Monday, January 10, 2011:
The Construction Defect Center says, “We want to hear from all US homeowners, or plumbers who have had, or know of a plumbing failure involving Unonor’s, or RTI’s P Pex, or MB Pex brass fittings. If you have these specific type of plumbing brass fittings, court records indicate they could all fail, and the entire house will need to be re-plumbed.” They say, “if need be, we will contact every plumber in the US to identify homes that have the Upinor P-PEX, MB-Pex, or Radiant Technology defective brass fittings-its that big of a deal.”
The plumbing products at issue are Uponor’s, or RTI’s P-Pex, or MB-Pex brass fittings inserted into crosslinked polyethylene (PEX) tubing. The Construction Defect Center says, “Although Uponor and RTI advertised, and warranted their brass P PEX, or MB Pex fittings for as long as 25 years, the fittings began failing — sometimes only months after installation. The Construction Defect Center has already identified homeowners in New York, Arizona and California, where this has happened. When the fittings fail, water leaks can severely damage walls, floors, and other personal property. All of Uponor’s fittings are identified by a P Pex or MB Pex stamped on their side.
The Construction Defect Center says, “Our investigation involves homes, or buildings built nationwide from 2004-2007. We are talking about 100,000’s of US homes, in what could be the largest ever plumbing recall in US history.” Based on court papers-the entire home should have all of the defective Uponor, or RTI’s P Pex, or MB Pex fittings replaced.” In court documents, Minnesota-based Uponor Inc. admits to selling defective, and dangerous plumbing fittings, but refuses to honor homeowner warranties.
What the homeowner, or most plumbers do not realize is that by fixing just one failed P Pex, or MB Pex fitting-you have not corrected the entire problem.
Based on court papers all of the fittings could fail.” If a homeowner, or plumber has had a failed brass fitting that was produced by Uponor, or RTI, they should contact the Construction Defect Center immediately at 866-714-6466 or via its web site at http://ConstructionDefectCenter.com
A number of manufacturers, including Uponor, Viega, Nibco and Zurn, have already been sued over their PEX piping products. While some of these cases have settled or are still moving forward, attorneys are turning their attention to other brands to determine whether failure of the PEX tubing is an industry-wide problem. If you’ve had problems with PEX tubing and fittings, you may be able to take action. Attorneys working with ClassAction.org are asking to speak with homeowners across the country to learn more about the problems that seem to be plaguing many PEX piping systems.
PEX Tubing – Oxidization
The lawsuit alleges that NIBCO PEX tubing is prone to oxidization. Oxidization is the process whereby oxygen affects the quality of a material, such as metal or plastic. This can occur if the material was not treated properly or was defectively designed. Oxidization of PEX tubing can lead to cracks and ruptures.
PEX Clamps – Stress Corrosion Cracking
Water that escapes through the corroded fittings may also affect the PEX stainless steel clamps. Chlorine-rich water can cause “stress corrosion cracking,” which causes cracks and breaks in the clamps and renders them ineffective, according to the suit.
All three problems can cause significant problems for homeowners. According to the suit filed in December, 2013:
“Despite NIBCO’s attestations to the quality and superiority of its PEX Tubing, consumers all across the United States have experienced water damage and catastrophic PEX tubing failures caused by slow growth cracking mechanisms consistent with oxidative failure and/or creep rupture. These slow growth cracking mechanisms have been caused by the insufficient stabilization and/or improper cross-linking of the PEX material used by NIBCO to manufacture its PEX Tubing.”
If you have this plumbing system in your home or business, you may be able to recover compensation as part of a class action lawsuit. Attorneys are currently investigating whether NIBCO PEX tubing is defective and are interested in hearing from anyone who has these pipes installed in their property. Contact attorneys at www.classaction.org.