Why is Poly B piping Banned?

[@canadian1233]

It is the Chlorine in the water that messes up the Poly-B, making it brittle and prone to cracking. If you live in the country and have your own well that supplies your water, where the water is not chlorinated, Poly-B pipe will be the same after 30 years as it was when you first installed it, so no problems there. But if you live in the city, get rid of that stuff as quickly as possible!

[@waterman2201]

You are 100% correct ! Chlorine is 1 of the 2 biggest problems. Soft water or corrosive water is the second. Soft water (has little to no minerals) and it slowly eats away at the plumbing , releasing micro plastics indoor water. All the many different plastic pipes that have been introduced into the market have all had a lifetime warranty and have all failed or are starting to fail. It's the water ,not the piping.

[@jamescole3152]

I have the black poly pipe coming from my well. 200 psi thick black pipe. The problem is it takes a long time to get it to straighten out, it comes in a big roll.

[@cvr24]

I bought a home with PolyB two years ago. The pressure reducing valve on the incoming main had failed and we were getting over 130 psi of pressure in the house. A new PRV dropped the pressure to 45 psi and will help the PolyB last a bit longer until we can replace what remains of it. Also added the automatic water shut off valve, which is a must in every home, as water damage is the number one cause of insurance claims.

[@slapsoldonit]

Ya the automatic water shut off is a beautiful thing. A plumber friend of mine has Poly B with copper fittings and said he has never had issues with it. He also has never done a job where they have failed but that's just one guy.

[@webbtherapy]

You forgot to mention the health problems caused by the slime that grows inside the pipes because of the chlorine. I am a layman but I can't believe the microplastics we drink and bathe in can be good for bodies. Especially where I am which is a mobile home park for seniors. And how about the con jobs? The owners of the park do not hire plumbers they use maintenance people to do repairs under the house so they either don't know what they're dealing with or told to not report anything to the owners of the mobile home. We also have had a problem for the last 4 years where the owners evict seniors unless they will buy the home "as is". Many of these people have lived in these homes for years so they don't know the danger. So after paying for these worn out unrepaired homes end up needing thousands of dollars of pipes replaced. There are crooks at every level involved in the scam. City and state office refuse any help.

[@gordarmstrong4925]

I work as a service plumber and and when we come across poly B we always recommend a repipe simply because of the issues listed above but I always throw in the if it ain't broke don't fix it comment because sometimes you create more issues fixing something that ain't broke, and let the customer know why we recommend getting rid of the poly b and leave the desicon up to the customer, but I always replace whatever part of the system I've been asked to work on with pex. Nothing worse than getting a call back way on later down the road because a section of poly b is leaking and it must be your fault because you were there at some point and breathed on the poly b even though you never actually worked on it lol

[@slapsoldonit]

Very good points. Do u find less issues with the poly B with metal T than the ones with plastic?

[@gordarmstrong4925]

@@slapsoldonit hard to say I've never actually installed it but have ripped alot out and I've definitely cracked plastic fittings taking it out before. So I'd say yes? Hard for to say for sure though based off of my experience with the product. Usually I just pull it out and cut where I have to when doing a re pipe and that's that, i'm more concerned that my pex is being installed correctly.

[@alykonate4086]

Any idea of how much a repiping could cost roughly on a single detached house with 1 bathroom and 1 kitchen? Just a rough idea

[@kdlee3316]

I bought a house that was built with poly b piping in 2013. The builders are now out of business. Anything I can do to possibly get new piping paid for?

[@slapsoldonit]

Wow I've never heard of that. I don't even know where or how they still had access to Poly B. I don't know what could be done at this point. Depending on when it was built in 2013 home warranty could already be over with. Not to mention the 5-10 years is mostly structural not materials. I really don't know. Maybe speak to a lawyer.

[@kdlee3316]

@@slapsoldonit I know, the plumber was very surprised 😢 ughhhhh total nightmare

[@mikefennema5561]

An area of confushion is the gray plastic risers bellow the sinks and toilets. The ones in my house are geray but say PEX on them. Unfortunatly I can't find them in Canada any more. I have more faith in the PEX risers than the braided stainless ones which also seem to be failing.

[@wizardleakdetection]

Great Video

[@diannemorton8596]

Found out house we put in an offer on has poly b in a small area of the home ( states selling realtor)and that the seller with his plumber friend replaced the rest . No permit or plumbing inspection !! With this knowledge and subject to home inspection do you have any recommendations? Obvious we need to call our insurance company to see if we can obtain insurance . Do we proceed with inspection to also see materials used to replace the poly b

[@slapsoldonit]

These types of situations always come down to how much risk each particular buyer is comfortable with. For me personally, if I was purchasing this home these would be my questions. 1. What information does my insurance company need so that my deductible isn't through the roof. 2. The location of the remaining poly B and why wasn't it removed with everything else. 3. What type of poly B? (Copper fittings or plastic) 4. Is this friend a real journeyman plumber or someone who knows a little bit about plumbing? Is there any warranty with the new plumbing? A home inspection is always a great idea but I'd probably want to bring in a plumber specialist as well. If I'm spending that type of money on a home, a couple hundred dollars for a second opinion is always worth it.

[@diannemorton8596]

@@slapsoldonit Thanks for your questions above -answer provided#2 "The polyB has been replaced except behind the lower level shower as the client did not want to tear the shower apart for such a small amount” 3 Poly b type make any difference for insurance purposes ?Does it matter what type of fittings?

[@slapsoldonit]

@@diannemorton8596 no insurance companies don't like it no matter what. A plumber friend of mine said he's never seen issues from the type with copper fittings though.

[@diannemorton8596]

@@slapsoldonit Again that's very good to know and clarifies my question . Kyle thanks for your assistance , much appreciated

[@Zero_Zero_Zero_Zero]

Shag carpet was a thing because it's awesome my dude.

[@howrrmr.7172]

Like they do in many countries in Asia, my country-South Korea is also dominated with PB piping in every construction. Buildings, houses...with or without tab water, chlorinated. Plumbers, leakage repair service guys are so fascinated with PB pipe here. They know it is faulty material but they just love it because it is their bread basket. If someone points that PB is bad and banned in NA area long time ago, they cry like hyena to get assembled and to voice out "PB is great!". It has become something like black market to bleed out and to feed another parasitic groups of the country. No any professor in construction school , material engineering universities tries to raise the issue.

[@slapsoldonit]

Thats too bad...they should stop using it and start using PEX

[@bartwhiteman9875]

Obviously linked to plumbing industry……

[@howardryburn9646]

$23,000 later ..........