Roswell Plumbing Blog
Planning a Polybutylene-to-PEX Repipe in a 1978 to 1995 Roswell Home
Found PB2110 pipe at the water heater? How a planned PEX repipe works room by room in a Roswell home, from layout choices to permits.
Why Plan
A Repipe Goes Better When You Choose the Date
Polybutylene was installed in homes across metro Atlanta from roughly 1978 to 1995, including many Roswell subdivisions such as Horseshoe Bend, Martin's Landing, Brookfield Country Club and Edenwilde. It is flexible gray or sometimes blue plastic, often stamped PB2110, and it has a reputation for failing without much warning, usually at fittings or where it has been stressed.
The worst time to deal with it is after a fitting lets go above a finished ceiling. The best time is on a calendar you control. This article walks through how a planned polybutylene-to-PEX repipe works in a typical Roswell house, room by room.
What to Do Before You Get Quotes
Confirm what you have and gather the details that shape the plan.
- Find the pipe. Look at the water heater, under sinks, behind toilets and at the main shutoff for gray plastic stamped PB2110.
- Check the service line. If you can see where the line from the meter enters the house, note its material too.
- Count fixtures. Bathrooms, kitchen, laundry, ice maker, hose bibs and any wet bar.
- Note the foundation. Crawl space, basement or slab changes how pipe is routed.
- Ask your insurer. Some insurers ask about polybutylene. Know what paperwork they want afterward.
Photos of the pipe at the water heater and under a sink are enough for a first conversation.
Design Choices
Manifold or Trunk-and-Branch?
PEX systems are usually laid out one of two ways. A trunk-and-branch layout runs a larger main line through the house with smaller branches to each fixture, much like the original piping. A manifold layout runs individual lines from a central manifold to each fixture, often with a shutoff for each line.
Manifolds make it easy to shut off one fixture without affecting the rest of the house, and they can deliver more consistent flow when several fixtures run at once. Trunk-and-branch uses less tubing and can be simpler to route in some homes. In many Roswell houses over crawl spaces or basements, either works well because most runs can go underneath.
Also decide on PEX type. PEX-A, PEX-B and PEX-C differ in how they are made and connected. Your plumber should explain which fittings they use and why.
Room by Room
How the Work Usually Moves Through the House
A typical sequence for a two-story Roswell home over a crawl space or basement.
| Area | What gets replaced | Access notes |
|---|---|---|
| Water heater and main | Supply to and from the heater, main shutoff often upgraded | Usually exposed, quick to reach |
| Kitchen | Sink supplies, dishwasher and ice maker lines | Often reached from below |
| First-floor bathrooms | Toilets, sinks, tubs and showers | Small openings behind fixtures |
| Second-floor bathrooms | Same fixtures, fed through walls | Most drywall openings are here |
| Laundry and hose bibs | Washer box, outdoor faucets | Good time to add frost-free sillcocks |
Water is typically restored each evening as sections are completed. Old polybutylene is usually abandoned in place rather than removed from walls.
Permits, Inspection and Paperwork
The City of Roswell requires a permit before anyone alters or replaces a plumbing system, and a repipe is inspected before walls are closed. Keep the final inspection documents with your closing papers. Future buyers and insurers may ask how the polybutylene question was resolved.
Our whole-house repiping page covers materials and costs in more detail. If a fitting fails before your repipe date, the burst pipe repair page explains the emergency steps.
Homes from the same era in nearby Johns Creek, where many communities date from the late 1980s onward, often face the same decision.
After
Living With the New System
Once the repipe is done, label the main shutoff and, if you have a manifold, label each line. Test the main valve once a year so it turns when you need it.
Keep the plumber's invoice, the permit number and the inspection record together. And check your water heater's age while you are at it. A repipe is a natural time to replace an aging tank or add an expansion tank if the system needs one.
Budgeting
Budgeting and Scheduling a Repipe
Repipe prices depend on the number of fixtures, the number of stories, the foundation type and how much wall and ceiling patching is included. A one-story house over a crawl space is typically the simplest. A two-story slab home with finished ceilings is the most involved.
Plan the dates around your household. Water is usually off during working hours and restored in the evening, so school and work days are often easier than weekends. Clear access under sinks, in closets that share walls with bathrooms, and to the crawl space or basement before the crew arrives.
Finally, set aside a small contingency. Opening walls in a 30-year-old house can turn up a previous repair in an odd material or a section of damaged framing. A good contractor will tell you about it before doing extra work.
After the Work
Keep the Paperwork From Your Repipe
When the repipe passes its final inspection, the City of Roswell issues a certificate showing the job was completed, and the City itself suggests homeowners get that document before making final payment. Keep it with the invoice, the material specs and any photos of the new lines.
That file does two jobs. It answers an insurer's question about polybutylene with proof that it is gone, and it answers a buyer's inspector when you sell. Note which lines, if any, were abandoned in place rather than removed, so no one later mistakes an old gray pipe in a wall for live plumbing. The new lines themselves are sized, supported and tested under Georgia's state minimum plumbing code, which is adapted from the IPC, and the pressure test before walls close is the step the City inspector wants to see.
Cost
What a Repipe Quote Should Show
Comparing repipe quotes is easier when each one breaks out the same items.
Homeowners insurance does not pay for a planned repipe, but documented replacement answers the polybutylene question some insurers ask. Until the work is done, make sure everyone in the house knows where the main shutoff is. If a fitting fails before the repipe date, close the main and call instead of waiting.
Ready to price a repipe? Call (770) 214-4545.
Questions
Repipe Planning Questions
You can, and some owners start with the most exposed sections, such as the water heater connections and the lines over finished ceilings. The risk is that the remaining polybutylene keeps aging, so a phased plan should still have an end date.
Often, yes, especially when it replaces corroded galvanized pipe. With polybutylene, pressure is usually fine before the repipe, so the gain is mostly reliability.
Check what it is made of. Some 1980s homes also have polybutylene service lines in the yard. If yours does, replacing it at the same time avoids a second project later.
Sources for This Page
Polybutylene years and Roswell neighborhood patterns come from published Roswell service-area notes by established local plumbing contractors. Permit requirements come from the City of Roswell Community Development building FAQ. Johns Creek build years reflect public MLS listings.
Written by the Roswell 24/7 Plumbing team and checked against the sources above. Last reviewed October 1, 2026.
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