Gray plastic water distribution pipe - help

[Darrel Hood]

Help, please. This is the first time I have seen this pipe in a home. It is gray plastic and has crimped joints. It is used for the water lines, both hot and cold, in this home. The home was built in 1983. It is a brick home on a slab. Is it poly butylene (sp)? Anything I should know about it before I write this report? Thanks in advance.

[Darrel Hood]

I will post photos as soon as I can figure out how. I think I am having a size problem . . . with the photos.

[Darrel Hood]

photos of the gray pipe

[Dom D'Agostino]

That second photo says it all. ;)

Yes, it's poly. Installed in that manner, and in an attic, indicates a re-pipe.

[Benjamin Thompson]

That second photo says it all. ;)

Yes, it's poly. Installed in that manner, and in an attic, indicates a re-pipe.

Or wait until it leaks, then re-pipe.

[Richard Skalski]

Poly, an interesting failure for plumbing. I found a link that may shed light on it for you. What You Need to Know About Polybutylene Plumbing (http://www.repipenews.com/)

[Darrel Hood]

Thanks folks. Richard, that is a good link for the topic. Thanks to you all, the report is submitted and it almost looks like I know something.:D

[Richard Skalski]

Your welcome. I may be ugly, but at least I'm handy:p

[Stuart Brooks]

Every piece of PB I have found in this area is marked PB2110. Distribution pipes are gray and supply pipes can be blue or gray. I have even found one marked with "Big Blue"

I hate to find blue PVC or Polyethylene main supply pipes in houses built after 1995. They could be PB that a contractor had left over. What idiot manufacturer decided to produce a blue 3/4" supply pipe other than PB in and after 1995? When I see a blue plastic supply pipe in a crawl space, I HAVE to hunt for the markings on the pipe.

[Randy Aldering]

Polybutene or Quest. Known to leak if not properly installed, and sometimes even when properly installed.

[Jerry Peck]

I hate to find blue PVC or Polyethylene main supply pipes in houses built after 1995. They could be PB that a contractor had left over. What idiot manufacturer decided to produce a blue 3/4" supply pipe other than PB in and after 1995? When I see a blue plastic supply pipe in a crawl space, I HAVE to hunt for the markings on the pipe.

BLUE PEX is readily available ... as is RED ... WHITE ... clear, dark earthen-ware red, all kinds of colors - while you may use the "blue" color to look for numbers and codes, you probably should look at all plastic piping for that anyway {I seem to recall that they made PB in that familiar gray color, but the PB was also available in blue (to designate cold water) and red (to designate hot water)}.