Pipes and freezing in Bellevue homes

Every Bellevue home's supply lines have a material, an age, and a failure profile. The galvanized steel that was standard 1945-1970 corrodes inward over 40-50 years. The polybutylene that replaced it in the 1980s-90s degrades from chlorine in city water. The copper that dominated the 1970s-90s leaks at pinholes after 30-40 years. PEX, the current standard, is rated for 25-50+ years and survives freezes that would burst copper. This section covers what's in your walls, when it will fail, and what to do about it.