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Overheard a contractor swearing about poly-B pipes at Home Depot yesterday
I was grabbing some drywall screws and this guy was on the phone yelling about polybutylene pipes in a 90s home in St. Albert. He said they can burst without warning and cost like 5 grand to replace if they fail. I didn't know that was a thing, but now I'm paranoid about my own house built in 1994. Anyone else deal with poly-B or am I just overthinking it?
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danielw8818d ago
Yeah poly-B is a gamble, but not every house with it is a ticking time bomb. The real issue is the fittings and how it was installed, some jobs held up fine for decades. You're right to keep an eye on it but don't lose sleep unless you see copper fittings or gray pipes near the water heater.
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adam_thompson5318d ago
130 bucks for drywall screws at Home Depot and now you're down a rabbit hole about exploding pipes. Yeah man, @danielw88 is dead on, it's mostly the fittings that go south first. I remember my buddy had a house from 95 and the poly-B held up for years until his hot water tank took a dump and then the whole line near it looked like a cracked candy cane. You're not overthinking it but you're not doomed either. Just check around your water heater and any exposed lines for that gray plastic look, if it's all original you're probably fine to wait and see.
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