Baxter Building Inspector Seeking Code Amendment To Protect Water Lines

Baxter Building Inspector Bob Lane has asked Baxter officials to amend the plumbing code to protect water lines under concrete.

Lane said requiring sleeves around pipes would decrease the likelihood of leaks over time.

“Say you buy a condominium or you buy a townhouse, you’re probably not going to have any problems for several years,”Lane said. “But 10 years down the road and something like this happens, it could be devastating. You could even have to move out of the structure.”

Lane said the water line sleeves are inexpensive for contractors and would offer extra protection for buyers. Lane said the current plumbing code only requires contractors to protect the pipe where it emerges from the cement.

“It will protect the water lines from possibly a hole coming in under a concrete slab, which would be devastating to find that problem or try to reroute a line,” Lane said. “This is a very minimal cost to a contractor. We feel like that citizens buying these places need that much protection.”

Lane said as a plumber, he personally uses the same pipe sleeves which have a high success rate.