whoopazz Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Well, I got a huge water bill today, started crawling around the house to see whats up and found a leak in the crawlspace. Turns out its that polybutylene crap that was sued long ago under a class action suit. I'm starting to research this now, but does anyone have any experience getting this replaced? I fear I am way behind the ball on this and may be screwed...TIA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 I'd ask theohiostate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeohiostate Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 dunno if that suit covered all manufactured brands. I think most of the stuff installed was used in Texas and Florida...??? We used that garbage a few times 15 years ago, but talked anyone who'd listen out of the idea around here. It's easy to repair, sucks to have to buy crimping tools at $100 for a few joints though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KICK A$$ BLASTER Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 I had that type of pipe installed in my house in 1989. It sprung a leak last summer. Long story short, you are SOL. I missed the cut off date by two or three years. What color is it? I had the blue pipe which was the subject of the class action lawsuit many years ago.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoopazz Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 I had that type of pipe installed in my house in 1989. It sprung a leak last summer. Long story short, you are SOL. I missed the cut off date by two or three years. What color is it? I had the blue pipe which was the subject of the class action lawsuit many years ago.. I've got the gray stuff. Pretty sure I missed the cutoff, this house is about 20 yo. All the plumbing I can see in the house is copper. I think they just did the crawl space with poly. I'll get the plumber to check it out today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballjoe Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 You missed the cutoff for the lawsuit for sure. Did you actually find the leak? If so, you could probably do a repair by using a coupling. Basically you just cut the pipe in two and slide the coupling on. It has been my expierence that those who have the bad pipe have already expiereced the major leaks, perhaps your leak could be from where the pipe is rubbing up against something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoopazz Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 You missed the cutoff for the lawsuit for sure. Did you actually find the leak? If so, you could probably do a repair by using a coupling. Basically you just cut the pipe in two and slide the coupling on. It has been my expierence that those who have the bad pipe have already expiereced the major leaks, perhaps your leak could be from where the pipe is rubbing up against something. I found it. First Tee after entering the crawlspace from the meter. Tee leaks on all 3 sides. I didn't want to mess with it as it is in a tight spot and I don't see an isolation valve. Looks messy so I have a guy coming over this AM. About $130. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 I don't really know a lot about this stuff, but would you be better off in the long run to just bite the bullet and have it completely replaced? If the stuff is crummy, might you be throwing good money at a bad product? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEC=UGA Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Most of my clients ride it out. If there are real issues, they would have cropped up before now. Where the pressure is highest is where you are going to see the most leaks on this stuff. Or in areas that you have settling. In apartments where we most often see problems is in a building that has settled or shifted and where the plumbing comes into the hot water heaters and the washing machine. If the house isn't settling badly you shouldn't see too many problems, keep an eye on it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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