Kitec Brass Fittings Failures - Commonly Used In Pex Pipe Tubing

Kitec Brass Fittings Failure - Pex Pipes

Pex tubing is a generic name for a type of flexible plastic plumbing tubing that recently has become popular with home builders. Pex tubes are a direct substitute for copper pipes and their flexibility offers advantages in both cost and installation, as well as in reducing the number of directional joints that are needed to get from the water source to the fixture. Pex pipes are supposed to have a lower failure rate because they can expand and contract more than traditional copper pipes and are resistant to deterioration.

Brass Fittings Failure

Although Pex tubing requires fewer directional joints than copper pipes do, they still require fittings to connect them to each other, or to water sources. The fittings that are commonly used with Pex tubing are made of brass and are crimped to the ends of the tubes in the same way that a garden hose is connected to a water source. The problems with these fittings stem from the fact that they are made of brass, and while brass is normally corrosion resistant it can lose this property through a process called dezincification. Many homeowners have found that the fittings in their new Pex systems have corroded within a short period after installation allowed gallons of water to escape and ruining thousands of dollars of building materials and/or furnishings.

Seeger Weiss LLP is investigating claims of Kitec brass fittings failures used in Pex pipe tubing for a class action lawsuit. Many homeowners have reported problems with ‘Kitec’ branded brass fittings. These fittings may have been specified by the builder when installing a Pex plumbing system in a new home. Claims already have surfaced in Nevada, California and Washington State regarding Kitec brass fittings, but Seeger Weiss’ investigation is not limited to only these states. If you or someone you know has experienced a failure of a Pex plumbing system or have had corrosion issues with Kitec Brass fittings, please fill out the free case evaluation form and a member of Seeger Weiss LLP's experienced staff will contact you to discuss your potential rights. Attorney consultations incur no obligation on your part. All initial consultations are free of charge and do not create an attorney-client relationship.