Buy-and-Hold with Polybutylene Pipes?

[David Lowe]

I just got the inspection report back on a house I am considering. The house has polybutylene pipes and I have been reading a lot of nasty things online about this type of pipe. I plan to get quotes from some contractors to replace all of the pipes, but wanted to see if you guys have any experience with these pipes. The house is a 4-2 located in North Charleston, SC and was built in 1996. The report says the pipes have brass fittings (rather than plastic) and there are no apparent leaks at this point. Is it worth replacing the pipes now, or should I wait to replace them if/when they break? Any idea of a cost range to replace the pipes? Would you buy a house that has polybutylene pipes as a long-term buy-and-hold? The seller is already bringing money to close, so I think it will be difficult to get them to cover the cost or to lower the purchase price. (House is $160k, rent between 1,400-1,500, needs new HVAC and water heater sooner than later, plus $1000-2000 to make rent ready)

[John Semanchuk]

I have a client in Mount Pleasant whose house was built in 1990 and had polybutylene piping. A joint failed and flooded the lower floor. He had a quote from a plumber for about $8,500 I believe but that didn't include repairing all the sheetrock and so on that the plumber would have torn out.  That house had five bathrooms so your house would probably be considerably cheaper. it wasn't really that hard to replace. A lot of insurance companies will not insure a house with polybutylene plumbing.