Local Family- Owned Plumbing & Drain Service Since 1974.
Local Family- Owned Plumbing & Drain Service Since 1974.
If your Waterdown home has Kitec plumbing, here are the issues to watch for before winter: brass fittings that are corroding or discolored, any history of leaks or low water pressure, pipes in unheated areas such as basements or garages and any part of the system that hasn’t been inspected in the last few years. Cold weather puts extra stress and temperature stress on a plumbing system that’s already prone to failure, making a pre-winter check and Kitec plumbing repair the safest way to prevent a burst pipe once the freeze comes.
If your Waterdown home or condo was built or renovated between 1995 and 2007, chances are you have Kitec plumbing behind the walls. Kitec pipes are the blue and red or orange tubing with brass fittings that were installed widely across Ontario before the product’s problems became widely known.
Kitec systems fail for a few known reasons. High temperatures, sun exposure, water pressure and improper installation. So many of these factors combine in a winter waterdown. For a plumbing system with a known failure point, that’s just the kind of added stress that turns a slow, hidden problem into a winter plumbing emergency.
Kitec plumbing problems can develop over time, but the consequences of a failed pipe or fitting can be serious. Water damage and costly surprises can ruin your home and increase your costs. If you have Kitec plumbing in your Waterdown home you might want to have the system checked out before winter. If you’re dealing with Kitec Plumbing Repair, pipe replacement or a complete Kitec replacement project, a seasoned plumbing team can help you to understand what options are available.
The biggest weak point in a Kitec system isn’t the pipe itself, it’s the brass fitting that connects the pipe to a shutoff. These fittings are under constant pressure and used daily making them prone to a process called dezincification. This is what happens when the brass’s zinc rusts over time because of the constant contact with moisture and oxygen. Zinc oxide builds up inside the pipe and obstructs the water flow, raising the internal pressure until the pipe cracks and leaks.
If you see a fitting that looks corroded or discolored, or has any mineral buildup around it, that’s a sign dezincification is already underway. These fittings should be inspected and repaired before cold weather stresses the system.
A leak that has been patched is still a sign that the surrounding pipe and fittings are breaking down. Spot repairs might fix the leak right now, but they don’t fix the underlying deterioration, so a previously repaired area is still a weak point heading into winter.
Over time, zinc oxide builds up inside the Kitec pipes, reducing water flow. If you have some fixtures in your Waterdown home that have a lot less pressure than they used to, it could be because of blockages building up inside the pipe walls.
Basements, garages and outside walls are more susceptible to temperature swings. In these areas, Kitec pipe sections are more likely to fail under stress when temperatures drop.
If your Kitec system was not recently inspected, winter is not the time to discover the weak points. A pre-winter inspection gives a licensed plumber the chance to find trouble spots before they become a burst pipe and water damage.
This is one of the most frequent questions asked by homeowners.
Fixing one problem may be a short-term fix, but a full replacement may be the better option in the long run if the larger Kitec system has degraded.
Harb Plumbing says spot repairs can take care of specific problem areas, but the rest of the Kitec components might continue to break down. For this reason, homeowners may end up choosing complete replacement rather than repeatedly repairing individual leaks.
For Waterdown homeowners considering Kitec replacement, understanding the process can make the project easier to plan.
Harb Plumbing’s Kitec replacement process includes:
Kitec plumbing is more than just replacing a visible pipe. In some houses the system may be found in the whole property, in other houses it may be in only some parts. These problems can be identified early so you can make an educated decision on repair or replacement for homeowners searching for a Trusted Waterdown Plumbing Company.
Harb Plumbing will do a full inspection before any replacement project to know what needs to be replaced. The company says it has replaced Kitec pipes and fittings in more than 150 homes and condos in Burlington, Oakville, Milton, Mississauga, Hamilton and the GTA.
Homeowners in Waterdown should be looking for leaking or cracked Kitec pipes, deteriorating brass fittings, reduced water flow and any known signs of Kitec system failure before winter. If you have an older Kitec system that has not been inspected, a professional can assess it to determine whether it needs to be repaired or replaced entirely. Being prepared ahead of time can bring you more peace of mind, and help to reduce the likelihood of an unexpected plumbing emergency during the colder months.
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