If you are planning on purchasing a home built between the early 1950s to the early 1970s, orangeburg piping is something you should learn about. Orangeburg is actually a brand name. It is the name of the company (and the town in which it was made) that manufactured bituminous fiber pipe. This type of piping has been found, in some cases, to deteriorate much faster than other types of sewer pipes. There are some neighborhoods in Ann Arbor in which this pipe is found frequently, for example the "Airy" built homes in the Wuerth subdivision off Stadium, near Pioneer High School. These are lovely brick ranches, but if you are planning on buying one, make sure that the sewer pipe from the house to the street has already been replaced.
