What is the difference between blue polybutylene, black polyethylene and PVC water service piping?
First all three are poly pipes, there in the same family. Polybutylene (PB) is the least desirable of the three mainly because of its deterioration, and low pressure rating. Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) is favored by many plumbers, however, the pipe becomes brittle over time, the pipe has little flexibility, repairs cannot be done quickly (glue time), pipe comes in short sticks and many joints are required. Black polyethylene (PE) comes in several thicknesses; I would say the only suitable version of PE for a water service is the 200 PSI version combined with brass coupling. The benefits of PE pipe are flexibility, typically only two connections on a single short run and a good performance history. It is estimated that 95% of new home water service lines are black PE. And that 100% of new gas service lines are yellow PE.
