Your 1970s Ranch Home in Lombard Could Be Hiding a Plumbing Time Bomb

If you own one of Lombard’s charming 1970s ranch homes, you’re living in a piece of architectural history. These single-story homes with their open floor plans and attached garages represent a significant portion of our community’s housing stock. However, beneath their timeless appeal lies a potential problem that many homeowners don’t discover until it’s too late: aging plumbing systems that are approaching or have exceeded their intended lifespan.

The Hidden Dangers Lurking in Your Walls

In the 1970s, plumbers stopped building with galvanized materials and switched to copper or plastic (polybutylene) pipes, though galvanized pipes may still be present in homes built during or before the 1960s and up to the early 1970s. This transition period means your 1970s ranch could contain any combination of these materials, each presenting unique challenges as they age.

Galvanized pipes are usually to blame for failing water pressure. Galvanized pipes easily corrode and close up. Often, the only long-term solution is repiping everything. Over time, the zinc coating on galvanized pipes corrodes, leading to rusting from the inside. This can result in reduced water pressure, leaks, bursts, and water contamination. The rusting can also introduce lead into the water, posing health risks.

The Polybutylene Problem

Many 1970s ranch homes also feature polybutylene pipes, which were heavily marketed during this era. Polybutylene, or PB-1, is a type of plastic resin that was used extensively in the late 1970s to mid 1990s to make water supply pipes. It was highly marketed as a low cost, easy to use option for plumbing systems in new home construction from 1978 to 1995.

Polybutylene (PB) was a plastic manufactured between 1978 and mid-1995 for use as piping in home plumbing systems. It was inexpensive and offered plenty of advantages over other materials, such as flexibility, ease of installation, resistance to freezing. Pipes made from polybutylene were installed in up to 10 million homes in the Unites States during that period. Despite its strengths, production was ceased in mid-1996 after scores of allegations surfaced claiming that polybutylene pipes were rupturing and causing property damage.

Municipal water treatment is considered the main cause and the pipes typically fail closest to the water main where it’s closest to the water source. The interior of the pipe shrinks, causing stress on the exterior and creating small leaks that get weaker over time.

Warning Signs Your Plumbing Needs Attention

Lombard homeowners should watch for these telltale signs of aging plumbing systems:

• Low water pressure, usually due to corrosion and accumulation of rust within the pipes, hindering water flow
• Rust that may find its way into the water that comes through the pipes, giving it a brown color
• Leaking that can happen without warning and can result in flooding and serious damage to a home’s interior if it is not immediately stopped. PB pipes installed behind sheetrock can leak unnoticed for long periods of time and cause mold and water damage.
• Frequent repairs in the same areas
• Metallic taste in drinking water

The Cost of Waiting

If your galvanized plumbing was installed in the 1960s, you might be looking at a lifespan of 40 to 50 years. However, some pipes may show signs of corrosion in less than 25 years, requiring more frequent checks. For polybutylene systems, most homeowners started to notice problems within 10-15 years of their polybutylene pipes being installed.

The financial implications of delaying action can be severe. Replacing galvanized pipes can be quite an investment, with costs varying from $2,000 to $15,000, depending on the property’s size and the type of pipes used. However, this pales in comparison to the potential cost of water damage from catastrophic pipe failure.

Modern Solutions for Aging Systems

Today’s replacement options are far superior to the materials used in the 1970s. Copper pipes offer enhanced durability, prevention of rust and corrosion, and improved water flow. PEX pipes are also an alternative, offering flexibility, durability, cost-effectiveness, and heat resistance, making them suitable for both hot and cold water supplies.

Professional repiping has also become less invasive than in the past. Plumbers at modern companies use a new type of pipe called PEX piping to replace galvanized pipes. It is flexible and can work into spots where rigid, solid pipe can’t go. Now instead of cutting a whole wall open to make a repair all that has to be cut is a small access hole where the piping needs to come out of the wall.

Why Choose Professional Assessment

When you need expert evaluation of your 1970s ranch home’s plumbing system, partnering with a trusted plumber lombard residents rely on makes all the difference. FloTek Plumbing understands the unique challenges facing Lombard’s aging housing stock and provides comprehensive solutions tailored to each home’s specific needs.

Based in St. Charles and serving the greater Chicagoland area, FloTek Plumbing combines local expertise with professional reliability. At Flotek Plumbing, our most important mission is to provide professional and reliable service at an honest price. Repeat business and high reviews provide the most transparent and authentic representation of our reputation. We are honored to be the go-to plumbing provider for both homes and businesses in the Chicagoland area.

Take Action Before It’s Too Late

Your 1970s ranch home has served you well, but its plumbing system may be living on borrowed time. InterNACHI believes it is far cheaper to replace polybutylene pipes before they fail and release their contents onto floors, appliances and furniture. They can also reduce a home’s value or prolong its time on the market. Homeowners might face higher insurance premiums or be denied coverage entirely.

Don’t wait for a plumbing emergency to force your hand. A professional assessment can identify potential problems before they become costly disasters, helping you maintain your home’s value while protecting your family’s safety and comfort. In Lombard’s competitive real estate market, proactive plumbing maintenance isn’t just smart homeownership—it’s an investment in your property’s future.