Plumbing Problems and Helpful Tips – the Gray Menace Poly-Butylene!
First and foremost is water pressure regulation. City water pressures can vary greatly. Over pressurization is the main cause of PB failure. Most RV’s are equipped with water pressure regulators that minimize the possibility of over pressurization. Many mobile homes do not have pressure regulators. If you have a PB system installed, make sure you install a pressure regulator. Thirty to forty pounds per square inch is all the pressure that a PB plumbing system ever needs to be exposed to. If you are going away for a few days are longer, turn the water off just in case. It is better to be safe than sorry with PB plumbing.
Second, do not max the hot water temperature setting. Hot water heaters, especially in systems that have back flow preventors, can over pressurize the system. Your water temperature should be set to the mid-range if adjustable. Remember that PB is plastic. The hotter the plastic becomes the more likely it is to fail. By reducing your hot water temperature, you are reducing two potential causes of PB failure. Another good idea is to add a timer to the hot water heater controls. Then the heater will only operate at times of day when hot water is needed. Not only will this reduce the chance of over pressurization, it will reduce your energy bill.
Third, know your plumbing. Take a little time to locate valves, fittings and piping runs. The hot water lines are most likely to fail so pay very close attention to them. Know what size piping you have installed. The outside diameter and the inside diameter of the PB tubing is important to know when buying replace parts. Keep on hand a small supply of repair couplings and tubing. One important repair part to have on hand is isolation valves. Should you have a leak, you can install isolation valves. By isolating the leak, you can use the rest of the water system while repairing the damaged section. Ball valves are least prone to failure, making them the best choice for isolation valves.
Finally, know how to install the PB fittings before you need to install them. Being plastic, the PB fittings should never be over tightened. A good rule of thumb is hand tighten and add one full turn more. Hand tightening is not an exact science. If the tubing is in a bind, meaning it is not lined up properly, it is more difficult to tighten. Proper alignment is then critical for proper installation. Practice installing a coupling before hand to become familiar with how it all works. Make special note of how many threads on the fitting are still exposed. Also note how the fitting looks when you take it apart.
Ferrell style compression couplings are the most common. In this type of fitting the PB tubing slides through the nut or cap part and the cone shaped Ferrell in the inside the nut. This is known as a compression fitting because as the nut is tighten on the threaded part of the coupling, the nut tightening compresses the Ferrell around the tubing. In between the nut and the Ferrell there is a metal ring in the fitting. This metal ring is designed to compress and grip the tubing. That rule of thumb full turn after hand tightening is needed for this metal ring to do it’s job. If it does not grip, the tube can slip! Also note how much tubing extends through the Ferrell cone. When installing, the tubing should pass through the nut, metal ring and the Ferrell. All the way through the Ferrell! If you pass too much tubing through the Ferrell, the tubing will slide in the fitting until it is properly seated. This is a good thing. So when you practice, slide about Ã?¾ inches of the tubing through the Ferrell then tighten with the extra full turn and remove. This way you will see how much tubing should extend past the Ferrell tip. After you feel confident that you know how to properly install the compression fitting, deliberately over tighten one. While not required, this is a good way to keep you out of trouble if you spot a pesky leak you think can be fixed with a little more pressure.
Once you have mastered the art of PB installation there is one thing you need to be aware of. Even properly installed fittings may still leak. Normally this is caused by small bits of debris or tight work spaces where there may be a little alignment bind not easily seen. If this happens, remove the fitting, check the tubing position in the Ferrell and the threaded part of the fitting to make sure there are no burrs or debris where the Ferrell cone seats. If it looks good, reinstall making sure the fitting is not in a bind. Often a leaking fitting will seem to heal itself with the reinstallation. This is just one of the mysterious joys of the gray plumbing menace poly-butylene.
