POLYBUTYLENE PLUMBING
By Al Virtue

Polybutylene plumbing systems installed in San Diego between 1980 and 1990 were promoted as an effective replacement for copper plumbing systems. The primary manufacturer of the system was Shell Chemical with the trade name, QEST. There were other manufacturers, Vanguard Plastics and West Flex, but QEST was, by far, the largest manufacturer. The pipe was promoted as a less expensive alternative to copper supply systems. A typical 2000 square foot home would cost $1,000 to $1,500 less with polybutylene than with copper. Both the material and installation costs were less with polybutylene.

The key component of these systems is the fittings. There are different generations of fittings and different types of "crimp rings" used at pipe connections. The two basic fittings are plastic and metal. The plastic fittings were used from about 1980 to 1985 and metal from 1984 to 1990. The plastic fittings have a very high failure rate with leaks occurring at the pipe connections. The manufacturers began switching to metal fittings about 1984, but plumbers still had plastic fittings available and used their supply into 1985. Some houses, therefore, may have a mixture of plastic and copper fittings.

Over a six-month period, I worked as a subcontractor with the expert witness team for the plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit involving plastic fittings. The lawsuit involved approximately 30,000 homes in the San Diego area and a possible settlement of over $100 million. I was performing plumbing audits and identifying type of pipe, fittings, and manufacturer. The purpose was to inspect a small number of residences and statistically project those findings for the 30,000 homes. There were several manufacturers and the court needed accurate statistics to assess the proportional responsibility to each manufacturer.

There were several teams doing the inspections. The teams were made up of a plumbing expert from the manufacturer, inspectors from the class action lawsuit team, and a paralegal.

It became clear that some houses, particularly 2-story houses, would have pipe running between floors instead of the attic, so the pipe was not visible. Therefore, in some houses, a typical home inspection will not be able to identify the type of pipe.

Another point of interest was repairs. When plastic fittings failed, plumbers would repair with copper fittings. Many times they would replace all visible plastic fittings with copper and leave the inaccessible plastic fittings in place.

The copper fitting installations are usually better than the plastic fitting system, but the copper fittings and pipe are not without problems. I have seen copper fittings leak. The plumbers that worked on the expert witness team with me had all performed repairs on copper fitting installations.

The pipe is affected by heat from the attic and from water temperature. Pipes have had pinhole leaks on the hot water side of the water heater pipe. (The pipe expands and contracts with heat and is susceptible to damage and stress.)

Rodents are another problem with these pipes. When owners put poison in the attic to kill the rodents, the poison makes the rodents thirsty. The rodents smell the water in the pipe and then chew the pipe.

There have been instances where Home Owners Associations (HOA) has settled lawsuits with polybutylene manufacturers. The HOA then divided the money among the residents and the residents pocketed the money rather than re-plumb. If your sale involves one of these homes, it is important that the buyer understand that if the plumbing fails, it is now their responsibility to fix it. The HOA or manufacturer will not. Shell Chemical will not pay twice. The buyers should be supplied with a separate statement from the sellers about all settlement monies.

There is a Plumbing Claims Group set up by the manufacturers and courts to address the problem polybutylene systems. The claim group may cover polybutylene systems up to 16 years from time of construction for copper fittings and 11 years from date of construction for plastic fitting systems. For up to date information, the plumbing claim group’s telephone number is 1-800-876-4698 and the claims group web page is www.pbpipe.com.