Plastic Plumbing?

[MasterPlumbersKeymaster]

My name is Jeanmarie Morganelli and my husband and I built our home in 1994. We were
recently told about a long settled civil lawsuit
involving plastic pipes. we have Vanguard Plastics Thermoguard Potable Tubing and manifold system in
our home? Is this the pipe?
It was manufactured in Dec 1993 after the lawsuit supposedly took place. Wouldn’t the stuff have
been off the market before the suit was
filed?

Anyway, this is what was installed:
Vanguard Plastics Thermoguard Potable Tubing 1/2 ” with 180PSI
The following numbers and letter appear on the gray tubing:
NSF-PW .062
ASTM D-3309 C-1-S
SDR-11

My husband also installed a water heater safety tank. It is a Therm-X-Span by Amtrol. It is model
G-12 and has a precharge pressure of
40 PSI.

Can we keep our plumbing or do we need to replace it all? Wouldn’t the plumber who installed it have
known whether or not these types of tubes were top code or not? Are they code?

Please, we would appreciate any more detailed information that you have regarding this product and
our options.

Thank you
Jeanmarie Morganelli

[daveroconnParticipant]

Keep up the good work Jeanmarie sounds like you are doing just fine with your plumbing. I am not an expert on the poly-b case but in this forum are people who are. I believe your manifold system was after the fact and is a good design. I have seen this system and was impressed by the way you can isolate rooms in the home or building.

[Poly DoctorParticipant]

Here is some general poly info for you and some contact info for the class actions.

RESPONSE: If you would like a referral to an expert repipe contractor in your area, we can provide you with several names.

For comprehensive and FACTUAL information on polybutylene, Class Action Links and Contractor Opportunities visit http://www.polybutylene411.org.

This site hides nothing and is here to HELP you. This is a not for profit site that is here for one reason . . . to help you deal with repipe issues.

There are some sites that appear to be providing you with complete information about polybutylene. Some of these are commercial sites in the poly replacement business. They tell you what they want you to know. And some tell you different stories. Plumbing Express using their site http://www.polybutylene.com states that they do not use subcontractors, but they are advertising for subcontractors to do repipe work.

We do NOT recommend you allowing a subcontractor to do repipe work in your home. Plumbing Express also lists their site as providing the most accurate information. I urge you to question some of the statements they make. And most important, question the references and testimonials they list. You will find that some of the names of the people providing the references cannot be found in the areas that Plumbing Express notes. The best thing to do is ask for the phone numbers of some of the testimonials that you select, or try to get the phone number from information. You will be amazed how inaccurate some of the information they provide is, and how misleading some of the testimonials are.

Some repipe companies do not even want you to have the class action phone numbers, even though they claim to be information sites with complete information. A better name would be Poly Info Limited for these sites. When you do see them posting a class action phone number some of these sites it is generally for someone that has already missed the deadline for filing. For example, you will see them post the phone numbers for the class actions when it is an exterior line that is older than 10 years old. If it is less than 10 years old or they are not sure, they will direct you to their site and try to sell you the job for the highest price possible.

If you do not qualify for the class action suits do NOT simply let a contractor tell you there are no alternatives. We can provide you with alternative solutions, as well as a list of top contractors to get estimates from. You certainly need more than one or two estimates and several referrals. We will also tell you the questions to ask your contractor to make sure they have crews that are qualified to do the work in your home. For example, make sure you ask any contractor if he has left a job and the house caught fire from hotspots they left in the walls. This is a very key question.

Also be sure to ask all companies for a few phone numbers of the references or testimonials they show you. Don’t let them select which ones if they are featured on a website. Just ask them for the names and phone numbers of the ones you want to call. You may find some surprises.

Here are some reliable websites with additional information :

Polybutylene Information Help Site – 5 STAR SITE – http://www.polybutylene411.org

Master Plumbers Bulletin Board – 5 STAR SITE – http://www.masterplumbers.com/wwwboard_index.html

Terry Love Plumbing Bulletin Board – 5 STAR SITE – Info on Repipe – http://terrylove.com/pipe.htm

Terry Love Plumbing Bulletin Board – 5 STAR SITE – Polybutylene Info and Pictures – http://terrylove.com/qest.htm

Dynamic Plumbing Information Forum – http://www.plbg.com/cgi-bin/forum.pl?&main&&view_by_order

CLASS ACTION – Consumer Plumbing Recovery Center – 800-356-3496 – http://www.pbpipe.com

CLASS ACTION – Spencer Class Facility – 800-490-6997 – http://www.spencerclass.com/

CLASS ACTION – Brasscraft Claims Facility – 3600 Orchard Hill Place, Novi, MI 48376

CLASS ACTION – Canadian Homeowners – http://www.siskind.com/classpipe.html

CLASS ACTION – Canadian Homeowners – http://www.poynerbaxter.com/

Poly site that references Class Action Lawsuit filed by the insurance industry against the poly resin manufacturers -www.businessinsurance.com/mktplace/ad0308.html

Site with Key Dates involved in the development and problems associated with polybutylene plumbing systems – http://cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/home/pipes/chronology.html

Site with confidential documents from Shell!!! – http://tv.cbc.ca/market/files/home/pipes/memo1.html

SPECIAL NOTE: If you would like referrals to reliable contractors in your area or you want to know more about your contractor, please e-mail . . . [email protected] or visit http://polybutylene411.org

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