New home, Polybutylene pipes (Gaithersburg: insurance, appliances, buy)

[mrsmandap]

Hello,

My husband and I are under contract for a new home. It is a beautiful home built in 1987, in Gaithersburg. Everything is updated and ready to move in. We had the home inspection done on Monday. The inspector thought that the pipes looked like polybutylene. (He didn't want to say for sure because he is not a plumber). I have a plumber coming to the house on Thursday to check it out.

I have been googling about these pipes and it seems like a nightmare. But I have also read some conflicting information. I just wanted to know if anyone had has any experience with theses pipes.

Thanks!

[lee_in_beechtree]

Originally Posted by mrsmandap

Hello,

My husband and I are under contract for a new home. It is a beautiful home built in 1987, in Gaithersburg. Everything is updated and ready to move in. We had the home inspection done on Monday. The inspector thought that the pipes looked like polybutylene. (He didn't want to say for sure because he is not a plumber). I have a plumber coming to the house on Thursday to check it out.

I have been googling about these pipes and it seems like a nightmare. But I have also read some conflicting information. I just wanted to know if anyone had has any experience with theses pipes.

Thanks!

This following excerpt is from an article entitled, "Polybutylene for Inspectors," on the interNACHI website, which is an organization for certified home inspectors.

In our hunt for homes in NoVa, we came across two homes with this type of plumbing, and it was very noticeable when we saw the water distribution system in the basement. I didn't know it at the time, but then I looked up the color and numbering on the pipes when I got home, which confirmed that it was PB pipe.

"Polybutylene Pipes Should Be Replaced

Although no regulations require the replacement of polybutylene piping with other material, many plumbers recommend doing this, at a cost several thousand dollars. Leaking can happen without warning and can result in flooding and serious damage to a home’s interior if it is not immediately stopped. PB pipes installed behind sheetrock can leak unnoticed for long periods of time and cause mold and water damage. InterNACHI believes it is far cheaper to replace polybutylene pipes before they fail and release their contents onto floors, appliances and furniture. They can also reduce a home’s value or prolong its time on the market. Homeowners might face higher insurance premiums or be denied coverage entirely. For homeowners who are concerned about this problem and wish to replace the PB piping in their home with copper or other material, there are companies that specialize in this type of work."

The rest of the article can be viewed at this website:
http://www.nachi.org/pb.htm

[pcity]

If the pipe is gray and flexible, and the house is from the 80's, it's probably polybutylene.

It will fail, possibly catastrophically, and it should be replaced as soon as possible. Figure in the replacement costs before you decide you want the house.

[coolblue123]

There was a major class action lawsuit back 10 yrs ago. I believe there was a settlement which expired several yrs ago.

The cost is around thousands depending on the number of outlets and complexity in ur home. Its not as bad as you think but your home inspector should be able to give you a ball park figure on cost and be part of negotiations.

[armory]

Originally Posted by coolblue123

There was a major class action lawsuit back 10 yrs ago. I believe there was a settlement which expired several yrs ago.

The cost is around thousands depending on the number of outlets and complexity in ur home. Its not as bad as you think but your home inspector should be able to give you a ball park figure on cost and be part of negotiations.

Replacing every foot of any water supply line involves demolition of the walls of several rooms of a house. Add the basement if the house has one.

[bande1102]

I would not buy a home with those pipes. I bought an 80's home with those pipes. Fortunately, they were only used in part of the house that connected to the main pipes in the city (I don't know the correct terminology).

We bought the house before the lawsuits and before anyone knew how bad they really were. When the lawsuits came out there was a settlement, but only for pipes that had already burst and there was a time limit. Of course, mine didn't burst until after the time frame for the lawsuit. I came home from work and there was a geyser in my front yard. It was an expensive nightmare.

Aren't these pipes required disclosure from the seller? When my neighbor sold, she hadn't replaced hers and she had to disclose the pipes.

Make sure your plumber is knowledgeable about these pipes. Believe it or not, I have run across a few who were not.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by armory

Replacing every foot of any water supply line involves demolition of the walls of several rooms of a house. Add the basement if the house has one.

That's a bit of an exaggeration. You cut holes in the drywall so you can access the pipes and then put the cut out parts back in after. You don't actually knock down walls.

[armory]

Originally Posted by pcity

That's a bit of an exaggeration. You cut holes in the drywall so you can access the pipes and then put the cut out parts back in after. You don't actually knock down walls.

Come to my 63 year old house - copper pipes - and rethink how easy it. I have replaced several feet of copper and had to remove most of the HVAC ducting to do so. I haven't cut holes in walls yet as I haven't needed. There was no rhyme or reason to the way they did things back then, following drain pipes is crazy.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by armory

Replacing every foot of any water supply line involves demolition of the walls of several rooms of a house. Add the basement if the house has one.

We had an 80's home and we replaced the exterior PB pipes with copper. There were no interior PB pipes. Please get your plumbers advice before jumping to conclusions.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by armory

Come to my 63 year old house - copper pipes - and rethink how easy it. I have replaced several feet of copper and had to remove most of the HVAC ducting to do so. I haven't cut holes in walls yet as I haven't needed. There was no rhyme or reason to the way they did things back then, following drain pipes is crazy.

We're not talking about 63 year old houses though. We're talking about houses from the late 70's to late 80's since that's the only time they used polybutylene.

I'm sure some houses are more of a challenge than others, but the cookie-cutterness of the 70's/80's home developments does have an advantage here- there is a bit of standardization.