Polybutylene Piping

Polybutylene pipe is a plastic pipe that was used in residential water supply systems. It was very common in the Tucson area from about 1982 until 1997.  Polybutylene pipe became the subject of a billion dollar class action lawsuit. The pipe had an unusually high failure rate and would leak without warning.  Some insurance companies will no longer insure homes with this pipe.  Commonly this pipe is not visible since copper pipe is used at the end of the “run” as it exits the wall.   Visit www.pbpipe.com for further information.  Arizona and Florida had the highest use of Polybutylene piping in residential homes.  The typical cost to re-plumb a home is $3,000 to $7,000.

AriCo Plumbing specializes in replacing Polybutylene pipes. Many homes in Tucson, Arizona were built during the 1980’s using Polybutylene piping because of it's ease of installation and perceived quality.  It appears that Polybutylene piping may have been installed in as many as one in every four or five homes built during the years in which Polybutylene pipe was manufactured. It's now known that Polybutylene pipe breaks down over time, that the fittings leak or eventually break sometimes causing extensive damage.

The potential for having widespread flooding is great, especially in Tucson, Arizona where many people leave their homes during the hot weather months to escape to the ocean or mountains.  Once a section of Polybutylene pipe has broken or a fitting has failed the water pours into the home and walls destroying wiring, drywall, paneling, carpets, flooring and furniture.

Failures in Polybutylene piping can range in severity but once you find one leak you can be assured you will soon have more. With Polybutylene pipe it is not a question of if you will have a failure, but a question of when you will have a failure.  The total potential flood damage can run into the millions for Tucson homeowners each and every year.  It is important that you become pro-active in your efforts to prevent failures and the damage polybutylene piping can cause.

To safeguard against that type of damage, AriCo Plumbing, Inc. suggests a free, no obligation, Polybutylene replacement estimate inspection of your home.

Our team of experts can replace the Polybutylene pipe system and leave your home clean and inspected for complete water usage to all fixtures in your house.

Leaks occurring after 8/21/97 must meet requirements in the table below for lawsuit eligibility against the manufacturer of poly pipe.