Hippo Plumbing & Heating TSBC License: LGA 0209268
Open 24 Hours · Monday – Sunday
Plumbing · Coquitlam, BC
Plumbing · Coquitlam, BC
Polybutylene (Poly-B) piping was commonly installed in homes built between the late 1970s and mid-1990s throughout Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and the Lower Mainland. These distinctive grey plastic pipes are known to degrade over time — chlorine in the municipal water supply attacks the material from the inside out — and can fail suddenly without warning, causing significant water damage. Hippo Plumbing & Heating specializes in Poly-B identification, targeted repair, and full home repipe.
If your Coquitlam home has Poly-B plumbing, insurance companies may surcharge your premiums or refuse to insure the home entirely. A complete repipe to copper or PEX provides peace of mind, protects your home, and satisfies insurer requirements. We provide written documentation upon completion for submission to your insurance provider.
Polybutylene (Poly-B) is a grey plastic pipe material used for residential water supply lines between approximately 1978 and 1995, when it was widely installed in new homes across Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, and across BC. It was initially popular for its low cost and flexibility, but it has a significant long-term failure mode: chlorine in the municipal water supply slowly degrades the plastic from the inside out, making the pipes brittle over time. Poly-B does not fail gradually — it fails suddenly and catastrophically, often at fittings and manifolds, causing significant water damage without warning. This is why most BC home insurers now surcharge or decline coverage for homes with Poly-B.
If your Coquitlam home was built between 1978 and 1995 and has never been repiped, there is a strong probability it has Poly-B plumbing. The grey plastic is most visible under bathroom vanities, in mechanical rooms, and in crawlspaces. Homeowners who are refinancing, listing for sale, or renewing home insurance frequently discover the issue when their insurer or lender flags Poly-B as a condition of coverage. Buyers purchasing homes from this era should request a Poly-B inspection as part of their due diligence — undisclosed Poly-B is one of the most common sources of post-purchase home insurance disputes in BC.
Poly-B often fails without warning, but some signs suggest your pipes are under stress: water staining on ceilings or walls below plumbing fixtures; dripping from under bathroom vanities or inside cabinet doors; discoloured water from cold taps; a soft or swollen appearance on pipe fittings indicating internal degradation; or a history of multiple small leaks in the same system. Fitting failures — particularly at plastic push-fit connections and manifold points — are more common than mid-pipe failures. If you have had one Poly-B leak, your system is at elevated risk throughout.
Our Poly-B replacement process is designed to minimize disruption to your home and daily routine. We begin with an assessment to confirm all Poly-B locations and plan access routes — in most homes, we replace the full supply system in 1–2 days using PEX or copper piping. We restore water service to the home at the end of each working day wherever possible, so your family is not without water overnight. After completion, we patch drywall access points and provide a written certificate of repipe completion — the documentation your insurer requires to remove the Poly-B surcharge from your policy.
Poly-B repipe is a specialty job that requires experience with the specific access challenges, pipe routing, and fitting configurations found in Tri-Cities homes of that era. Our team has completed hundreds of Poly-B repipes across Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody, and we know how to work efficiently in these homes — including recognizing the manifold configurations used by builders active in this area during that period. We provide insurance documentation with every complete repipe and offer a workmanship guarantee on all new piping installed.
Hippo Plumbing & Heating delivers licensed, reliable poly-b pipe repair & replacement services across Coquitlam and the Lower Mainland — with upfront pricing and no surprises.
Poly-B repipe specialists serving Coquitlam and the Tri-Cities
Minimal drywall disruption using modern repipe techniques
Work completed quickly — often in 1–2 days for average-sized homes
Insurance documentation provided with every complete repipe
Licensed TSBC-certified plumbers on every job
Our Promise
We back every job with our workmanship guarantee. If it's not right, we come back and fix it — no charge. TSBC-licensed technicians, upfront pricing, and real 24/7 emergency availability across the Lower Mainland.
Our Guarantee
Every job is handled by TSBC-licensed technicians using quality materials and equipment.
We inspect your home to confirm whether Poly-B is present and assess the condition and extent of the system.
Complete replacement of all Poly-B supply lines throughout your home with copper or PEX piping.
Replacement of the most vulnerable sections — manifolds, fittings, and high-stress runs — where full replacement isn't the immediate plan.
Fast repair of an active Poly-B pipe leak while you plan your full repipe.
Written confirmation of repipe completion to provide to your home insurance provider — required by most BC insurers.
Poly-B pipes are grey or sometimes dark grey plastic, typically ¾" or ½" diameter. Check under bathroom sinks, in your mechanical room, or crawlspace. Homes in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam built between 1978 and 1995 are most likely to have Poly-B. Call us for a free visual assessment.
The cost of Poly-B replacement in Coquitlam depends on the size of your home and accessibility of the pipes. Most homes range from $5,000–$12,000 for a complete repipe to copper or PEX. We provide a written quote after assessment — no obligation. The cost is almost always recovered in reduced insurance premiums and peace of mind.
Yes. Many BC home insurers surcharge policies on homes with Poly-B plumbing, and some have begun refusing to insure properties with Poly-B altogether. Once you complete a repipe, we provide documentation, and you can request a policy review from your insurer.
Most Poly-B repipes in an average Coquitlam home (3–4 bedrooms) take 1–2 days. Larger homes or those with difficult access may take 3 days. We work efficiently and restore water service to your home each evening so you're not without water overnight.
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24/7 emergency response. Scheduled service across Coquitlam and the Lower Mainland. A real local technician answers every call.
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