In today’s blog article, we are going to talk about Poly-B piping. It is not hard to identify in your home if you know what to look for. We will give you some tips on how to identify it. But, first, let’s talk a little about what it is.
Poly-B
“Poly-B” is short for polybutylene. This is a material that became popular beginning in the 1980s for the interior plumbing in a home. It was commonly used because it is flexible, inexpensive, and readily available. Poly-B became very popular also because in the 1980’s copper (for piping) was very expensive. In 2005, Poly-B was removed from the Canadian building codes because Poly-B was found to have some problems.
Poly-B was found not to have a long service life and failed without warning. It did not perform well with very cold temperatures and was found to degrade with long exposure to the high heat of hot water and the chlorine in treated city water. Now, homes that were originally built with Poly-B need their piping replaced—sooner or later.
Do I Have Poly-B?
You can identify Poly-B, first, by its colour. It is usually a light gray, although it can be other colours as well, such as black. But if you examine your piping closely, it will be stamped on the outside with “PB” and some numbers.
Look at your water supply where it enters your house, or near the hot water tank, or in your utility room. You can also look in the drop ceiling of your basement. And, if you are still not sure whether or not you have Poly-B, you can ask professionals to look for you.
Please call us on the Lower Mainland at (604) 349-5325 if you need help identifying Poly-B and are wondering if you need repiping. This is our area of expertise. If you contact us, we can examine problem areas in your house and give you a free estimate for what it will cost to fix it.
Repiping Vancouver is a division of 604FixLeak offering leak detection, plumbing repairs and restoration services in the Greater Vancouver area. Repiping Vancouver concentrates on whole home or office repiping.
If you have any questions about this article or need some help with repiping in your home or office, call us today at (604) 349-5325.
