Richmond has the heaviest concentration of Poly-B piping we encounter anywhere in Metro Vancouver. The reason is timing: much of the city's detached and townhouse stock went up between the late 1970s and the mid-1990s, which is precisely the window when grey Poly-B was the standard choice.
If your Richmond home is from that era, the odds you have it are high. Replacement runs $8,000–$18,000 for a detached home and $6,000–$14,000 for a townhouse.
چرا اینجا فرق میکند
Where it is in Richmond
Broadmoor, Shellmont, Ironwood and East Cambie are the heaviest concentrations — largely 1980s and 90s detached and townhouse construction. Steveston is mixed, with older heritage stock near the village and newer development around it. Brighouse and Golden Village are mostly towers, where the material to check for is Kitec rather than Poly-B.
One Richmond-specific complication
Richmond's high water table changes how a repipe gets done in homes with crawlspaces rather than basements.
It also means we look at your sump pump and perimeter drainage while we're under there, because in Richmond those two systems are what keep the crawlspace workable at all. If either is failing we'll tell you, whether or not you want the repipe.
The insurance conversation in Richmond
Because Poly-B is so widespread here, Richmond homeowners tend to encounter the insurance question earlier and more often than elsewhere in our service area — usually at renewal, or when buying.
Many BC insurers now restrict coverage, raise premiums or decline new policies on homes that still have it. Practices vary by insurer and change, so your broker is the only reliable answer. After replacement we provide a written completion report, photographs and the permit record, which is what a broker will ask for.
Townhouse complexes
A large share of Richmond's Poly-B is in townhouse complexes, which means it's frequently a strata question rather than an individual owner's.
Some complexes run coordinated replacement programs — materially cheaper per home and less disruptive than a decade of individual work. Some leave it to owners. If your strata hasn't discussed it, it's worth raising, particularly if the depreciation report has flagged it. We'll attend a council meeting and explain the options without a quote attached.
Do you have it?
Grey plastic pipe, roughly garden-hose flexible, often stamped PB2110, with grey or copper crimp rings.
Send us a photo of the pipe at your hot water tank to 604-865-7979 and we'll identify it free. No visit, no obligation. If it's modern PEX we'll just tell you that.
The owner must get a plumbing permit before doing any plumbing and a gas permit before doing any gas work. Clearing stoppages and repairing leaks are permit-exempt only when the repair does not involve replacing or rearranging valves, pipes, fixtures or hot water tanks. City of Richmond: Building Regulation Bylaw No. 7230
منبع: City of Richmond: Building Regulation Bylaw No. 7230 — https://www.richmond.ca/__shared/assets/BL_7230_070824_Consolidated_With_BL_1057273185.pdf · checked 2026-09-11
