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Reniassance Home Attic Leak...anyone Else?

Reniassance Homes Lennar Homes Repairs attic leak

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#16 kanda

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Posted 22 July 2014 - 04:01 PM

I don't know if anyone is still following this thread, as it's half a year old. But I just came across it and it has me worried. Thanks to everyone who has posted here, bringing up this issue.

 

I'm in a Renaissance home, built in 2001, so it seems like it probably should have Kitec in it. But I went up to the attic, and all I could find was a 1" clear Raupex PEX line. I don't know if they didn't use any stepdown lines, or they're buried under the insulation somewhere.

 

Anyone have any thoughts or ideas? I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to plumbing.



#17 Agent_007

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Posted 22 July 2014 - 04:08 PM

you're going to find your best answer by locating your hot water line coming out of your water heater. this is the line that will have the most visible damage (if you have Kitec brand PEX).

 

what you are looking for is red or orange hot water lines that say KITEC on them. if they don't say KITEC, then you have little to worry about. 

 

PEX is a kid of pipe. KITEC is a brand of PEX.

 

hot water systems when built are done using same brands/kinds of pipes. KITEC is not designed to be interchangeable with other brands (easily). they are different in size and fittings.

 

soft copper is used in foundations so you won't find KITEC there.

 

hope this helps.



#18 kanda

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Posted 24 July 2014 - 07:12 AM

Thanks, Agent_007, I really appreciate your help and your previous posts in this thread.

 

From the ground level, there's nothing to see. The hot water line coming out of the water heater is a flexible copper tubing, it's attached to some kind of pipe coming out of the wall. But that pipe was painted white, so I can't tell anything from that ... though it seems to be turning green from some sort of corrosion! I'm going to have to take a closer look (it isn't easy to get up there).

 

I have a video that was taken of our house after the electrical & plumbing were put in, but before the drywall went up. Unfortunately it just shows quick glimpes of pipes, but I didn't see any indication of red or orange (or blue, for that matter) pipes. Everything appeared to be the same clear, colorless pipes that I saw in the attic (except perhaps for size). But I'm not 100% certain, as the video is pretty poor quality.

 

Since I know for sure that they did use 1" (or maybe it's 3/4") clear Raupex PEX, perhaps that lowers the odds that they mixed that with KITEC PEX. It's the best I can do, unless I can somehow locate someone from the original builder (doubtful).



#19 Tyto Alba

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Posted 25 July 2014 - 06:14 PM

Agree with 007,   the most corrosion you will see will be near the hot water line leading out the water heater into the home.     If you are concerned about a leak......you could change out the hot water line leading out for a few feet leading into the house.    The constant change in heat  really speeds up the corrosion.

 

My Lexington Hills home.....came back from vacation and water was running down the floor in the garage.    Turned out the water was coming out the bottom in back of the drywall.   I  removed the water heater and broke down the dry wall directly in back.    Turned out to be a leak on a copper elbow on the hot water side.   I ended up cutting the bad elbow out and "sweat" (plumbing term for solder) a new elbow in.  It was very easy and was fascinated on how solder flowed where the flux was placed.    I checked the rest of the copper pipes and they all look good for 20 plus years.

 

What you could do is run good quality copper pipe 10 feet into the home on the hot water side and install a fitting to attach to the existing PEX.    You could save some money and more insurance your plumbing is leak proof for years.     



#20 kanda

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Posted 26 July 2014 - 10:52 AM

Thanks, Tyto Alba. That has to be a terrible welcome home.

 

I got a closer look at the line coming out of the water heater. But it seems to be all metal as far as I can see going into the wall. What appeared to be a thin layer of green corrosion scraped off easily and there is what looks like still solid metal underneath. So I think I'm safe, but I'll definitely be paying closer attention.



#21 Agent_007

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Posted 28 July 2014 - 12:19 PM

Thanks, Agent_007, I really appreciate your help and your previous posts in this thread.

 

From the ground level, there's nothing to see. The hot water line coming out of the water heater is a flexible copper tubing, it's attached to some kind of pipe coming out of the wall. But that pipe was painted white, so I can't tell anything from that ... though it seems to be turning green from some sort of corrosion! I'm going to have to take a closer look (it isn't easy to get up there).

 

I have a video that was taken of our house after the electrical & plumbing were put in, but before the drywall went up. Unfortunately it just shows quick glimpes of pipes, but I didn't see any indication of red or orange (or blue, for that matter) pipes. Everything appeared to be the same clear, colorless pipes that I saw in the attic (except perhaps for size). But I'm not 100% certain, as the video is pretty poor quality.

 

Since I know for sure that they did use 1" (or maybe it's 3/4") clear Raupex PEX, perhaps that lowers the odds that they mixed that with KITEC PEX. It's the best I can do, unless I can somehow locate someone from the original builder (doubtful).

 

any pipes you want to inspect for Kitec (or to confirm you do not have Kitec) will be inside the walls, hidden by Sheetrock.

 

when PEX (Kitec is a brand, specific kind of PEX) is used in home, the PEX is the distribution lines for hot and cold water. when a connection is made (supply line to a valve), the PEX is connected to a copper fitting.

 

any piping/plumbing you see inside the home will be (usually), copper coming from behind the wall to a valve (hot or cold). the length of copper behind these connections connecting to PEX and vary in length.

 

the BEST way to determine if you home has, or does not have Kitec, is to locate your hot water heater hot water into the home supply line. from there, you will need to go into your attic and trace that inside wall main hot water pipe (usually 3/4" diameter either red or orange colored pipe). that pipe will usually connect into a manifold where the hot water is distributed to the various points in your home. 

 

the line that will be most adversely affected by having Kitec is that 3/4" supply line and the manifold it connects to. this pipe receives the most hot water flow in your home (directly from hot water tank).

 

Kitec pipes will have visibly noticeable brown spots and bubbles and bulges on the pipe. the pipe will feel irregular and not perfectly round.

 

new home construction would not blend manufacturers between Kitec and other PEX brands. they are not easily interconnected. Kitec is physically a different diameter than other PEX brands. it's size and fitting are proprietary.

 

i hope this info is helpful and useful and doesn't generate confusion.

 

if you'd like to see a section of Kitec pipe, you can contact me and I will arrange to meet you at my office and show you a damaged section of Kitec pipe removed from my home whe we re-plumbed.

 

for your reference, homes built from late 90's possibly into 2006/07 may contain Kitec. Folsom experience major expansion during those years.

 

my entire neighborhood was built using Kitec (Belsera in Willow Springs). a few neighbors have already replaced their pipes.

 

if i were in the market today to buy a re-sale home, i would not buy a home with Kitec in it. the price of a re-plumb would need to be factored into the sales price and i'd re-plumb it before ever moving in.

 

full disclosure: i operate a Farmers Insurance agency. there are two losses a homeowners never wants to expereince, water and fire. both are incredibly disruptive to life. plan accordingly.






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