Grey Poly-B supply lines clipped along the floor joists of an unfinished basement, next to ductwork.

Ecoflow Plumbing & Heating Inc.

Poly-B Replacement for Salmon Arm and Shuswap Homes

Q: How do I know if I have Poly-B or PEX?

Poly-B is grey and usually stamped PB2110. PEX, used in newer construction, is typically red, blue or white. Both are flexible plastic, which is why they get confused. Check at the hot water tank first, where the pipe is easiest to see. Text us a photo at (250) 832-5846 if you're unsure.

Has your insurance company asked whether your home has Poly-B plumbing, and you weren't sure how to answer? Start here. This page shows you how to identify the pipe in your own house, what your insurer is likely to do about it, and what replacing it costs and involves. Ecoflow replaces Poly-B across Salmon Arm, Sicamous, Enderby, Armstrong and the Shuswap.

Get a Free Repipe Estimate Call (250) 832-5846

The insurance trigger

Why your insurer is suddenly asking about your pipes

Poly-B went into around 700,000 Canadian homes between 1978 and the late 1990s, before it came off the approved materials list under the National Plumbing Code in 2005. It was cheap, flexible and quick to install. The problem showed up later. The pipe and its original plastic fittings degrade from the inside, and when they fail they usually fail suddenly, with no slow drip to warn you.

Insurers have done the math. If Poly-B turns up on your policy, a BC broker will tell you the realistic outcomes are a premium surcharge, a much higher water damage deductible, a deadline to replace it, a water damage exclusion, or a flat refusal to cover the home.

That is what brings most people to this page. There is a second reason to deal with it. Replacing Poly-B before it fails costs less and disrupts less than replacing it after a line opens up behind a finished wall.

Identify it yourself

Do you actually have Poly-B?

Three things to check, and it takes about ten minutes.

The colour. Poly-B is grey, sometimes closer to a dull silver. Copper you will recognise on sight. Red, blue or white flexible plastic is PEX, used in newer construction.

The stamp. Look for PB2110 printed along the pipe. That code is the giveaway.

The build year. If the house went up between the late 1970s and the late 1990s and has never been repiped, check properly.

The easiest places to look are the hot water tank, under the kitchen and bathroom sinks, and anywhere the plumbing is exposed in an unfinished basement or crawlspace. If you find grey pipe and you're still unsure, text us a photo at (250) 832-5846 . We'll tell you what you're looking at, no charge.

Copper and grey Poly-B supply lines running side by side into brass fittings above a water heater.

The work

What a Poly-B repipe with Ecoflow involves

We replace the Poly-B supply lines throughout the house with PEX, including the fittings and manifolds that come with it. Replacing only part of the system is usually just kicking the can down the road. The sections you leave in are the same age and under the same pressure as the ones you took out, and most insurers want the whole system gone before they will adjust your policy.

A typical whole-home replacement covers:

Removal of accessible Poly-B supply lines throughout the home
New PEX lines, fittings and shut-offs
Reconnection of all fixtures: sinks, tubs, showers, toilets, laundry, hot water tank
Pressure testing and inspection before anything gets closed up
Access cuts kept to the minimum your layout allows
A detailed invoice describing the work, which goes straight to your insurance broker

About drywall and finishing. Getting new lines through a finished house means some access cuts. We do our best to make as few as we can, and to put them where they're easiest to patch. Expect some minor drywall, moulding and paint touch-ups afterwards, and in a tiled bathroom we take every precaution but can't guarantee tiles come off without cracking. Unless your estimate specifically includes that finishing work, those repairs are yours to arrange, and we can recommend someone who does them.

How long it takes

We're in and out of most homes in a day.

When we can start

We're usually booking about two weeks out.

What it costs

Most whole-home repipes fall between $5,000 and $8,000.

Need a Poly-B repipe? Give us a call and we'll come out and put a free estimate in your hands, so you know before you commit: when we can start, how long the job takes, how long you'll be without water, and what it's going to cost.

Call (250) 832-5846 Book a free estimate

"Replacing outdated pipes and reconnecting everything to the main water line ... they worked very clean, with the least amount of impact ... Their thoughtfulness ... saved me hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, as they ... did a minimum amount of drywall damage. On top they even finished one day sooner as they predicted and that all for a very reasonable price."

Michael Strauch Salmon Arm · Poly-B replacement, two-bedroom strata apartment · October 2025 · Google

1 Year
Labour

If it isn't right, we come back

Our labour is covered for one year, and the equipment carries its manufacturer's warranty, which we register on your behalf so it's actually in force when you need it.

If something we installed or repaired isn't doing what we told you it would do, call the office and we'll be back out to look at it at no charge. No arguing about whose fault it is first.

FAQ

Common questions about Poly-B replacement

Will my insurance company drop me if I have Poly-B?

Some insurers decline to cover a home with Poly-B outright. Others will keep you on with a surcharge, a higher water damage deductible, a water damage exclusion, or a deadline to have it replaced. It depends entirely on the insurer, so ask your broker directly what your policy says. Get a repipe quote before that conversation so you know what the fix costs.

How do I know if I have Poly-B or PEX?

Poly-B is grey and usually stamped PB2110. PEX, used in newer construction, is typically red, blue or white. Both are flexible plastic, which is why they get confused. Check at the hot water tank first, where the pipe is easiest to see. Text us a photo at (250) 832-5846 if you're unsure.

Do you have to tear out the walls?

Not usually all of them. We run new lines through existing cavities where we can, and cut access points only where we have to. Expect some minor drywall, moulding and paint touch-ups afterwards. Unless your estimate includes that finishing work, the repairs are yours to arrange, and we can recommend someone. In tiled bathrooms we take every precaution, though we cannot guarantee tiles come off intact.

How long will we be without water?

Most homes are a single day. The water goes off through the working day and back on that evening. We'll tell you which day that falls on before we start, so you can plan around it.

Is it worth replacing if nothing has leaked yet?

That's the argument for doing it now. Poly-B tends to fail without warning, and a planned repipe is scheduled, quoted and worked around your life. An unplanned one happens at 2am behind a finished wall, and you're dealing with water damage, insurance and drying equipment on top of the plumbing bill.

Can you do it while we're living in the house?

Yes. Most repipes are done with the family still in the home. Water goes off through the working day and back on that evening.

These answers reviewed by Sergei Grigorjew

Co-owner, Ecoflow Plumbing & Heating. Working plumber since 2005.

Plumbing ticket no. 17-05646

Get a free Poly-B repipe estimate

Whether your broker gave you a deadline, your home inspector flagged it during a sale, or you looked under the sink and found grey pipe, the next step is the same. We'll come and look at it, tell you what the job involves, and put a number on it in writing.

Free estimates. No obligation.

Get a Free Estimate Call (250) 832-5846