Polybutylene Repipe
Whole-home replacement of failure-prone gray polybutylene pipe with PEX — for Las Vegas tract homes built between 1978 and 1995.
If your Las Vegas home went up between 1978 and 1995, there's a real chance gray polybutylene pipe is still running through your walls and ceilings. Builders loved it back then — it was cheap and quick. The problem is it doesn't age well, and it doesn't warn you before it goes.
Polybutylene turns brittle from the inside as chlorine and our hard water break it down. The failures start small and hidden — a weep at a fitting behind drywall — and end with a burst line and a flooded hallway while you're at work. Many insurers now know this history and either refuse to cover poly or demand it be replaced before they'll write a policy.
We find out for sure whether you have it, then replace the whole system with PEX — flexible, corrosion-resistant pipe that stands up to valley water. One planned repipe ends the gamble for good.
Poly is usually dull gray (sometimes blue or black), about 1/2 to 1 inch, with crimped metal or plastic fittings. Check where the lines enter the heater.
That's the era poly was plumbed into millions of homes. If yours dates to that window, inspect before you assume it's copper.
Look at the shutoff by the street and the risers under sinks and behind the toilet — gray plastic there is a red flag.
Poly fails with no buildup and no warning. An unexplained wall or ceiling leak in an era home is often the first fitting letting go.
Polybutylene reacts with the chlorine and chloramines in municipal water. Over the years the pipe wall oxidizes, flakes and grows brittle from the inside out, while the fittings — the weakest link — crack and separate. You can't see it happening. That's what makes poly so dangerous compared to a slow copper pinhole you might catch early.
Insurance companies have paid out on enough poly floods that many now treat it as a known defect. Some won't insure a home until it's repiped; others exclude water-damage claims tied to poly. If you're buying, selling or renewing a policy in the valley, replacing it protects both your home and your coverage — see what insurers say about polybutylene.
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Polybutylene Repipe done right — Open 24/7 for plumbing emergencies. Call for honest, up-front pricing.
Once we confirm poly, the fix is a whole-home repipe. Patching one poly fitting just moves the next failure down the line, so we replace the entire supply system — hot and cold — with PEX. We map the runs to keep wall openings small, protect your floors and furniture, pull the permit, and get water back on each evening.
If you've already had hidden leaks, we'll pair the repipe with leak detection to make sure nothing's been quietly feeding mold behind a wall, and address any slab leak reroutes at the same time. Tract neighborhoods from that era — parts of Spring Valley and older Green Valley streets — are exactly where we pull the most gray pipe out.
Read how polybutylene ended up in so many Las Vegas homes if you want the full backstory before you decide.
You can often spot polybutylene yourself before we ever arrive. It's usually a dull gray plastic — sometimes blue or black — about half an inch to an inch across, joined with crimped copper or plastic rings rather than soldered or glued. Check the most visible spots: where the main enters the house, at the water heater, at the shutoff by the street, and on the riser tubes under sinks and behind the toilet.
If your home was built between 1978 and 1995 and you find gray plastic at any of those points, assume the rest of the house is plumbed the same way. We'll confirm it in a quick, free visit and show you exactly what you're dealing with — no pressure to decide on the spot.
This is where poly gets expensive even if it hasn't leaked yet. Many Nevada insurers now treat polybutylene as a known defect: some won't write or renew a policy until it's replaced, and others exclude any water damage tied to it. That turns a repipe from 'someday' into 'before the renewal.' Our polybutylene and insurance guide covers what carriers look for.
It shows up at sale time too. A home inspector will flag poly, buyers get nervous, and the deal can hinge on a repipe credit. Replacing it ahead of listing removes the objection and protects your price. Either way — insuring, renewing or selling — a documented PEX repipe is the clean answer.
We don’t post fake flat rates — every home is different. Here’s what goes into your written, up-front price:
You always get the price in writing before we start. Call (614) 830-0578 for a free estimate.
We bring polybutylene repipe to homes and businesses valley-wide — the same up-front pricing and licensed, insured crews whether you're near our south-valley shop or across town.
Look for dull gray (occasionally blue) plastic pipe about 1/2 to 1 inch across, with crimped bands at the fittings, near your water heater, main shutoff and under sinks. Homes built from 1978 to 1995 are the prime suspects. We can confirm it in a quick visit.
Increasingly, yes. Many carriers won't write or renew a policy on a poly-plumbed home, and some exclude related water damage. Replacing it protects your coverage and your buyers — details in our polybutylene and insurance guide.
You can, but it doesn't solve anything. When one poly fitting fails, the rest of the system is the same age and chemistry — the next leak is a matter of when. A full PEX repipe is the only permanent fix.
Less than people fear. We keep wall openings small and targeted, protect your home, and restore water each evening. Most single-family homes are finished in one to two days, with drywall patching coordinated after. Call (614) 830-0578 for a free walk-through.
It tracks with a standard whole-home repipe — driven by your home's size, number of bathrooms, one or two stories, and how much drywall access the runs need. We give you a fixed written price after walking the home, and it's almost always less than a poly failure plus the water-damage cleanup that follows. See our repipe cost guide.
Recurring pinhole leaks or old poly/galvanized pipe? A clean, permitted PEX repipe ends the patch-after-patch cycle for good.
Learn moreSpiking water bill or a warm spot on the floor? We locate hidden leaks precisely — no guesswork, no needless demolition.
Learn moreWarm floor spot or a climbing water bill? We pinpoint slab leaks under the foundation, then reroute or repair — repipe when the copper's done.
Learn more
Local-specificHomes built during the valley's big growth years may be plumbed with gray polybutylene pipe — cheap, fast, and known to fail. Here's how to spot it and fix it.
Read article
Cost & insuranceCarriers won't write or renew many poly-plumbed homes until they're repiped. Here's why insurers push so hard — and what the fix means for your coverage.
Read articleCall Mike's Drain and Plumbing at (614) 830-0578 for same-day service and honest, up-front pricing across the valley.
