Buying A House With Kitec Plumbing
Ideally, you should not buy a house with Kitec plumbing. This is because these pipes are not durable and are prone to leaks, bursts and cracks. They are also expensive to maintain and insurance companies might not be willing to cover them.
buying a house with kitec plumbing
Kitec plumbing can also lead to leaks and cracks. The material and structure of these pipes are too thin and inefficient. This can make them unable to withstand the pressure from the water passing through them at high speeds.
You are also likely to face issues when it comes to your insurance companies. Because this kind of plumbing is unpopular and comes with its risks of damage, many insurance companies might not be willing to insure your plumbing system if you have these pipes.
To sum up, you should not buy a house with Kitec plumbing. You have now seen the reasons for this that include its inability to withstand heat, risks of leaks, cracks and bursts, costly repairs and maintenance, issues with insurance companies and more.
Last year during a home inspection in Port Dover, the inspector told our buyer clients that they would not be able to get insurance for the house of their dreams. The problem: the house had Kitec plumbing.
Kitec plumbing was a popular choice for new home plumbing between 1995 and 2007. The problem: a design flaw with the fittings. In addition to problems with fittings, there have also been some problems with the actual pipe disintegrating. Some believe this is caused by running the hot water system at too high of a temperature.
Kitec plumbing is a type of plumbing system manufactured by IPEX. It was first introduced in 1995 and was used until 2005. Kitec pipes are composed of two layers of plastic with aluminum sandwiched between them. These pipes also have brass fittings.
Orange or hot water Kitec pipes can only withstand 82 degrees Celsius. The problem with this is that typical water heaters work with a higher temperature. This means Kitec plumbing is prone to deterioration, leading to pipe leaks and breakage.
The hearings are yet to be scheduled, but the claims deadline for this action has passed and is in the administration stage. If you, another member of your household, or the previous owner of your home was able to file a Kitec plumbing claim, you can track the real-time updates on their official website: Kitec Plumbing System Settlement Website.
Some buyers are willing to replace the plumbing as part of the purchase deal. Kitec Crusader, for example, offers to purchase properties with Kitec plumbing to help affected homeowners if they buy their next residential property from them.
Kitec plumbing fixtures have been legally described, via a national class action lawsuit, as defective. Therefore, the buyer for a house with Kitec plumbing will probably need to be an investor (and at that, one who pays with cash) since most all conventional, FHA, and VA loan underwriters will require the house be entirely re-plumbed before close of escrow.
Kitec plumbing is a problematic system that was installed in Canadian homes beginning in 1995. This ultimate guide will help you learn everything you need to know about Kitec plumbing, including what to do if your home has Kitec plumbing and why you should beware of buying a home with this type of piping.
When you are buying a home, be aware of a property that still has Kitec plumbing. The time frame to claim funds from the settlement with IPEX has passed, so the cost of replacement and damage will now be on the homeowner. Try to have the seller replace this plumbing system before you close if you do want to move forward with the purchase. Failure to do so could cause your mortgage to be denied, and it could be extremely difficult to obtain insurance!
There is a wide range of possibilities when it comes to problems with Kitec plumbing in Ontario, so only a professional plumber will be able to give you an exact cost for replacing it. If you did not submit a claim as part of the class-action lawsuit before January 2020, you could end up paying for these costs out of your own pocket.
Depending on the insurer, the presence of Kitec piping may lead to increase deductibles, higher premiums, or denial of claims related to the plumbing system. Simply put, if your plumbing is defective and at a higher risk of leaking, they may refuse to provide you with home insurance.
Buying a home is one of the most important purchases that you will make in your lifetime. When it comes to finding your dream home, it is important to look at every detail - including whether the house is equipped with Kitec plumbing.
Work with your realtor and lawyer to request that the seller certify that there is no Kitec piping used for plumbing in the home. If the house previously had the problematic plumbing installed, the seller should warrant that it was professionally removed and replaced with something that is up to date and safe.
If everything in the home is perfect besides the Kitec plumbing, it does not necessarily have to be a deal-breaker. Knowing that it is expensive to replace and that a home insurer may require you to do so before purchasing the property, you can use this as a bargaining chip with the seller.
