With over 50% of our business being polybutylene pipe replacement, we are the clear, experienced choice for your residential or commercial polybutylene pipe replacement project.

Polybutylene Pipe Problems

Deterioration of the polybutylene pipe is the main problem; there have been several studies which have linked the deterioration to chlorine and other additives to public water.

Polybutylene pipes have a relatively low bursting pressure when compared to an equivalent sized copper pipe. Most polybutylene pipe problems occur when there are breaks on lines with higher pressure. In many neighborhoods, the polybutylene main lines from the meter to the house break before the interior polybutylene lines partly due to the higher main pressure. Most homes with interior polybutylene leaks also have pressure above the Georgia maximum safe allowable pressure of 80 PSI; this is normally due to a failed or improperly adjusted pressure reducing valve.

Improper installation can also greatly reduce the life of the polybutylene system. Most improper installations involve over stressing the pipe at joints and fittings. The most common cases of improper installation are:

  • piping bent in short radii (the radius of the original coil is the max radius the pipe is designed to bent),
  • shearing of the pipe at the foundation wall due to settlement of the backfilled soil, damage caused by sharp objects (such as rocks, nails, and hangers),
  • over-tightened fittings,
  • and not enough room left for thermal expansion and contraction (plastic piping shrinks and expands with temperature changes).