Question

Pipe   Hello,

On the outside of my home I have my backflow device. It has 3/4" copper one side and a Purple pipe on the other. My county uses reclaimed water for irrigation.

Would you happen to know what is the actual name for this purple pipe? Is it some type of PVC, Poly or Kitec pipe? A neighbor told me it was called kitec.

I would like to know, because I plan on shortening the height of my backflow device.

It is about 2 1/2 ft high and it right in front of my outside faucet.

I planned on using a sharkbite coupling for the copper side, however need to find out exactly what this purple pipe is so I can get the correct coupling to shorten it.

I attached an image so that you can see what I am talking about. It is a picture of my neighbors (His was painted to match his house, however the paint is coming off) mine is covered with pipe wrap.

Thank You.

Answer
Hi Steve,

Kitec is a brand of brass plumbing fitting that was recalled in 2005 by its manufacturer, IPEX, due to its tendency to quickly corrode. Inspectors should be aware that the fitting, which was widely installed throughout the western United States since the early 1990s, might be the cause of some plumbing ailments encountered during inspections. As a result of Kitec's tendency to quickly fail (through a process known as dezincification), thousands of defective plumbing lawsuits have been filed across the country.


The purple pipe is PVC, it's used on systems with reclaim water, as a code requirement only, so people can know it is not drinking water.

The back flow should be at least 2' high than the sprinklers.

Regards.
Guillermo.