What years polybutylene supply lines?

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What years polybutylene supply lines?

November 12, 2011, 04:44:21 pm

I have been following the replumbing an older coach thread with interest. I had never heard of polybutylene tubing before, but after doing a bit of research, I am horrified at the prospect of a broken plumbing supply line appearing suddenly! Especially since I am about half way through the process of putting bamboo flooring throughout our 99' U270 (pictures will be forthcoming!). Anybody know if Foretravel was using PEX by that model year. I believe the actual build date is November of 98'.
Thanks!
Don

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #1 – November 12, 2011, 05:11:45 pm

Our 97 has Pex

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #2 – November 12, 2011, 05:43:07 pm

Ditto.

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #3 – November 12, 2011, 06:04:20 pm

If found the following on line: "All Polybutylene pipe will be gray or blue, but can be black in color. All Polybutylene will have a product code of PB2110 stamped onto it and will be repeated every 18" – 24". Although the tubing on my 93 is gray, I did not see the PB2110 anywhere on it so I think it is PEX. Does anyone know for sure?

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #4 – November 12, 2011, 06:39:08 pm

My 96 has PEX.

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #5 – November 12, 2011, 06:43:09 pm

As does our 97 U320

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #6 – November 12, 2011, 08:23:23 pm

For curious minds:

Polybutylene pipe (a type of plastic formed into piping), was thought to be the "pipe of the future" in the late 1970s as substitutes for copper plumbing. It was cheap, flexible and easy to install. What was not anticipated was that chlorine in city water supplies attacks the pipe from the inside out. Bursting polybutylene pipe has caused extensive damage to homes across the country.

It is estimated that Polybutylene was used in one out of every four houses built between 1978 and 1995, as many as 10 million homes. It was also used in many commercial applications.

It had heavy usage in the Sun Belt states but it was also very common in the Mid-Atlantic and Northwest Pacific states.

Polybutylene pipe generally fails after 10-15 years of use. It is unpredictable when it will fail, but it is certain that it will fail. Piping that shows no outward signs of distress may burst at any moment. The oxidizing agents in municipal water supplies cause the inside of the pipe to become brittle and flake. Small fractures result that eventually burst.

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #7 – November 12, 2011, 09:33:05 pm

Quote from: Kent Speers – November 12, 2011, 06:04:20 pm

If found the following on line: "All Polybutylene pipe will be gray or blue, but can be black in color. All Polybutylene will have a product code of PB2110 stamped onto it and will be repeated every 18" – 24". Although the tubing on my 93 is gray, I did not see the PB2110 anywhere on it so I think it is PEX. Does anyone know for sure?

Don't know for sure Kent, but here are some pictures of the poly plumbing I removed from my bathroom cabinet today. It does have that code stamped on it. What first caught my eye when I saw this stuff were the crimped on connections. If your plumbing looks like the photos, it might be worth checking further. FT could probably confirm when they stopped using it.

Me - I've redone most of the bathroom so far. Am planning a water heater replacement in spring; will see about replacing as much of the poly as I can when the heater is pulled out.

Steve

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #8 – November 12, 2011, 09:42:05 pm

Thanks guys! That eases my mind to be sure... Lets hoped that the cross lonked PEX does turn out to be the wave of the future. So many house have had PEX used for radiant floor heating tha it would be a truly epic fail if it started leakin in 15 or 20 years... I thought our 99' had PEX, but he pictures of the poly didn't look tha different to the untrained eye (i.e. mine) ... and nice job on that cost effective bathroom renovation!
Don

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #9 – November 12, 2011, 10:01:20 pm

Thanks Don.

The poly is more "rubbery" than PEX, with a thicker wall. With the price of copper tubing now, PEX is going in everywhere. Good stuff. A friend of mine is in the radiant floor heating business. He's had no failures or leaks with PEX in any installations he's done since he began.

Steve

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #10 – November 12, 2011, 10:37:53 pm

Quote from: Merle Hench – November 12, 2011, 10:01:20 pm

He's had no failures or leaks with PEX in any installations he's done since he began.

Have a friend who is a plumber and says the same thing. In fact he has a 2 foot piece that he filled with water and capped a number of years back and stuck it in his freezer. He take it with him when he goes out to do a estimate. Pounds on it with a hammer, uses it like a bat, what ever he can do to break it, and has not hurt it yet. Is still holding water and ice without leaking or breaking. Very impressive stuff!!

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #11 – November 13, 2011, 01:22:22 pm

Okay, I'm going to back off my statement that my 96 270 has PEX. It doesn't have the BP2110 designation, but has B137.8 and goggling that the two numbers come up together. However, the limited searches I have done on that it appears that the main problem was the use of plastic fittings rather than the copper ones. (Mine does have copper fittings.) An example, Alberta estimates 148,000 homes with it, they required copper fittings, only 4 know failures, all due to "faulty" installation. It is still okay to use according to their codes, but then there was no date on the article. (When I am king, all web articles will be dated.) So my conclusion is I would do a lot more research before I went to a lot of trouble to replace it. Barry's research is, of course, a bit worrisome and note I said I've done LIMITED research.

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #12 – November 13, 2011, 01:52:26 pm

Quote from: Barry & Cindy – November 12, 2011, 08:23:23 pm

For curious minds:

Polybutylene pipe (a type of plastic formed into piping), was thought to be the "pipe of the future" in the late 1970s as substitutes for copper plumbing. It was cheap, flexible and easy to install. What was not anticipated was that chlorine in city water supplies attacks the pipe from the inside out. Bursting polybutylene pipe has caused extensive damage to homes across the country.

It is estimated that Polybutylene was used in one out of every four houses built between 1978 and 1995, as many as 10 million homes. It was also used in many commercial applications.

It had heavy usage in the Sun Belt states but it was also very common in the Mid-Atlantic and Northwest Pacific states.

Polybutylene pipe generally fails after 10-15 years of use. It is unpredictable when it will fail, but it is certain that it will fail. Piping that shows no outward signs of distress may burst at any moment. The oxidizing agents in municipal water supplies cause the inside of the pipe to become brittle and flake. Small fractures result that eventually burst.

I feel better now. I seldom hook up to city water. We run off of our onboard water tank so the chlorine from a city water fill will have dissipated within 72 hours. If household water lines last 10 to 15 years with constant exposure to city water, I figure our coach lines should last 100 to 150 years. I can't imagine that I will be concerned at all by then.

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What years polybutylene supply lines?

November 12, 2011, 04:44:21 pm

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #1 – November 12, 2011, 05:11:45 pm

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #2 – November 12, 2011, 05:43:07 pm

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #3 – November 12, 2011, 06:04:20 pm

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #4 – November 12, 2011, 06:39:08 pm

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #5 – November 12, 2011, 06:43:09 pm

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #6 – November 12, 2011, 08:23:23 pm

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #7 – November 12, 2011, 09:33:05 pm

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #8 – November 12, 2011, 09:42:05 pm

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #9 – November 12, 2011, 10:01:20 pm

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #10 – November 12, 2011, 10:37:53 pm

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #11 – November 13, 2011, 01:22:22 pm

Re: What years polybutylene supply lines?

Reply #12 – November 13, 2011, 01:52:26 pm

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