Everything You Need To Know
Re-piping your home can sound like a daunting task. At Mike's Master Plumbing, we always try to educate our customers to ensure they're making the most informed decisions possible.
What's The Problem?!
In the 1960s, flexible plastic plumbing pipes were first introduced to the construction industry, but they really didn’t gain widespread use until the early 1980s. Despite initial resistance, these products were eventually embraced because they were cheaper, lighter and easier to work with than traditional copper or galvanized steel. From the 1980s through the early 2000's, these products became standard materials used to build almost all homes, especially within subdivisions.
These pipes seemed like a major technological advancement—and in many ways, they were. It wasn’t until years later (as significant failures began to occur) that the industry realized some of these products had serious flaws. Research showed chlorine and other chemicals in water gradually degraded those plastics from the inside, leading to small leaks, medium cracks, and eventually major systematic plumbing failures. Class action lawsuits soon followed and building codes were eventually updated to limit or ban the use of most of these problematic materials.
But, what about homeowners whose homes still rely on these plumbing systems?
Unfortunately, if you were not part of the class action lawsuits, there is often little legal recourse now. Homeowners’ insurance may cover individual repairs caused by leaks, but rarely covers the full cost of re-piping an entire home. This leaves many homeowners facing costly and, sometimes, completely unavoidable and urgent replacement projects after their system has suddenly failed.
This is why it is essential to know what kind of plumbing is in your home.
Identifying Problematic Plumbing Materials
In most cases, you can visually examine your own plumbing. If you have a crawl space or an attic, you should be able to see your plumbing there. If you're one of the rare homes that have neither of these, you can try examine under your sinks where small pieces will be stubbed through the wall and attached to a shut off valve (however, this pipe is often covered in paint).
There are several different variations of products that were used in our region. Most commonly, we find polybutylene, CPVC or Grade B PEX (frequently purchased from Amazon or hardware stores). These pipes are easy to identify due to distinct characteristics. Below you will find images and descriptions of each of these materials.
Signs and Symptoms
Common and concerning symptoms:
- Frequent leaks or failures
- Stains or discoloration of ceilings or walls
- Mold visible on ceilings or walls
- Smell of mold in one or more rooms
- Water usage increasing without justification
- Water pressure decreasing without justification
- Water company notified you of leak(s)
- Water has an odd flavor and/or smell
- Water is discolored
- Visible corrosion on pipes(green, blue or white crust on copper pipes)
The Main Culprits of Plumbing Failures
Polybutylene
Polybutylene has almost a purple color and is always marked with "PB2110", "Poly" or the full name. Poly is most notorious for being eaten from the inside by chlorine. The result over time are sections of pipe that have extremely thin walls that eventually crack or pit failure with no outward signs of this process. Visually, everything will look perfectly fine... until it is not.
DuraPEX
DuraPEX is a unique shade of dark red, almost brown. It is commonly marked with other brand names like CPI or NIBCO. It is notorious for hot water lines quietly degrading and developing tiny, pin-hole leaks that often shoot a fine spray. It is almost always in walls, attics and locations that take time to become saturated before symptoms are visible. By then, mold has likely developed as has varying degrees of structural damage.
Grade "B" PEX
Grade B PEX is easily spotted by its vibrant reds and blues. Sadly, it is still being installed in new homes today despite being one of the lowest-quality options on the market. Unlike the premium, multi-layered PEX (used exclusively by Mike’s Master Plumbing!), Grade B PEX is made to be cheap—usually from a single composite plastic that lacks critical protections. High-grade PEX includes internal layers that guard against a variety of corrosive chemicals along with a tough external UV layer.
CPVC
CPVC is a type of PVC, though it typically comes in smaller diameters. It often has a yellowish tint, almost as if it’s been sun-bleached, and is usually joined with a bright yellow or orange adhesive. The major drawback of CPVC is how brittle it becomes over time. Eventually the slightest force can cause it to crack or disintegrate inside the walls. This process is accelerated by high water temperatures and certain water compositions, which can shorten the material’s lifespan to as little as 10 to 15 years. Since plumbing systems naturally expand and contract with pressure changes (whenever water is turned on or off), pipes need a degree of flexibility. Brittle CPVC simply can’t handle that stress, making it a poor long-term choice.
Do You See Your Pipe?
Yes! Now What?!
If you see the same pipes above as you do in your home, then you probably want to know two things:
How expensive is this to fix?
Price ranges vary greatly depending on a number of factors such as the square footage of your home, if there are multiple buildings, the number of fixtures that use water, the accessibility of your crawl space or attic, time of year (it's hot in an attic!), the distance from your water main to your home, if you also want to replace all fixtures as we go and MANY other factors.
Broadly speaking, prices generally range anywhere from $3,000 to upwards of $20,000+ when considering the above.
How painful is the process?
In most cases we are able to repipe an entire home within five days (plus or minus a day). We can ensure the home is always left with one working bathroom outside of normal work hours to ensure your family has access at night and in the morning. We use drop cloths to protect belongings from dust and sweep/vacuum after to minimize intrusion into your life.