Polybutylene repipe and leak repair in Broomfield, CO 80020

Why so many Broomfield homes come from the polybutylene years

Broomfield incorporated as a city in 1961 and became a consolidated City and County on November 15, 2001, the newest of Colorado's 64 counties. It grew as a commuter town once the Denver to Boulder turnpike, now US 36, opened in 1952. The population went from about 4,500 in 1960 to roughly 20,700 in 1980 and more than 74,000 in 2020, so most homes here were built after 1980.

That timing matters. Polybutylene supply pipe was installed nationwide in homes built roughly 1978 to 1995, and it tends to fail at its fittings without much warning. Broomfield houses from those years are worth checking. The older homes near the original town are more likely to have copper supply and cast iron drains, while the newest subdivisions around Flatiron Crossing and the Interlocken office park run on PEX and plastic drains.

Like the rest of the Front Range, Broomfield sits on expansive clay that swells and shrinks with moisture, which can stress slabs and buried lines. Winter cold fronts hit hose bibs, garage lines and sprinkler backflow assemblies. Gas water heaters need a high-altitude setup, and water heater replacement, gas piping, sewer line replacement and repiping usually need a permit and inspection, which we arrange.