Is PB Piping a Defect?

[Brian E. Kelly]

[Bruce A. King]

Defect:
1 a : an imperfection that impairs worth or utility


PB systems come in many varieties, here are some of the most common combinations I see: (Note: there are some PB pipes that are not the 2110 version that was not involved in the lawsuit but they are rarely found)


PB2110 pipe with plastic fittings on public water system - the absolute worst, most of these have flooded houses and been improved or replaced.


PB2110 pipe with plastic fittings on private water system - still very bad


PB2110 pipe with copper fittings and copper crimp rings on public water - the copper fittings were also part of the lawsuit and the public water will deteriorate the pipe. - still very bad.


PB2110 pipe with copper fittings and copper crimp rings on well water water - the copper fittings were also part of the lawsuit - still bad.


Here is a system that may exist somewhere but I have not seen it yet:

PB2110 pipe with new brass fittings and copper crimp rings on well water - This exact setup might be better but you will still get sued if it floods the house and you did not make the client aware of the issues with PB.

Don't forget to check the service pipe from the street also to see if its PB.

[Dale Duffy]

Originally Posted by bkelly2

You know it isn't---

Hasn't popped in "You know who's house yet"-----

Bet you wish it would though----

[Brian E. Kelly]

Originally Posted by dduffy

You know it isn't---

Hasn't popped in "You know who's house yet"-----

Bet you wish it would though----

hahahahhahha never say never

[Dale Duffy]

Originally Posted by bkelly2

hahahahhahha never say never

LOL BK----

[Brian E. Kelly]

You realise the guys that voted no are wrong, right?

[Dale Duffy]

Originally Posted by bkelly2

You realise the guys that voted no are wrong, right?

Hey..it's only 26%...what do you want?---

I voted O-blame-a----

[Mark A. Timpani, CMI]

How do you check from the meter to the house?

[Bruce A. King]

So we have 5 posters who have PB in their own house
Or even worse, they believe the agents that tell them not to report it because "other inspectors don't".

[Bruce A. King]

Originally Posted by mtimpani

How do you check from the meter to the house?

The service pipe is usually visible at the shut off valve area. Some slab houses have PB visible under the stairs and behind the water heater or in the garage/utility room. Crawl houses are usually visible at the front of the crawlspace or near the crawl door. Sometimes its visible at the water meter but usually covered up with dirt. If you see PB for distribution you should report that the service line needs to be checked also. The service pipes seemed to leak even worse and many have been replaced already.

[Brian E. Kelly]

Originally Posted by mtimpani

How do you check from the meter to the house?

Pretty hard to do here Mark.

In my last Neighborhood all the Houses had PB plumbing, both inside and outside...

For the most part everyone in the Neighborhood did not make it to 10 yrs before the Outside PB piping failed.

No leaks on the inside that I was aware of...

[Mathew Hawley]

I use this as an advisory comment on homes that have PB:

Polybutylene pipe supply lines present. This type pipe has a history of failures and has been involved in a class action law suit. No problems were found during the inspection. Homeowners with polybutylene can register with the Consumer Plumbing Recovery Center to become eligible to file a claim should failures occur. For complete information on the class action and settlement, call 1-800-392-7591 or to visit www.pbpipe.com.

[Mathew Hawley]

After looking at the link myself, homeowners can no longer file a claim as of May 2009. Time to update my phrases. I think the homeowner should no that they have polybutylene supply lines, even if there are no problems found during the inspection.

Polybutylene pipe supply lines present. This type pipe has a history of failures and has been involved in a class action law suit. No problems were found during the inspection. Additional anecdotal data is available on the world wide web by searching "Polybutylene Pipe".

[Greg Bell]

Originally Posted by mhawley

After looking at the link myself, homeowners can no longer file a claim as of May 2009. Time to update my phrases. I think the homeowner should no that they have polybutylene supply lines, even if there are no problems found during the inspection.

Polybutylene pipe supply lines present. This type pipe has a history of failures and has been involved in a class action law suit. No problems were found during the inspection. Additional anecdotal data is available on the world wide web by searching "Polybutylene Pipe".

It would be wise to let them know that it is going to be an insurance problem.

[Jim Kolke]

Pb piping is illegal in Chicago and surounding ILLINOIS suburbs. So yes it would be a defect in my area. Your area might be differnt.