Polybutylene Pipe | Plumber Fort Worth

If your home has polybutylene pipe, you need to be aware of the potential for catastrophic leaks. Therefore, the presence of the pipe places your home at significant risk of damage. Your best protection against the risks of unreliable polybutylene is to contact a qualified plumber in Fort Worth for repiping as soon as possible. Modern plumbing offers a variety of reliable pipe materials to select from, there is sure to be one within your budget.

You can be confident of one factor involved with polybutylene pipe – it will leak. Plumbers across the nation have reported that among homes with leaks in polybutylene pipe, approximately 80% had structural damage.

Selling a Home with Polybutylene Pipe

In general, homes with polybutylene sell for less, and remain on the market longer. Many buyers want a home in “move in condition”, without waiting for a repipe, or the repair of damage due to leaks located during the home inspection. Contacting a plumber in Fort Worth for repiping as soon as possible, is the best choice when polybutylene is involved, whether you plan to sell your home or not.

In addition, insurance companies can cancel homeowner’s policies, or refuse to grant policies for homes with polybutylene pipe.

Identifying Polybutylene Plumbing in Your Home

While the exact numbers are unknown, it has been estimated that 6-10 million homes were plumbed with polybutylene, primarily in the states of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah.

Exterior – Water mains are usually blue, though they may be gray or black pipes. You can find it entering your home from the basement wall or floor, slab or crawlspace, and near a water heater.

Interior – Pipes should be visible near your water heater, from the walls as they supply sinks and toilets, or across the ceiling in an unfinished basement. In mobile homes, pipes will feed through the floor.

Furthermore, polybutylene pipe commonly bears a stamp with “PB” and a series of numbers. The most common was stamped “PB2110”.

Homeowners should be aware that copper pipe might exit the wall to the fixture, with polybutylene pipe in the wall, out of sight. A Benjamin Franklin plumber in Fort Worth can determine if your home, or business has the unreliable pipe material. Our licensed, experienced plumbers can provide an efficient, professional repipe for your home with guaranteed results.

It is common for the pipe’s plastic fittings to fail, though it does occur in the piping itself. The failure of the pipe itself is why repiping is required even if it uses metal fittings. Polybutylene pipe wears from the inside out due to its exposure to chlorine and minerals in the water, making it difficult to determine the pipe condition from an outside examination.

Furthermore, home inspectors cannot give a reliable assessment on the condition of polybutylene piping unless there is a visible problem with the exterior of the pipe or its installation. Impending water leaks are unpredictable, and do not provide any advance warning. Replacement by a qualified plumber in Fort Worth is the best option.

To receive an estimate for replacement of polybutylene pipe, contact Benjamin Franklin Plumbing for a plumber in Fort Worth. Our plumbing services are backed by the Benjamin Franklin Plumbing 100% satisfaction guarantee. We serve Arlington, Fort Worth and the surrounding areas, and are a member of the BBB with an A+ rating.