Eugene's List Blog » Home Maintenance

How to identify polybutylene plumbing in Tucson

admin — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:12:30 +0000

Polybutylene plumbing in homes has proven to be problematic with many thousands of cases of reported leaks and a class action lawsuit. In Tucson, AZ PB pipes were prevalent in new homes constructed from about 1982 to 1996. Many homeowners are concerned about PB piping and want to replace it if they have it in their homes. There are several ways to identify if a home has PB plumbing:

Climb up in the attic and see if there are light gray plastic pipes running. If you see them, then it’s most likely PB.
If you have a voltmeter and know how to use it, run a continuity check between the valve under a bathroom or kitchen sink and the ground on a nearby receptacle. If there is none, then it’s likely PB piping.
Look at the electrical panel and see if there is a warning saying something like “structure contains non metallic water piping, do not bond”. If that’s the case then the house probably has PB plumbing.
Cut a small hole in the drywall behind the fridge where the ice-maker water valve is, if you see gray plastic piping, then its likely PB.
Look at your home purchase info in the disclosure section. In Tucson, home inspectors identify PB plumbing when a home is sold.

If any of the above tests come back as positive, call a plumber next to confirm that there is polybutylene.

How cabinets die

admin — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:41:37 +0000

Most modern homes have kitchen and bathroom cabinets with boxes that are made of particleboard that is covered with wood grain plastic veneer. The greatest shortcoming of particleboard is that its easily damaged by water. Even after the first time that particleboard comes in contact with water, it is significantly weakened and swells in thickness. Normally the veneer protects the particleboard against water , but water still can seep in at the joints at the bottom of the cabinet.

What often happens after a few years is that the bottom falls out of the sink cabinet because moisture from leaks or spills keeps seeping in the joints at the bottom and weakens the board.

There is a simple solution that can easily double the life of a kitchen or a bathroom cabinet. When the cabinet is new or is still in good shape, take a tube of clear acrylic latex caulk with silicone and run a thin bead along the bottom edges. This seals off the pathway for the water to attack the unprotected particleboard and prolongs the life of your cabinets.

Swimming Pool Salt Water Systems

admin — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:36:23 +0000

We had a swimming pool put in 3 years ago with a salt water chlorination system. The upside is that the pool water feels a lot better with no chlorine smell and cleaner skin after swimming. Maintenance however is a problem.

Tucson has hard water, and the scale eventually clogs the chlorine generator. To fix this, you have to put the chlorine generator cell in a Muriatic acid solution to etch away the scale. However, as the system ages, this process has to be done more frequently and eventually the cell has to be replaced. At ~$700 this is not a trivial expense.

The other problem is that the salt water causes the Kool Deck to have cracks and chips. The rep. at Mortex Manufacturing (makers of Kool Deck) said that its not the Kool Deck that is affected but the concrete underneath and that there is not much can be done other than rinsing the deck after swimming and doing periodic repairs on the deck.

So when getting a salt water system installed, be aware of the extra maintenance for both the Kool Deck and the salt water cell.