plastic-pvc pipes/plumbing! how much to replace? (real estate, houses)

[gogogo]

Have any of you had your home's pipes replaced?

We are looking at a house that we like, but it has plastic pipes. It was built in 2000, so it wasn't the older plastic piping, but it does still give you a lower re-sale value and buyers weird out about it.

I have read up on all the pros and cons, but the real issue is the buyer stigma. We'd meed to replace them just so potential buyers don't freak out.

Have any of you had plastic pipes changed out? If so, how much does that generally cost and how long does it take? I am just wondering how much $$ and how much time we should allot for that project.

Thanks for your help.

[tamitrail]

I have never seen anyone weirded out by plastic piping. I think it is the norm in most new construction and it shouldn't give you any problems. Who told you there is a buyer stigma?

[Margery]

The only plastic piping I know of that you need worry about is the polybutylene plumbing that was used in the early 80's to the mid 90's. It is grey and most of the leaks occurred at the joints, later they used copper fittings at the joints but you can still have a problem. The newer, PVC, pipes are very common in new construction. Indeed, it is rare to see copper plumbing in anything other than the really high bracket homes because copper is so expensive. If it is polybutylene piping, I'm sure your agent will have the seller re-plumb the house before settlement.

[gogogo]

Things like this:

from askthebuilder.com
Let's first talk about drain lines. The material used by many [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]builders[/color][/color]" and plumbers today is polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic piping. It is easy to work with, has a smooth interior surface that virtually eliminates clogs, but it is not a dense material. As such it can be noisy. Flush a second floor toilet and those on the first floor can often hear the water rushing down a wall or across a [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]ceiling[/color][/color]. If you request new easy-to-install cast iron drain lines that handle water, noise will not be a problem in the future.
PVC piping also expands dramatically as the temperature of the pipe increases. Drain water from a sink or tub and you might hear all sorts of snaps, pops and crackles in your walls as the pipes heat and expand and as they subsequently cool and contract. The noise comes from the piping rubbing up against wood framing members. Careful installation can minimize these contact points, but using cast iron piping eliminates the problem altogether.

also:

"Polybutylene was next big wonder product; cheap to produce, easy to install and no maintenance. Unfortunately years after much of it was install, plumber began noticing a trend of leaking pipes. The piping systems were used for underground water mains and as interior water distribution piping. Industry experts believe 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 starting in the 1970's. Most builders stopped using polybutylene in the mid-90's."

also-i read several articles that stated that the water quality has been proven substantially worse with res. pvc pipes as opposed to any other type of plumbing.

in my work in real estate in colorado, i ran into many buyers who did not want plastic or pvc pipes. its reputation for noisy drainage, lower reliability and water quality have been in and out of the headlines since the 90's.

anyway-i am just trying to sort out whether this is something i want to deal with...

[gogogo]

Originally Posted by Margery

The only plastic piping I know of that you need worry about is the polybutylene plumbing that was used in the early 80's to the mid 90's. It is grey and most of the leaks occurred at the joints, later they used copper fittings at the joints but you can still have a problem. The newer, PVC, pipes are very common in new construction. Indeed, it is rare to see copper plumbing in anything other than the really high bracket homes because copper is so expensive. If it is polybutylene piping, I'm sure your agent will have the seller re-plumb the house before settlement.

thanks for your input. i have heard that most of the issues are in the older homes, but that the water quality and buyer stigma continues to be an issue. if you have any more info-i am all ears.

[tamitrail]

Really, there is no buyer stigma. We have had plastic plumbing in all of our houses. This is my 4th house in Virginia with plastic plumbing and the plumbing in the last three that we sold was not an issue. The article you quoted said the person is from Colorado. You really don't need to deal with it at all. Probably any house you are interested in is going to have plastic plumbing unless it's an older house.

[VRE332]

In my opinion Copper pipes are very loud when you turn on the water. I have plastic pipes in my house, and never had a problem. When the water runs it's extremely quiet.

[EricD]

I think your money might be better spent on insulating the pipes... it would reduce the noise a lot, without the huge cost of re-plumbing the whole house.

re-plumbing would be a lot more expencive than plumbing a new construction home, purely because they'd have to rip open all of the walls, pull out all of the bathroom fixtures, and totally re-do everything.

I know in this housing market, some people are doing anything they can to increase the chances of a sale... but I truely think that replacing the plumbing would be a waste of money.

[VRE332]

Originally Posted by EricD

I think your money might be better spent on insulating the pipes... it would reduce the noise a lot, without the huge cost of re-plumbing the whole house.

re-plumbing would be a lot more expencive than plumbing a new construction home, purely because they'd have to rip open all of the walls, pull out all of the bathroom fixtures, and totally re-do everything.

I know in this housing market, some people are doing anything they can to increase the chances of a sale... but I truely think that replacing the plumbing would be a waste of money.

I cannot agree with you more. He might better off change the carpets and slap some paint on the wall to get it sold.

[gogogo]

insulating the pipes is a great idea. that would definitely help with any noise issue.

the pipes used in homes built in the 1980's and early 1990's have been shown to fail much more often than copper and with major home flooding failures. apparently the stuff put in after 1995 is a new, better, pvc pipe, versus the older polybutalane (sp?).

one house we are looking at has the pvc, while another has the PB.

my husband hates the idea of the PB pipes, so i guess i will have to pass on that.

again-thanks for the hint on insulating the pvc pipes! i will keep that in mind.