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    d1cjm1's Avatar
    d1cjm1 Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    May 5, 2014, 04:10 PM
    Blue pipe from water main to house
    I have had two plumbers state that I had blue polybutylene pipe running from the street to my house. I had it replaced. In talking to my neighbor afterwards who is an original owner, she stated that the builder's documentation to the house states that no polybutylene piping was used. Our houses were built in the 90's. Was there any other type of blue colored pipe available at this time? I am concerned now that both plumbers gave me bad advice in order to get a big project.

    Thanks.
    RDFG's Avatar
    RDFG Posts: 37, Reputation: 4
    Junior Member
    		  
    #2

    May 5, 2014, 04:33 PM
    It was probably pex pipe. Poly comes in grey or off white. There is no other color. You got scammed
    ma0641's Avatar
    ma0641 Posts: 15,675, Reputation: 1012
    Uber Member
    		  
    #3

    May 5, 2014, 07:07 PM
    Why did you replace it?
    d1cjm1's Avatar
    d1cjm1 Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
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    #4

    May 5, 2014, 07:22 PM
    I replaced it because the fitting from the copper pipe through the house to this mystery blue pipe blew and I had water shooting up everywhere. Given the age of the pipe and the life expectancy of it (if it is truly the polybutylene pipe) which is 15 years or so I decided I did not want to risk another blow out.

    For clarification the actual pipe is off white'ish with a blue coating on it.
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
    		  
    #5

    May 6, 2014, 05:29 AM
    I'm wondering why the plumber didn't repair the connection instead of replacing the entire pipe. Sounds to me like they inflated the job. Just my thoughts. Good luck, Tom
    ma0641's Avatar
    ma0641 Posts: 15,675, Reputation: 1012
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    #6

    May 6, 2014, 07:01 AM
    Don't think it would be PEX when house '90 house was built. Probably polyethylene although most of that is black. Documentation of no PB is most likely inside the house walls.
    d1cjm1's Avatar
    d1cjm1 Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
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    #7

    May 6, 2014, 07:36 AM
    Last year I had a water leak issue through the foundation where the water came in. I had a plumber come out and said it was polybutylene through the wall and at a minimum I should replace that with copper so if the line blew it would not come through the house. They put the copper through the wall and connected that to the blue pipe outside. This connection from the copper to the blue pipe failed. I had another plumber come out and after seeing it (I had dug it up) he said the fitting failed because it was a Sharkbite and that he could simply replace the fitting but given that he also said it was the polybutylene pipe and it is 15 years old I was sitting on a ticking bomb. Rather than have to worry about going through all of this again I signed off on the complete pipe replacement.
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