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Reniassance Home Attic Leak...anyone Else?

Reniassance Homes Lennar Homes Repairs attic leak

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#1 Leechee63

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Posted 09 November 2013 - 07:59 PM

We have a Renaissance Home in Empire Ranch. Has anyone else had their hot water line leak in the attic? We have been told the coupling to repair it is

no longer available. The quotes we have gotten to repair it are outrageous. Went to Home Depot and tried

their suggestion and it did not work. All and any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


Edited by Leechee63, 09 November 2013 - 08:01 PM.


#2 mac_convert

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Posted 09 November 2013 - 08:00 PM

Has anyone else have their hot water line leak in the attic? We have been told the coupling to repair it is

no longer available. The quotes we have gotten to repair it are outrageous. Went to Home Depot and tried

their suggestion and it did not work. All and any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

I would contact the builder to see what they suggest.



#3 Chris

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Posted 09 November 2013 - 10:16 PM

See if it is Kitec...

 

If it is do a search under "Kitec Litigation"

 

My ER home is plumbed with Kitec and I did have a leak and got them (Kitec Litigation) to pay for the repair.

 

Bonney Plumbing has the correct repair pieces for Kitec.   Regards, Chris


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#4 Agent_007

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Posted 28 January 2014 - 01:44 PM

Leechee63, we experienced a flood in our home two weeks after your post above. 

 

Today, we are finishing a complete repipe of our home, removing all Kitec pipes from our house.

 

Seeing the pipes when they are removed, you'll see firsthand that Kitec is like a time bomb in your home. Literally, pipes disintegrated in my hands once removed from our house.

 

There are many homes in our area (Folsom, EDH) that were built using Kitec pipes. Homes are at the age when these pipes are now failing.

 

Feel free to PM me if you'd like to discuss further.

 

-Brett



#5 4thgenFolsomite

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Posted 29 January 2014 - 08:56 AM

how can you tell if you have Kitec pipes?


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#6 Agent_007

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Posted 29 January 2014 - 10:33 AM

You will need to visually inspect one of your hotwater pipes. Usually an attic is a great place to check.

 

The pipes are orange in color and say KITEC, made in Canada and have other markings on them. Specifically, you need to see KITEC printed on them..

 

I have a sample pipe in my office, which was removed from my own home.

 

You can see for yourself the premature deterioration and defects in the pipe. The wear is both stunning and startling.

 

I do not mean to be alarmist, but taking no action on your home is not going to solve any problems for people with Kitec installed in them.

 

Homes built from 1998-2006/7 are most likely at risk of having Kitec in them.

 

-Brett



#7 ducky

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Posted 29 January 2014 - 10:36 AM

Is it also known as PEX pipe?  Blue for cold water and orange for hot water?



#8 Agent_007

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Posted 29 January 2014 - 10:43 AM

Is it also known as PEX pipe?  Blue for cold water and orange for hot water?

Kitec is a brand of PEX piping. Kitec is unique in that it does not work with standard PEX piping and that Kitec is constructed of an aluminum core with PEX encasing the aluminum.

 

PEX piping is both red, blue and white, depending on its use (red for hot, blue for cold and white for main line supply in homes (usually 1" diameter). The red and blue PEX are used when stepping down from 1" mains to 3/4" supplies and then to 1/2" feeders.

 

Specifically, Kitec is stamped on KITEC branded pipes. There are reasons Kitec fails; mainly due to zinc leaching from the brass/zinc fittings/connectors and deforming the Kitec pipes. Hot water accelerates the de-zincification of the fittings thus the problem.



#9 4thgenFolsomite

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Posted 29 January 2014 - 11:34 AM

My nephew lives in Empire Ranch.  I just sent him some of this information.  He wrote back that he has Kitec pipes and, while he doesn't have any leaks, he hates it because lacks insulation.  In summer the cold water comes out at 100 degrees.  In winter it takes 15 minutes to get warm water, so basically in either case he has to dump all the water in the pipe to get what he wants.


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#10 Agent_007

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Posted 29 January 2014 - 11:46 AM

My nephew lives in Empire Ranch.  I just sent him some of this information.  He wrote back that he has Kitec pipes and, while he doesn't have any leaks, he hates it because lacks insulation.  In summer the cold water comes out at 100 degrees.  In winter it takes 15 minutes to get warm water, so basically in either case he has to dump all the water in the pipe to get what he wants.

I'd recommend he inspect his hot water pipes. Leaks are inevitable. There was an international lawsuit and a settlement fund established.

 

http://kitecsettlement.com/

 

AFAIK, no water pipes have insulation. The hot/cold issue you speak of is more related to home insulation and the City's water supply.



#11 ducky

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Posted 29 January 2014 - 12:51 PM

I'm a little slow this morning and I do thank you for your answer Agent_007, but does that mean only the Kitec brand of PEX is the problem?  As long as the pipes don't say Kitec on them they're okay?

 

4thgen, does your nephew have a tankless water heater?  Insulating the pipes that go on the outside of the house ,if that's where it's located, helps a lot with the hot/cold situation.



#12 4thgenFolsomite

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Posted 29 January 2014 - 12:56 PM

no tankless water heater, Ducky.  Just a house with uninsulated pipes, it sounds like.  But thanks for the follow up.  I think he's planning on insulating his pipes in the attic no matter what.


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#13 Agent_007

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Posted 29 January 2014 - 01:07 PM

I'm a little slow this morning and I do thank you for your answer Agent_007, but does that mean only the Kitec brand of PEX is the problem?  As long as the pipes don't say Kitec on them they're okay?

Only Kitec brand PEX is defective. All other PEX brands are still used in homes and that is what we repiped with; traditional PEX.

 

It's simple, if your pipes say KITEC on them, you have a problem.

 

I am happy to share and educate our neighbors as needed. I have actual sample pipes from my home in my office for people to see.

 

A water loss in your home is only second in severity to a fire loss in terms of destruction and inconvenience.

 

If you've never seen a water loss, consider yourself lucky. I have seen 2nd story water run down to 1st floor rooms. It's ugly. Ceilings collapsed, water everywhere, walls having to be cut out at the 5' level to dry our studs. Carpets, pads and furniture soaked and trashed.



#14 TruthSeeker

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Posted 29 January 2014 - 02:58 PM

Why are local contractors buying crappy materials from Canada? To save a buck and skimp on quality?


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#15 Agent_007

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Posted 29 January 2014 - 03:32 PM

TruthSeeker, I wouldn't say that contractors are buying and installing these materials.

 

Kitec was sold to new home builders (Lennar, Renaissance, Wincrest, US Home and many others) as a newer technology and superior product. 

 

We know time always tells and evidently Kitec wasn't or isn't either of those.

 

Now should home builders have done more to help home buyers who are affected by the products installed in new homes? Sure, and then again I'm biased.

 

A new home is sold with a 10-year builder warranty. My and many others' warranty has since expired.

 

Owning a home is no different than owning a car. Both come with ownership responsibilities.

 

Once can either accept to manage those responsibilities or pray they don't experience a loss or insurance claim.






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