”

Well water or public treated water?

KITEC law suit you have till Jan 2020 to file

http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/plumbing-system-causing-problems-for-homeowners-1.1492775

V Atlantic
Published Thursday, October 10, 2013 7:04PM ADT
A plumbing system called Kitec is causing some problems for homeowners.
The issue is with the pipes, which can leak and cause serious water damage if they aren’t replaced.
“Quite a few years ago, they migrated from copper plumbing to a plastic kind of plumbing called pex,” says home inspector Doug Wheatley.
“There was a certain type that was manufactured that proved to have some problems.”
Thousands of homeowners across North America are experiencing problems due to the faulty pipes, including some in the Maritimes.
“There’s some leaking and failure of the pipe, sometimes at the fittings and sometimes with the piping itself,” says Wheatley.
Homeowners who had the pipes, branded under the name Kitec, installed between 1995 and 2006 may be at risk.
“The place to start looking is around your boiler where the feeds go out to the baseboards or the in-floor of the house,” says Wheatley.
Dimitri Papoulis owns a plumbing and heating company in Halifax. He says some homeowners are opting to replace the pipes as a precaution, even if they haven’t had any issues with their plumbing.
“We’ve been doing Kitec removal now, probably one a week for the last six months,” says Papoulis.
“There hasn’t been that many failures with it but again, there’s a cause for concern because the pipe can fail.
The fittings can fail and then you can have flooding in your home.”
According to the Kitec website, a $125-million settlement fund was set up in 2011 as part of an out-of-court lawsuit to help people who have issues with the plumbing.
Claims can be filed by logging onto kitecsettlement.com](http://kitecsettlement.com/).
Homeowners with Kitec plumbing have until January 9, 2020 to be eligible for relief.

Read more: http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/plumbing-system-causing-problems-for-homeowners-1.1492775#ixzz2hOwE9ZDF](http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/plumbing-system-causing-problems-for-homeowners-1.1492775#ixzz2hOwE9ZDF)

From Unusual Things I have found - Page 51 - InterNACHI Inspection Forum http://www.nachi.org/forum/f48/unusual-things-have-found-68217/index51.html#post1098885#ixzz2hUk5Ybv2

Roy, Kitec is not the issue in this case. Kitec is not PB. Two different animals.

I would not say “Google”. There are many search engines out there…why endorse any particular one.

“Polybutylene (PB) plumbing supply lines are installed in this house. PB was used as water distribution piping in many homes built from the mid 1980’s until the mid 1990’s. The piping and associated fittings have had a failure rate and subsequent leakage sufficient to have been the subject of several nationwide class action lawsuits. Copper and brass fittings used in later years seem to have reduced the failure rate, but the piping may still fail due to problems with poor installation, improper handling, or chemical reaction with the water supply. The class action suits have expired and there is no longer any monetary relief for homeowners that experience a Polybutylene piping failure. For more information about PB, please do your own research and/or rely on the evaluation and advice of a licensed plumbing contractor prior to the close of escrow or within the contingency period. You may wish to have the plumbing system evaluated by a licensed plumbing contractor.”