Was your house either built or renovated between 1995 and 2007? If YES, according to CBC Canada, you might be among 292 thousand North Americans having Kitec pipes in your home. In this blog post, MidCity Plumbers will help you discover what is Kitec plumbing, the reason why it is sometimes a nightmare for homeowners, how to know you have Kitec pipes at home.
Let’s get dive in!
What is Kitec plumbing?
Kitec or Poly-B pipe are polybutylene made-of pipes. They are made of two layers of plastics separated by a thin layer of aluminum. Besides Kitec brand carries this kind of pipes, there are numerous other brands such as:
- AmbioComfort
- AQUA
- KERR Controls
- IPEX
- Plomberie Amelioree
- PlumbBetter
- WarmRite
Kitec plumbing
The biggest issue of Kitec plumbing
When it was first introduced in Canada in 1995, Kitec plumbing advertised itself as an economical, easy-to-install alternative to copper pipes. Unfortunately, it turns out an opposite result in following years:
- Water leak: Pipes that do not tolerate excessively high heat and that degrade more quickly. Hot water tanks can produce high temperatures and the hoses were not designed to withstand them. A flood is a worst-case scenario.
- Broken pipes as a result of pipes do not withstand high pressure
- Blockage: Fittings contain a high amount of Zinc which causes break down over time when they expose moisture and oxygen. Blocked and busted pipes are the following results
- Disputed: for the poor pipes, the level of chlorine in water affects their lifespan quickly
How to identify Kitec pipes
The best place to get a good look at your pipes is near the hot water tank, where pipes are leading to and from the walls. You can also try looking beneath the kitchen or bathroom sinks.
Most of the Kitec plumbing used was orange or bright blue, represent hot and cold water respectively. The orange pipes are also used in the heating systems. However, it should be noted that Kitec pipes also come in black, grey, red, and blue color. Aside from mentioned Kitec pipes brand, visible fittings may be stamped with the words:
- Kitec
- KTC
- CSA B137.9/10
- ATSM F1974
Kitec Plumbing inspection
What you should do if you find out that your home has Kitec plumbing?
First of all, you need to be sure that your home actually has Kitec pipes before taking any further steps. Next, Kitec replacement and repair. This is a huge and tough task you cannot handle without a licensed plumber team. This repair may take you several days depending on the size of your house or condo.
Conclusion
Find out that you have household issues with Kitec plumbing is absolutely not good news. However, it is still better to discover and plan for solutions right away before they turn out costly damage in the end. At MidCity Plumbers, we serve our value customers with our 35-year experience in plumbing service at a fair price. Contact us now to get Kitec plumbing inspection and further repairs for your sweet home.
Learn more plumbing tips here:
5-easy steps to use plumbing snake
How to plumb a basement floor drain
