Polybutylene: A brief overview.

An overview of what home owners and Real Estate Professionals should know about that “dreaded” grey pipe called Polybutylene!

Polybutylene or PB, is a light grey, semi rigid plastic pipe when used in the house, and either blue or black when used as a main service line from the street to the house.

It was first discovered in the mid 1960’s, however it wasn’t used as a plumbing pipe until the mid to late 1970’s. The pipes began as water service pipes bringing potable water from the meter to the house. From the early 1980’s, to 1995 (or so) PB was used throughout the country, though more were used in the southwest. Estimates suggest that six to ten million homes were plumbed in PB during the course of it’s use.

In 1991, the companies that produced PB formed the ” Consumer Plumbing Recovery Center” to trouble shoot PB concerns as leaks ( and complaints ) began to escalate,   and later evolved into a claims processing center. ( It is still in place for repair and or replacement of PB, however there are strict guidelines and time limits, so anyone with concerns or questions can contact the recovery center at the web site below.)

In 1995 a settlement in a class action lawsuit against Shell Oil Co. for PB claims is estimated to be about 950 million dollars.

The majority of leaks occur at the plastic fittings, (connections where the pipe is split off to run to different fixtures. ).  These original fittings were of the same material as the pipe, however thinner and became brittle faster. The PB material was found to react to chlorine and other chemicals in the household water supply.  In 1991, the fittings were banned and either brass or copper was used in it’s stead, and there was a decrease in the amount of leaks after this change took place.

In 1995, PB was banned from being used in residential building, however plumbing companies were allowed to use up their supply of PB, and we still see it in some 1996 homes here in Tucson.

The cost of replacement varies quite a bit from plumbing company  to company, and with the quantity of water fixtures the house has. Some companies will replace the pipe, but leave the drywall repair, texturing and painting to you, and other companies do it all.  If you are looking for bids on replacing polybutylene, be sure to ask what the bid covers.

For more information, you can contact the recovery center at www.pbpipe.com, or call 1-800-392-7591

Please send this link to any others that you may think will benefit from the info!  Thanks!

Water Water Everywhere…

Here in Tucson,  we have been in drought conditions for several years now, and yet we do nothing to rectify or lessen the effects!  Yes, several people in town will collect rain water off their roof, or use grey water, but as a home inspector, I see a great many houses and the majority ignore the fact that we live in the desert and have limited water.   Seriously, how much water do you think it takes to keep grass alive in a yard with 100 degree temperatures for weeks on end? 

As a home inspector, I find simple things that can be done to save water.  Replace or repair the inner workings of your toilet if it free flows.  Better yet, replace any old toilets  (4-5 gallons per flush) with the new ones that have a 1.6 gallon flush.  Fixing a leaking faucet can save up to 20 gallons of water per day! Other water saving ideas would be to replace shower heads with water saving heads, and believe me, you won’t know the difference in pressure!

Only run your washing machine or dishwasher when you have a full load. For that matter, hand washing your dishes saves hundreds of gallons of water.

There are retro-fit hot water recirculators that will give you hot water in seconds, saving all that water while we wait for the water to warm up.  Costs run about $200.

If you don’t want to spend the money on a recirculator, while waiting for the shower to warm up, capture the cold shower water in a large bucket so that you can use it for watering your plants later. You can save 200 to 300 gallons of water per month!

plant low water use plants for your landscaping, also called Xeriscaping or xeroscaping.

Check your irrigation system for leaks, and make sure of what you are watering.  Don’t continue to water dead plants or plants that you have removed. Check your hose bibs, faucets, etc., for leaks and fix them.  “slay the dragon” when it is small, instead of waiting! 

Other interesting ideas are rain water collection ( there are some things to worry about with this though, like mosquitoes, and the dreaded Home Owners Association! ) using grey water ( the water from your laundry, bathroom sinks and showers) to water your plants.  This is impractical to retrofit an existing home on a slab, however if you have a raised foundation, or a manufactured home, it would be relatively simple.)

You can find more info on the web at www.monolake.org/socalwater/wctips.htm or at the blog roll for Tucson City Water.

There are many other sites as well, but this seemed the most comprehensive.  

Save water!  Save money! A little responsibility goes a long way!