Why so many Calgary homes still have Poly-B
Polybutylene ("Poly-B") pipe was installed in an estimated 700,000+ Canadian homes between the late 1970s and mid-1990s because it was cheap and fast to install compared to copper. Calgary's building boom in that exact window means whole pockets of the city — bungalows in older SW and NW communities, split-levels in the NE, and townhome complexes across the city — were plumbed almost entirely in Poly-B. The problem showed up over time: the pipe reacts with chlorine and chloramine in treated municipal water, going brittle from the inside out, and the plastic fittings crack under normal water pressure. It doesn't fail on a schedule — some homes go 30 years with no issue, others get a burst line in year 15 — which is exactly why insurers and home inspectors flag it rather than ignore it.
What we actually replace it with
We re-pipe with cross-linked polyethylene (PEX), the current industry standard in Alberta. PEX doesn't degrade from chlorine exposure the way Poly-B does, it flexes instead of cracking in a Calgary winter freeze, and it comes with long manufacturer warranties (typically 25 years). Where a client specifically wants copper — some older-home buyers and condo boards do, for resale or code reasons — we quote that too. Either way, you get a written material spec before we start, not a surprise on the invoice.
