Does your home contain Kitec plumbing products?

A class action was settled, and claims must be filed before January of 2020. A claims Notice can be obtained by visiting: www.kitecsettlement.com. Registration should be made with the settlement even if there are no problems.

Identifying Plumbing Involved in the Lawsuit

• It’s usually blue on cold water piping and red or orange on hot water piping. It may also be black, white or grey. Heating system piping is most often orange.
• Piping named in the lawsuit includes the following brand names: Kitec, Plumbetter, IPEXAQUA, WarmRite, KitecXPA, AmbioComfort, XPA, KERR Controls or Plomberie Améliorée.
• Fittings may also say Kitec or KT.

• Kitec® is a brand of plastic piping used in hot and cold water supplies to plumbing fixtures, and in heating systems with boilers. It was made from 1995 to 2007.
• It is cross-linked polyethylene(PEX). It often has a thin layer of aluminum embedded between the inner and outer PEX walls. That type is called PEX-AL-PEX. The aluminum prevents oxygen moving through the pipewalls. Oxygen can lead to corrosion of boilers, for example.
• PE-AL-PE or PERT-AL PERT are other piping labels that may be found.
• PEX piping, including Kitec®, was popular because it was faster (less expensive) to install than copper. PEX continues to be popular for both plumbing and heating systems in homes.

• A class action lawsuit was issued in 2011against IPEX Inc., the manufacturer of Kitec®, alleging that the Kitec® System “may be subject to premature failure and otherwise may not perform in accordance with the reasonable expectation of users.”
• The lawsuit includes other IPEX products in addition to Kitec®. Many of these are solid wall PEX pipes with no layer of embedded aluminum.
• IPEX and their insurance company settled, and set up a $125 million fund to provide compensation for those with Kitec® failures.
• One alleged issue is with fittings that contain high levels of zinc, resulting in corrosion and weakness overtime.
• May result in leaks and water damage to the home.
• May also result in clogging and poor water pressure and flow.
• The other issue is dark spots and/or blisters forming on the pipe.