Another thing to consider is that some mortgage lenders are not willing to offer loans on homes with Kitec plumbing. Since some home insurers will not provide coverage for homes with this type of plumbing, lenders may not be willing to assume the additional risk.
For example, it will state that you have Kitec plumbing and have not fixed it replaced it. If you have corrected the issues, you can warrant that the system has been professionally removed and replaced with plumbing that is safe and up to code.
Summary:Kitec plumbing became a popular alternative in the early 2000s because it was easy to install and very cost-effective. However, these pipes could not withstand the test of time and quickly corroded and failed. This led to costly water damage for homeowners across Canada, and a class-action lawsuit was filed so that they could receive compensation.
The primary issue is 'dezincification' of the brass fittings. The problems first became apparent in Clark County, NV where approximately 30,000-35,000 homes, which were plumbed with KITEC systems, began leaking. According to court filings in Clark County, zinc was leaching from the brass fittings and collecting in the pipes, restricting flow and eventually resulting in leaks. IPEX settled a class action lawsuit in Clark County for $90 million in 2009. Las Vegas is notorious for its hard water and that probably played a major role in the deterioration of the fittings. Even small amounts of zinc can cause galvanic corrosion with the aluminum in the piping, resulting in failures. Numerous other class actions followed. If you search 'KITEC Pipe' on the Internet, you'll find hundreds of stories about leaks, costing homeowners thousands of dollars to re-pipe their homes. KITEC pipe and fittings were also widely used in California. In a Del Webb Community in Lincoln, CA, approximately 2500 of the 6800 homes there have KITEC installed. While until recently, I had not heard reports of KITEC failures in this community; leaks are starting to develop, as well as other communities where KITEC is installed. 3 leaks in 3 separate homes on the same street occurred within a 2-week period. In speaking with a resident of this community, she reports that several of her neighbors have experienced leaks. Their yahoo chat group is abuzz with stories of plumbing leaks. Last week, I paid a visit to BZ Plumbing in Lincoln. They were Del Webb's plumbing sub contractor that installed most of the KITEC piping. When these homes were built, no one knew of any concerns. According to the office manager at BZ, they receive phone calls daily from Del Webb residents asking about KITEC, reporting leaks and requesting bids for re-pipes. Rumor has it, that several other local plumbers are busy with KITEC re-pipes. As of this writing, BZ is booked with re-pipes for the next 3 months. BZ reports that the piping is splitting and becoming delaminated. They haven't seen much dezincification of the fittings, like the ones in Las Vegas, but rather that the piping is failing. KITEC piping has a layer of aluminum, sandwiched between 2 plastic layers (PEX-AL-PEX or PE-AL-PE). In my opinion, the slight amount of zinc leaching from the fitting, is coming into contact with the aluminum middle of the pipe, resulting in corrosion.
Looking at purchasing a home with Kitec plumbing. Home is 11 years old and the owner has never had an issue with it, but not sure I want to take a chance on a long term hold. $125 million payout in a class action lawsuit definitely says there is a problem with it! Anyone have experience with this product? It seems like the biggest issue is with the connections, but there may be issues with the pipe itself. Would you require the owner to replace connections, entire system, or am I being obsessive-compulsive?
The settlement for these fittings became effective on August 19, 2012. You can receive reimbursement for damaged property, the repair or replacement of the plumbing product, and reasonable costs associated with the material and labour needed to bring the home/building/structure back to its original finish and quality. The deadline for applying is complex, related to when there was a problem and when your warranty finished. See details on the class action web site: www.CanadianPlumbPEXsettlement.ca
I live in Red Deer Alberta. My house was built in 1986. Most of the house's in this area have poly B. I have fortunately only experienced 2 pin prick leaks, and very fortunately someone was home and caught them quickly. My parents built this house, and I know Dad had the joints replaced with copper fittings so there haven't been any issues from them. Both leaks occured close to the water heater. My concern now is selling my house. My sister works for a large insurance company and tells me that most insurance companies will no longer insure homes with poly B. For new buyers. I have known all along that I have it, so am saving to have it removed. Would be nice if there was some sort of compensation. I mean, they know dam well there are hundreds of thousands of homes built with this crap, and they also knew that it could be years before a problem manifested. So to have put a time limit on claims is just wrong. 041b061a72