Polybutylene is a form of plastic resin that was used extensively in the manufacture of water supply piping from 1978 until 1995. Due to the low cost of the material and ease of installation, polybutylene piping systems were viewed as "the pipe of the future" and used in lieu of copper piping. The piping systems were used for underground water mains, as well as interior water distribution piping.
Experts indicate that between 6 to10 million homes have polybutylene pipe installed. It has been discovered that as poly pipe ages and reacts with water soluble oxidants, it begins to degrade and can leak, causing severe damage to the surrounding building structure. The presence of poly piping can affect the homes value on the real estate market.
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Poly pipe generally takes 10-15 years to begin to show signs of deterioration, therefore it is important to know what problems can be caused by its presence, and what can be done about it before it does pose a risk.
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If your building was built between the late 70's and mid 90's, polybutylene pipes may have been installed and may still be there. This type of piping was used for both residential and commercial water distribution piping in buildings. There is an unusually high failure rate under normal operating conditions.
Although some poly piping problems stem from improper installation, most complaints are with the integrity of the piping itself. Polybutylene pipe is known to deteriorate due to contact with oxidants normally found in public water supplies. The failure can occur in the plastic fittings or in the pipe itself. A main concern regarding poly pipe is that, since the oxidants are carried in the water, the pipe deteriorates from the inside. This makes it very difficult to determine if the pipe is truly in good condition. Poly pipe leaks are unpredictable and there are no symptoms to warn of an impending leak. Some factors that affect polybutylene piping adversely can include:
o Poor installation
o Water quality
o Pipe age
o Chlorine levels
o Deterioration of fittings (both metal and plastic)
When polybutylene pipe reacts with the oxidants in normal tap water, it becomes brittle, sometimes scaling or flaking. This results in a fracturing of the interior surface of the pipe wall, which allows for more deterioration, resulting in leakage.
Insurance companies sometimes cancel or refuse policies for homes with known poly piping due to its unreliability as a plumbing system.
The primary manufacturer of polybutylene was the Shell Corporation which began production in 1977. However, as early as the 1980's, leaking problems with the PB system arose. The primary cause of the leaks was assumed to be related to the acetal fittings. In the late 1960's, Hoechst Celanese Corporation and the DuPont Corporation developed a polymer acetal resin that could be used in the manufacturing of plastic products. Acetal resin provides plastics with certain qualities such as stiffness, resistance to heat, wear and solvents. Acetal resin was later used to manufacture the plastic fitting first used with polybutylene piping.
However, later studies revealed that plastics containing the resin deteriorate when exposed to chlorine or chlorinated water. Due to this fact, the polymer acetal fittings were replaced by the use of copper or brass fittings. Even after the replacement of the acetal fittings, PB leaks continued. Due to the rising concern with the pipe, Shell, HCC, and DuPont formed the Consumer Plumbing Recovery Center in an attempt to deal with customer complaints. The center was later use to handle the claims resulting from class action lawsuits brought against the manufacturers. The largest of the class action suits and one of the largest suits in US history is the Cox vs. Shell settlement of 0 million in 1995.
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