I have a follow-up to an earlier posting where I asked about polybutylene piping.
As it turns out, I don’t have polybutylene piping for my water supply line, but some other type of hard plastic pipe that just happens to be blue. I’ve asked two plumbers about this and gotten very different answers. One says it’s just the same as the black pipe used today, only blue, and I shouldn’t worry about it. The other says any blue supply line is destined for failure because it has similar properties to polybutylene, even though it technically might not be PB pipe.
I live in Atlanta and the pipe has been in the ground for 15 years without any problems. I’ve known both plumbers for years and each is honest and reliable so I don’t think the second guy is trying to talk me into some work, but I suppose these days you never know?
Is PB pipe an either / or question or are there shades of grey (or blue in this case)?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Replies
Is it leaking? If not I wouldn't worry about no matter what it is. The vast majority of polybutylene has never leaked. I have it in my house and never give it a thought.
My guess is that your blue pipe is polyethelene, which will outlast you and your grandkids. There could be a failure at a fitting, but the pipe itself is extremely durable.
Thin Wall Polyethylene will fail
The water district I used to work for spent over 10-million dollars replacing polyethylene service laterals, because the extrusion process leaves a linear stranding in the plastic. Over time the water hammer caused by things in the house turning off, causes a linear crystalization to occur, and eventually longitudinal failures occur. It is not a matter of if they will occur, only when.
PEX, which is cross linked polyethylene,made by "stitching" the polyethylene tubing to cause cross linking of the strands as it comes out of the die, is supposed to eliminate this issue. I'm hopefully optimistic that they are right, but still am uncomfortable installing it, and started using it only because some of the older buildings I manage are impossible to properly winterize, and pex will survive having water freeze in a low point, and steel and copper don't.
Interesting...my experience with PE is very diffierent. I know of many 30-yr-old installations of it for water supply lines that are in what appears to be perfect condition when they are dug up up and tied into. You can still read the writing on the outside, and still make perfect connections in the line where you want to add a tee.
I wonder what the difference could be?
I've seen red and blue PEX.
My first thought was if it is your supply line, your only exposure to damage is the very short stub that extends into the home...unless your service line is way different than the ones I have seen.
Sure it could spring a leak in the yard and you would have to rip up the yard but if you replace it, you are going to have to rip up the yard anyway. As my late father in law would say "Mox Nix" (and I have no clue where he got that from perhaps its a german saying?)
In my mind, by leaving sleeping dogs lie your only risk is a leak at the entry point (and I supposed you are risking the inconvenience of a water break when you don't want it.) On the flip side, the day it fails would be Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Eve with my luck.
My supply sprang a leak this year (due likely to excessive drought causing my clay soil to shrink and move too much...and you thought frost was the only movement) and the water company waited several days to come fix it. I don't know the specifics of PB failure. Does it tend toward catastrophic complete failure or does it develop minor leaks like mine?
Mox Nix = Means Nothing
german phrase
you're correct it's german: machts nicht/ means roughly: matters not.
e.g. das machts nicht. =that doesn't matter
kinda like this response :0