About Cabling Installation & Maintenance

Our mission: Bringing practical business and technical intelligence to today's structured cabling professionals

For more than 30 years, Cabling Installation & Maintenance has provided useful, practical information to professionals responsible for the specification, design, installation and management of structured cabling systems serving enterprise, data center and other environments. These professionals are challenged to stay informed of constantly evolving standards, system-design and installation approaches, product and system capabilities, technologies, as well as applications that rely on high-performance structured cabling systems. Our editors synthesize these complex issues into multiple information products. This portfolio of information products provides concrete detail that improves the efficiency of day-to-day operations, and equips cabling professionals with the perspective that enables strategic planning for networks’ optimum long-term performance.

Throughout our annual magazine, weekly email newsletters and 24/7/365 website, Cabling Installation & Maintenance digs into the essential topics our audience focuses on.

  • Design, Installation and Testing: We explain the bottom-up design of cabling systems, from case histories of actual projects to solutions for specific problems or aspects of the design process. We also look at specific installations using a case-history approach to highlight challenging problems, solutions and unique features. Additionally, we examine evolving test-and-measurement technologies and techniques designed to address the standards-governed and practical-use performance requirements of cabling systems.
  • Technology: We evaluate product innovations and technology trends as they impact a particular product class through interviews with manufacturers, installers and users, as well as contributed articles from subject-matter experts.
  • Data Center: Cabling Installation & Maintenance takes an in-depth look at design and installation workmanship issues as well as the unique technology being deployed specifically for data centers.
  • Physical Security: Focusing on the areas in which security and IT—and the infrastructure for both—interlock and overlap, we pay specific attention to Internet Protocol’s influence over the development of security applications.
  • Standards: Tracking the activities of North American and international standards-making organizations, we provide updates on specifications that are in-progress, looking forward to how they will affect cabling-system design and installation. We also produce articles explaining the practical aspects of designing and installing cabling systems in accordance with the specifications of established standards.

Cabling Installation & Maintenance is published by Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B.

Contact Cabling Installation & Maintenance

Editorial

Patrick McLaughlin

Serena Aburahma

Advertising and Sponsorship Sales

Peter Fretty - Vice President, Market Leader

Tim Carli - Business Development Manager

Brayden Hudspeth - Sales Development Representative

Subscriptions and Memberships

Subscribe to our newsletters and manage your subscriptions

Feedback/Problems

Send a message to our general in-box

 

Urban Piping Launches National Poly B Replacement Initiative Targeting Over 720,000 Canadian Homes

By: Newsfile

Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - October 2, 2025) - Urban Piping announced today the launch of a comprehensive national initiative to eliminate polybutylene (Poly B) pipes from Canadian homes, beginning with strategic expansion into Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver before moving eastward across the country. The company's coast-to-coast plan addresses what industry experts are calling a growing infrastructure crisis affecting more than 721,000 homes built between 1985 and 1997.

Cannot view this image? Visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10373/268715_2ec0ed3304d84b5f_001.jpg

Urban Piping crew completing a full Poly B™ replacement project in a Canadian home.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10373/268715_2ec0ed3304d84b5f_001full.jpg

The announcement comes as insurance companies prepare to cancel coverage for Poly B damage following years of mounting losses. Water damage claims hit $130 million collectively across Canada last year, with Poly B failures contributing significantly to the escalating costs that have prompted insurers to reclassify these homes as high-risk properties.

Emergency Calls Spike as Pipe Life Expectancy Ends

Urban Piping has documented a dramatic acceleration in Poly B failures, with emergency service calls in the last 10 months exceeding the total from the previous 10 years combined. The company attributes this surge to aging pipes reaching the end of their expected lifespan, typically manifesting as pinhole leaks that cause extensive water damage to ceilings and floors.

"The life expectancy has come to the end," said Graham Drew, CEO of Urban Piping, noting that emergency repairs typically cost homeowners $700 per incident while full system replacements range from $10,000 to $20,000.

Insurance Industry Tightens Restrictions

The expansion strategy directly responds to evolving insurance industry policies stemming from a 2005 Supreme Court of Canada class action lawsuit that deemed polybutylene inadmissible for indemnity insurance. While insurance companies initially continued covering Poly B damage to retain clients, recent mega losses from fires, floods, and hail damage have prompted a strategic shift.

Insurance providers are now implementing stricter policies on Poly B coverage, imposing higher premiums, reducing coverage limits, or denying coverage entirely for homes with these aging pipe systems.

Strategic Western Market Focus

Urban Piping's phased expansion targets western Canadian markets with the highest concentrations of affected properties. Calgary leads with the highest density of polybutylene pipes relative to market size, driven by massive construction booms in the 1980s and 1990s when corporate head offices relocated from Montreal.

Edmonton represents the next phase with approximately 28,000 affected homes, while Vancouver's Lower Mainland contains around 240,000 homes with Poly B systems. The company plans to establish five operational zones across Ontario before expanding into Saskatchewan and Quebec markets.

Complete In-House Replacement Model

Urban Piping differentiates itself through a comprehensive in-house service model that handles the entire replacement process, from plumbing installation to drywall repair and paint restoration. This approach eliminates the need for subcontractors and provides homeowners with a single point of contact for complete system replacement.

The company is offering free estimates and home inspections as part of a national awareness campaign designed to help homeowners identify Poly B systems, understand insurance implications, and explore replacement options before emergency failures occur.

Urban Piping has operated as a Poly B replacement specialist since 2008, establishing expertise in addressing the unique challenges posed by these deteriorating pipe systems in Canadian homes.

Contact Details:
Graham Drew
CEO / Urban Piping
(403) 988-3801
info@urbanpiping.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/268715

Stock Quote API & Stock News API supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms Of Service.