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Poly B Replacement in Richmond, BC

If your Richmond home was built between 1978 and 1995, the grey pipe behind the drywall is very likely Poly B. We replace it in PEX-A and hand you the paperwork your insurer asks for.

Grey Poly B supply pipe stamped PB2110
Poly B Replacement — Richmond

Replacing Poly B in Richmond Homes

Poly B is the grey plastic supply pipe stamped PB2110 that went into Canadian homes from 1978 until roughly 1995. It was designed for about 25 years of service, which means every system still in the ground in Richmond is past it.

Richmond adds a second problem to the usual Poly B one: when a supply line fails here the water has nowhere to drain away to, because the ground is already saturated.

It fails from the inside out — chlorine in the municipal supply makes the pipe wall brittle, and the original grey acetal fittings are the weakest point in the whole system. Nothing about that is visible until water appears somewhere it should not.

We replace the lot in PEX-A, plan the routes first so we open as few walls as possible, and finish with the permit, the inspection record and photographs.

  • ✓Free assessment in Richmond — we confirm the material and the condition before you commit to anything.
  • ✓Fixed written price — one number with the scope spelled out, not an estimate that moves.
  • ✓Permit and inspection — pulled and booked with the City of Richmond.
  • ✓PEX-A as standard — chlorine resistant, expansion fittings, fewer wall openings than copper.
  • ✓Documentation package — permit, inspection, photos and warranty — what an insurer and a buyer will ask for.
Book a Free Poly B Assessment (604) 636-3939

Where we work in Richmond

Steveston · Broadmoor · Seafair · Terra Nova · Hamilton — and everywhere else in Richmond.

Permits

Permitted work in Richmond goes through the City of Richmond. We pull it and book the inspection as part of the job — you do not deal with the city.

Full details

The full rundown: why Poly B fails, what replacement involves, how long it takes and what it costs.

How Poly B replacement works →
About Richmond Homes

Why Richmond Has So Much of It

Richmond built out heavily through the 1980s and early 90s, which puts a large share of its detached and townhome stock inside the Poly B window.

Richmond sits at or barely above sea level with a high water table, so sump pumps and perimeter drainage do more work here than almost anywhere else in the region — and a pump failure shows up faster.

Other plumbing we do in Richmond

Nearby

More in Richmond

Everything We Do in Richmond

FAQs

Poly B Replacement in Richmond — Questions

Most Richmond homes are a two to five day job. A compact townhome with one bathroom finishes faster; a larger house with several bathrooms and a finished basement takes longer. You get a date range in writing before we start. Cost ranges are here.
Usually, yes. BC insurers treat Poly B as a known water-damage risk and price it accordingly — higher premiums, raised water-damage deductibles, sometimes an exclusion or a refused renewal. Once the Poly B is out and documented, that reason goes away. More on Poly B and insurance in BC.
It is no longer made or installed and it came out of the plumbing codes, but there is no law requiring you to remove what is already in your Richmond home. The pressure comes from insurers and from buyers, not from the City of Richmond.
It routinely comes up in the inspection report and gets negotiated against the price — often for more than the replacement would have cost. Replacing beforehand removes the bargaining chip and widens your buyer pool to people whose insurer will not write a Poly B home.
"It has not leaked yet" is not a measure of condition. Poly B degrades from the inside and the cracking that causes a failure is invisible from outside the pipe. Most people we work with are replacing because of an insurance renewal or a pending sale, not because of an existing leak.

Find Out What You Actually Have — Free

We will confirm whether it is Poly B, what condition it is in, and what replacement would cost in Richmond. No charge.

Book Now (604) 636-3939
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