Al Beeber

Lethbridge Herald

Polybutylene. To the unfamiliar, this word means nothing. To others who have water pipes made of this substance – more commonly known as Poly B – it potentially means a need to hire a plumber for a repair that could cost thousands of dollars.

Poly B was commonly used by the residential construction industry from the 1970s through about 1997 to supply water through homes.

Developed in the U.S.as an alternative to copper, it became highly popular. According to the Alberta Real Estate Association, manufacturing of the flexible, lightweight resin piping stopped in 1998 in part because of complaints of failures of some early installations.

It was removed from the Canadian Plumbing Code in 1995 for use.

The AREA and Alberta government say that Poly B may have

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