Some of the cleanest drinking water in the United States also has a chemical makeup that is extremely hard on pipes. The issue with copper plumbing in SWFL is the combination of dissolved oxygen & a high chlorine content within our water.

The dissolved oxygen & high chlorine content within our water is what starts the oxidation process on copper plumbing. As soon as this process starts, the interior of the copper plumbing begins to corrode. As this process progresses, the thickness of the copper becomes thinner & thinner until pinhole leaks start surfacing.

Once a pinhole leak surfaces, it is rarely an isolated issue & it generally shows the condition of the entire plumbing system. This is when a repipe becomes the recommended solution.

PEX plumbing is a fantastic system, however, there are two issues with it when it is used in the Southwest Florida area.

The primary issue with this system is the fittings. Just like copper plumbing, when dissolved oxygen & chlorine comes in contact with these brass fittings, a chemical reaction takes place. This chemical reaction is a process called dezincification & it is the loss of zinc from the brass fittings. When this process occurs, the fittings become unreliable & start leaking. Just like copper plumbing, when this process progresses to this point, it is rarely an isolated issue & it generally shows the condition of all of the PEX fittings.

The second issue with PEX is of the pipes themselves. Just like polybutylene, PEX plumbing has a higher than normal failure rate when it is introduced to the chlorine that is within our water. Since most of our water is treated with chloramines, this becomes an obvious issue as this chlorine will degrade the plumbing over time. For these reasons, we would recommend a repipe to switch the plumbing over to CPVC.

Polybutylene (pol·y·bu·tyl·ene) plumbing was installed in newly constructed homes between 1978 to 1995. Since then, a class action lawsuit has been filed against polybutylene plumbing due to the high failure rate of the plumbing system when it is introduced to chlorinated water.

In Florida, our water comes from the Floridan Aquifer. This water is filtered through desanders & cartridges before being sent to the reverse osmosis membranes. The osmosis membranes separate the purified water from the rejected impurities. The purified water is then treated with chloramines. These chloramines are the component that is causing high polybutylene failure rates.

In addition to this, we are also seeing a massive surge of insurance companies that are cancelling home owner’s insurance policies due to having any active polybutylene lines. This is why a repipe is almost always a must when you are attempting to sell your home or condo.