Polybutylene Leak Questions\Hot Water "Running" With Water Off

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Spirrwell

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Hello!

I just want to preface this that I'm completely new to plumbing, so apologies for potentially being dumb.

So I'm in a double wide mobile home that has polybutylene pipes. We have a hot water leak at one end of the home underneath. It's a 3/8 inch pipe and the leak is at a tee fitting. And we could be waiting a while for anybody to show up to fix it.

They apparently don't make push to connect PEX adapters in that size (that I could find), and I don't have a crimp tool, nor could I find one at Lowes. BUT I do have a clamp tool for PEX tubing. So I can't use any adaptive polybutylene to PEX fittings as they're only available with a copper crimp ring.

All I have access to are a 3/8 inch tee fitting for PEX, as well as clamps. (Or any other PEX fittings I can buy in that size)

First question: The 3/8 inch PEX and polybutylene are the same size and wall thickness. Is there any specific reason I can't use a regular brass tee PEX fitting with clamp rings on the polybutylene?

Second question: I shut off the water to the home, and the hot water breaker was turned off (it's an electric heater). However there was still water coming out of the pipe hours later, and still quite hot. Not a lot of water, but a constant drizzle. How can this be? There's a blue lever underneath the house (ball valve?) that shuts off water to the home. That's what I used.

Any help or information would be greatly appreciated.
 
I'm going off of my own memory from about 20 years ago, but I have a vacation mobile home at a lake which once had that darn Poly butyl propalene pipe, and if I remember correctly, the pex diameters were completely different, however the Sharkbite fittings works perfectly. Turn off the main incoming water line at the street, turn off the water heater and let the system cool for several hours, then drain down the complete system. Then, get under there and fix the problem. Keep in mine that there was a huge lawsuit with that gray poly pipe back in the mid 1990's, and they recommend that it all be replaced because it is not if that pipe will break, it is when that pipe will break. You may consider biting the bullet now, and just replacing all of that pipe with PEX or copper.
 
Yes I understand polybutylene was banned from use in 1995 I believe. I know we have to eventually replace all of it.

They don't make sharkbite push to connect poly-B adaptive fittings in 3/8 inch size.

There are adaptive fittings that AREN'T push to connect, but I only have clamp rings with a clamp tool. Will these work? Or do I NEED to use the copper crimp ring that it comes with?
 
Hey man.
This what you do
have a friend in the trailer and you or the friend under the trailer

who ever is up top. have them BLOW air into faucets turn the hot valve on, the cold off
BLOW and blow the water OUT of the hole in the fitting under the house
When you have made the water go away. Then BLOW from the cut pipe to the faucet

NOW when yo get air at the faucet you know that the line goes from the cut to THAT sink or shower

Do you follow me so far?

replace that line from the cut to the fixture that it serves

With out pictures of your water heater and the broken pipe I can not tell you what to use. I can guess all day


NOTE...When I say blow the faucet. I mean put your head in the sink upside down in an uncomfortable position
wrap your lips around the spout and BLOW AIR.
IF. You can not do that
and you own a air compressor or bicycle pump
hold your hand over the spout and shoot air into the spout. YOU MUST HOLD THE AIR HOSE TIGHT
IF You cant do that
take it apart under the sink and blow the line from there
 

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