Can I Insure A Home With Polybutylene Pipes?
The presence of polybutylene plumbing (also known as Quest, Qest, Poly-B, PB-1 pipe, or simply "poly pipe") in your home is unlikely to prevent you from obtaining homeowners insurance in most states. For example, you should still be able to maintain coverage for losses from fire, theft, liability, and more.
However, insuring a home against plumbing failures has become increasingly difficult if your plumbing includes polybutylene pipes and fittings. Not sure if you have poly pipes? Here's how to determine if you have polybutylene plumbing.
Poly pipes have a checkered history of failure. Years of exposure to water chemicals, combined with general wear and tear, mean these systems are well past their working life. Both plumbers and insurance companies agree—it's a matter of when, not if, your poly pipes will fail and leak.
If you have poly pipes and are concerned about insurance coverage, you can schedule a free consultation and quote. One of our local estimators will help you review your polybutylene replacement options.
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Will Insurance Cover Water Damage From Polybutylene Leaks?
The type of water damage coverage depends on the nature of your polybutylene leak:
Water Damage from Sudden Leaks
If you can obtain coverage at all, it would only be for leaks that are "sudden and accidental" (the terminology used by Allstate). Be sure to review your policy carefully to confirm that you don't have a blanket exclusion for polybutylene-related leak damage.
If you are currently covered for sudden polybutylene leaks, be aware that upon renewal (or when switching companies), this will likely change.
We perform multiple poly replacement repipes per week for homeowners scrambling to meet an insurance-imposed deadline to repipe—even when they haven't had prior leaks.
Water Damage from Slow, Ongoing Leaks
Homeowners insurance almost always excludes water damage from slow, ongoing leaks.
Farmers insurance says: "If the cause is gradual and preventable, including wear and tear or a lack of maintenance, then water damage is generally not covered by home insurance."
Slow leaks are quite common—and can be the most expensive to repair. A slow drip in a wall cavity can gradually spread, causing extensive hidden damage and black mold buildup.
Repairs for this damage may need removing drywall, cabinets, and flooring. The affected walls might be taken down to bare studs. Only after the area is dry and mold-free can rebuilding begin.
Water Damage from Poor Maintenance
If a polybutylene leak happens suddenly or slowly, the insurance company may deny your insurance claim. They will do this if they find that the leak was caused by old pipes or lack of maintenance, including not keeping your home's water pressure at normal levels. If the leak was preventable, they may also deny your claim.
It may seem like a gray area if you haven't had leaks, but insurance companies consider polybutylene "old" and beyond its intended lifespan. They assume that a responsible homeowner maintaining their plumbing system would have already replaced it.
Even if your policy does not exclude polybutylene and your leak is sudden, your claim could still be denied. This can happen if you did not take the right preventive steps, like completely replacing your polybutylene.
Will Insurance Replace My Poly Pipes?
We are not aware of any situation where a homeowners insurance policy would cover the full or partial replacement of polybutylene pipes.
In 2012, following a lawsuit between a homeowner and State Farm Insurance ( Guadiana v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co. ), most insurance companies revised their policies to include specific exclusions, ensuring they would not be required to replace homeowners' poly pipes. Before this case, many policies covered both water damage and related repairs.
In the lawsuit, the homeowner filed a claim for both water damage from a polybutylene pipe leak and the cost of a full pipe replacement. Their argument was that the only viable "repair" for polybutylene plumbing was a complete repipe. The court agreed and ruled in favor of the homeowner.
What to Do If You Have Poly Pipes
All polybutylene pipes will eventually need to be fully replaced. Due to their history of unexpected failures, patching or partial replacements are not reliable solutions.
The only way to eliminate the risk of future leaks and costly water damage is to replace the entire system.
A full home repipe is the best solution for homeowners with polybutylene plumbing. The cost of multiple poly pipe leaks and the damage to your home can easily exceed the cost of a full home repipe.
Replacing all poly pipes ensures your home's plumbing system is safe, up to code, and insurable. Modern piping materials like PEX or copper provide long-term durability and peace of mind, making repiping a smart investment in your home's value and safety.
Receive a Free Polybutylene Replacement Quote.
Here at Repipe Specialists, we've replaced polybutylene plumbing in thousands of homes across the United States using PEX tubing or new copper pipe. We continually get positive customer feedback from customers about their whole home repipe experience. We often exceed their expectations on:
- Speed: Our repipe crews typically complete a repipe in a day, returning on another day for wall patching.
- Convenience: Through our One-Stop Repipe™ Process, we handle everything from permits, to wall patching, to inspections.
- Cleanliness: Our crews are trained to protect your home while working (we cover all surfaces with protective sheeting), and to clean up fully at the end of each day.
- Peace of Mind: Repipe Specialists is a fully licensed plumber in every state we operate in, and we back all of our repipes with a lifetime warranty.
- Financing programs: To help take the sting out of unplanned repipe expenses, we offer several financing programs.
- Price: As a specialist that performs hundreds of repipes a week, we can deliver high quality repipes at a lower cost vs generalist plumbers. We have an article that covers repipe cost factors in detail. Our quotes typically range from $4,500 to $15,000 depending on the size and complexity of your project.
Schedule a free in home consult, and a local estimator will explain all your repipe options, and provide you with a written, fixed price quote. Fix polybutylene plumbing issues at the source, repipe now.