Dura-Pex Nightmare - Need to Re-Plumb entire home.

sulkair · Oct 17, 2017

So I've got a home in SC built in 2003, plumed with NIBCO Dura Pex throughout.

There is a class action lawsuit and whatnot - basically this crappy pex starts splitting apart after 10 years. And it's doing just that in my house. I know pex can be great, but this is a faulty brand.

I've had both lines off the water heater rupture 3 times in the last 12 months. Extensive flood damage, insurance claims, deductible, restoration, the whole nine yards.

Looks like unless I want to keep dealing with this (which I don't) I will need to re-plumb the entire home. 1200sq feet slab. 3 bed/2 bath.

Looking for advice going forward. Got a ball park quote from Joe the plumber for 4 to 6 grand, but that won't include all the drywal restoration and painting which I would be on my own for in finding a contractor etc. Is there a better way???

PlumberMike · Oct 18, 2017

with materials and labor plumbing alone would be that buy the materials and do the plumbing ur self and hire a company for the drywall pex isnt that hard to do very simple

akuhn235 · Oct 18, 2017

have you reached out to NIBCO? They should be held liable for the damage their products have done to your home. After three ruptures, you should make them pay to fully re-plumb your house IMO

frodo · Oct 18, 2017

look. in the early 80's polybutylene came out and it wound up in a law suit
At the time, I was installing copper
then pex came out
at the time, i was installing copper
then dura pex came out and is in a suit
at the time, i am installing copper

do you see a pattern?
all of this cheap ass piping is nothing more than cheap ass piping
have copper installed in your home.
the price is higher for the install but it will out last your home
OR..GO the cheap route and do it twice.maybe 3 times

phishfood · Oct 18, 2017

I can't even begin to count how many houses that were originally piped in copper that have had to be repiped around here.

I have repiped several houses from polybutlylene to PEX that were ORIGINALLY piped with copper, then had to be repiped to poly within 5-10 years because they were tired of continuous leaks on the copper. There are many tens of thousands of houses around here piped with polybutylene. I have run into exactly one leak in which the poly had failed. Compared to dozens upon dozens of leaks on copper.

There are situations where copper is the best choice. I love to install copper, I love to make works of art out of a run of piping, But copper ain't the be all end all.

Rant over, answering the original question in the next post.

phishfood · Oct 18, 2017

To answer the original question.

Depending on the layout of the home, repiping can look pretty easy when someone who knows what they are doing performs the work. And then sometimes, it can be a royal PITA.

I've repiped 2/3's for $3500, and made good money. I've also repiped 4/5's for $9000, and struggled to pay bills for a couple of weeks afterword. All depends on layout and level of skill.

Since you are on a slab, the repipe will be done in the attic. Attics are often hot to the point of being dangerous, and even in the winter, it is not pleasant to worm around in tight spaces amongst fiberglass insulation.

If the layout is right, a repipe can be done with surprisingly few holes in the drywall. But that requires skill and determination. Which costs money.

sulkair · Oct 19, 2017

Appreciate the replies guys! @phishfood - it sounds like if I find the right person - it should be pretty strait forward, thanks for the detail. As far as contacting NIBCO - there is a huge class action lawsuit out there to become part of for my pipe. From what I read, however, it looks like it could take years, and will probably only get pennies on the dollar. Not a workable solution for me in the near term. I'm on my own for now.

sulkair · Oct 24, 2017

Does repiping need to be inspected by an inspector before drywall is put back? I plan to use an outfit that is licensed and conforms to current codes. What about permits do they need to get those too?

phishfood · Oct 24, 2017

Yes and yes.

sulkair · Oct 30, 2017

Humor me for sec. I'm not really stupid enough to do this. But I'd like to know what my diligence will be preventing. What if I let a company do the work who claims to work to code, but never got a permit, nor an inspection. Assuming the re-pipe was done well, what problems would I incur later without permits and inspection? I'm thinking selling the home would be a nightmare because I would have to disclose the defective piping was replaced but I couldn't prove it was done to code right?