Full Pipe Replacement in North Bay
Full pipe replacement in North Bay is a whole-home repiping service from Poly-B Plumbing that removes failing polybutylene, galvanized steel or corroded copper supply lines and replaces them with PEX or Type L copper, in North Bay, Callander, Sturgeon Falls, Powassan and the surrounding communities. A repipe is the replacement of every water supply line in the house rather than one leaking section, and it is the right call when the pipe material itself is the problem. Most full repipes take two to five days, the home has water every evening, and every joint is crimped, soldered or ProPress with no push-fit fittings. Call 705-345-6616.
Service hours
- Monday to Thursday7:00 am to 7:00 pm
- Friday7:00 am to 5:00 pm
- Saturday and SundayClosed
Emergency service is available during business hours only. Members of the $49-per-month plan get priority scheduling.
Poly-B pipe and Poly-B Plumbing: the same word, two different things
Poly-B is the trade name for polybutylene, a grey plastic water supply pipe installed in Canadian homes from about 1978 to 1995. It was cheap, flexible and easy to run, and it fails at the fittings: chlorine in treated water makes the plastic brittle from the inside and the acetal or copper crimp joints let go, usually inside a wall, usually with no warning. Poly-B Plumbing is the company on this page, named long before anyone in North Bay searched for “Poly-B pipe replacement”. Poly-B Plumbing replaces polybutylene rather than repairing it, because a repair on one joint buys months on a system where every joint is the same age.
Which pipe is in your walls, and what it means
| Material | How to recognize it | Typical life | Poly-B’s advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polybutylene (Poly-B) | Grey, flexible, half-inch and three-quarter, often with grey or copper crimp rings; stamped PB2110 | 25 to 30 years, long past for every installation | Replace the whole system in PEX. Some insurers ask about it at renewal. |
| Galvanized steel | Threaded grey metal pipe, magnetic, rusty at the joints | 40 to 50 years; most North Bay examples are older | Replace. It is closing from the inside; pressure drops and rust reaches every fixture. |
| Copper with pitting | Green or white crust at spots along the run, repeat pinholes | 50 to 70 years in neutral water; far less in soft acidic well water | Replace the affected runs, and treat the water if it is a well. |
| Copper in good condition | Bright or evenly dull, no crust, no history of leaks | Decades remaining | Leave it. A repipe is not sold where it is not needed. |
| Kitec | Orange (hot) and blue (cold) plastic-aluminum composite with brass fittings, 1995 to 2007 | Subject of a class action; fittings fail | Replace. |
When it is time to stop patching
Poly-B Plumbing recommends a full repipe when the house has two or more of the following: polybutylene or Kitec anywhere in the system, a second leak on the same run, rust-coloured water at the taps after the water has sat, pressure that has fallen off over the years, pinhole leaks in copper on a well, or shut-off valves that no longer close. One leak in otherwise sound copper is a leak repair, and Poly-B says so. The honest conversation happens at the first leak, with the pipe in your hand: what material it is, what the rest of the house is likely to look like, and what a plan costs.
PEX or copper for the new system?
| PEX (crimped or expansion) | Type L copper (soldered or ProPress) | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Most North Bay repipes: fewer joints, runs through existing walls with fewer openings | Exposed mechanical rooms, homeowners who prefer it, some commercial specs |
| Freeze behaviour | Expands and usually survives a freeze without splitting | Splits when frozen |
| Water chemistry | Unaffected by soft acidic well water | Pinholes in acidic water without treatment |
| Cost | Lower material, faster install | Higher material and labour |
| What Poly-B will not do with either | Push-fit fittings, temporary connections, or capping old lines in the wall instead of removing them | |
What a full repipe costs in North Bay
Poly-B Plumbing quotes repipes at a fixed scope, in writing, after walking the house. The price depends on:
- Number of fixtures and floors. A bungalow with one bathroom and a two-storey with three are different jobs.
- Access. Unfinished basement ceilings save openings; finished ceilings and tiled walls add drywall and patching.
- Material. PEX costs less than copper. The table above is the honest comparison.
- What comes with it. New isolation valves at every fixture, a new main shut-off, an expansion tank where the code requires one, and a pressure reducing valve where street pressure warrants it. These are included in the plan, not surprises.
Members of the $49-per-month plan get priority access and 10 percent off. Most full repipes take two to five days; a single bathroom or a basement takes one.
Why repipes come up in North Bay
Two eras of housing and one water source. Subdivisions built in the polybutylene years, roughly 1980 to 1995, are now at the age where the fittings fail, and every home on those streets has the same pipe. Homes built before 1960 in the older parts of the city still carry galvanized supply lines that have narrowed to a fraction of their bore. Outside the city, on wells around Corbeil, Astorville, Bonfield and Powassan, soft and slightly acidic Canadian Shield groundwater pinholes copper over decades; North Bay’s municipal supply from Trout Lake is dosed at the plant for pH and corrosion control, which is why city copper lasts longer than well copper. Frost adds the last factor: lines in exterior walls and crawlspaces that have frozen once will freeze again, and a repipe is the chance to reroute them.
How Poly-B repipes a house
Inspect the system
Pipe material, layout, access and fixtures confirmed; what is failing and why.
Plan the new layout
PEX or copper, isolation valves at every fixture, lines rerouted off exterior walls, manifold where it helps.
Remove the old piping
Openings only where required; old pipe removed, not capped and abandoned in the wall.
Install and pressure test
Every joint crimped, soldered or ProPress; the system tested under pressure before a single wall is closed.
Restore and document
Minimal patching, walkthrough, and photos of the new system for your records and your insurer.
Licensing and permits
Plumber (306A) is a compulsory trade regulated by Skilled Trades Ontario. A whole-home repipe is licensed work that is permitted and inspected in most cases, and Poly-B pulls the City of North Bay permit where required. Poly-B’s owner holds Red Seal journeyman certification, is licensed for plumbing, wells, septic and backflow prevention, and carries up to $5 million in liability insurance.
Sources: Skilled Trades Ontario, Plumber (306A); City of North Bay water quality reports.
What North Bay customers say
“Always done great work and had them out to our houses more than one time.”Dave Melanson, Google review, June 2025
“The fastest plumbing service EVER, and 2 h after first contact, job done!”Iain Grant, Google review, May 2025
Where Poly-B repipes homes
Repiping questions from North Bay homeowners
Do I have to replace all the pipes at once?
Not always. Poly-B Plumbing shows you what is failing and why. Polybutylene and Kitec are replaced as a system because every fitting is the same age; sound copper with one bad run can be done in phases.
How long does a full repipe take?
Most full home repipes take two to five days depending on access and the number of bathrooms. A single bathroom or basement takes about a day.
Will I be without water the whole time?
No. Poly-B Plumbing phases the work so the home has at least partial water service each day and full service every evening.
What pipe does Poly-B install?
PEX with crimp or expansion fittings, or Type L copper with soldered or ProPress joints, depending on the layout and your preference. No push-fit fittings.
Is Poly-B pipe the same as Poly-B Plumbing?
No. Poly-B pipe is polybutylene, a grey plastic supply line sold from about 1978 to 1995 that fails at its fittings. Poly-B Plumbing is the North Bay company that replaces it.
Book a repipe assessment in North Bay
Monday to Thursday 7 am to 7 pm, Friday 7 am to 5 pm. If you can, note what the pipe under your kitchen sink looks like before you call.
Call 705-345-6616 Request a free online quote
Poly-B Plumbing, 1107 Yellek Trail, North Bay, ON P1B 8G5.