By Barry Stone
Dear Barry,
The home I'm buying has polybutylene for the water supply plumbing. I'm getting conflicting information about whether the pipes should be replaced. Is this necessary or is someone just trying to make a dollar? --Amy
Dear Amy,
Polybutylene (PBT) piping has been installed in numerous homes and condominiums and in a very large number of mobile homes. It consists of gray or black plastic tubing, joined with plastic couplings, and secured at the fittings with metal compression rings. In simple terms, the plastic couplings are inserted into the ends of the PBT tubing, and the metal rings are squeezed onto these connections to prevent them from separating or leaking. Unfortunately, leaking has occurred at many of these connections, resulting in problems for homeowners and major financial liability for product manufacturers.
The Spencer class action lawsuit forced the makers of PBT systems to pay for replacement of water supply piping in homes affected by this faulty product.
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