He may be thinking of Polybutene.
There is plenty of PEX being used.
What color is the piping that you have now?
From the old forum pages.
POLY DOCTOR on February 13, 2000 We are trying to sell a house with Vanguard thermoguard poly piping. The inspector pointed out four fittings with copper crimp rings as a problem. The others with just a plastic connector he seemed to feel were OK. Should I just get these fittings replaced? The feeds in to the manobloc unit also have copper crimps.
: Our buyers were spooked by the whole thing especially the class action suit and have talked about pulling out. Is there anyway to reassure them that the rest of the piping is OK - we have no leaks. If we loose them what do I need to do to get the piping through an inspection in the future. Do most inspectors regard PB as a major problem? Most people I\'ve spoken to say it\'s just the fittings and that the new ones are OK.
RESONSE: The home inspector does not know exactly what he is talking about. Coppper fittings are certainly better than plastic. The plastic acetal fittings react with the water and break down much quicker than the pipe or copper fittings. But to replace just the fittings, you will need to do a lot of work cutting into walls to find all of the fittings. It does not pay. If you are going to do that, you might as well replace all of the pipe.
If you replace all of the pipe with copper or PEX, your house is worth more. You can also arrange to split this cost with a buyer and include the cost in the selling price, so they can incorporate the job into the mortgage. And if you need any painting or any plumbing work done, you will get it done for a lot less at the time you are doing your repipe.
If you have had leaks, you may qualify for free replacement. If you have no leaks and a plastic fitting, you will qualify for a partial replacement reimbursement through the Spencer lawsuit. All of the links are below.
If you need a referral for a contractor in your area, please feel free to contact us at
poly_doctor@hotmail.com.
Comprehensive and FACTUAL Information Site for Polybutylene Information, Class Action Links and Contractor Opportunities. This site hides nothing and is here to HELP you -
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/polybutyleneplumbing
There are some sites that appear to be providing you with complete information about polybutylene. Some of these are commercial sites in the poly replacement business. They tell you what they want you to know. In fact, they do not even want you to have the class action phone numbers, even though they claim to be information sites with complete information. A better name would be Poly Info Limited for these sites. When you do see them posting a class action phone number some of these sites it is generally for someone that has already missed the deadline for filing. For example, you will see them post the phone numbers for the class actions when it is an exterior line that is older than 10 years old. If it is less than 10 years old or they are not sure, they will direct you to their site and try to sell you the job for the highest price possible.
If you do not qualify for the class action suits do NOT simply let a contractor tell you there are no alternatives. We can provide you with alternative solutions, as well as a list of top contractors to get estimates from. You certainly need more than one or two estimates and several referrals. We will also tell you the questions to ask your contractor to make sure they have crews that are qualified to do the work in your home. For example, make sure you ask any contractor if he has left a job and the house caught fire from hotspots they left in the walls. This is a very key question.
Also be sure to ask all companies for a few phone numbers of the references or testimonials they show you. Don\'t let them select which ones if they are featured on a website. Just ask them for the names and phone numbers of the ones you want to call. You may find some surprises.
Consumer Plumbing Recovery Center - 800-356-3496 -
http://www.pbpipe.com