So PEX is all the rage here now for plumbing supply lines … kitchen, toilets, showers, the works. Everyone says “twice the life of copper (long as you keep it in the dark), less material cost, less labor”. What say all of you out there? I’ve got the chance to go for it on this year’s project, but someone sell me on it … or not!
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I use it in most repairs/light remodels I do. Quick to install. I used to teach plumbing at a vocational school and taught it as well as copper and plastics. I was impressed. As a class we plumbed 2 Habitat for Humanity houses with it and it went real well. I don't like the plastic fittings. I believe they are subject to breakage as most hard or semi hard plastics become brittle with age. I always use the brass fittings. There are a number of systems but I use the Wirsbo system for both domestic and heat applications. Material costs are 10-20% more than copper but labor is about half. I know of a job locally for a large vetinary clinic and store that was bid for copper with 2 men for 7 days labor. The spec was changed to allow pex and it took them 2 1/2 days. DanT
My biggest complaint about Pex is that it encourages sloppy work, much like the soft copper. Most of the Pex installations I have seen show no effort to run a straight line. The stuff is looping all over the place.
And then the pex gets stuck up through the floor and the shutoff valve is simply attached (if a shutoff valve is even installed!) and the whole thing is left to be held up by the faucet via the supply line!
Slop, slop, slop!
Another day, another tool.
BEMW,
Good words from Dan and Rich.
Use quality tubing and don't allow the ease of running the tubing to translate into sloppy worksmanship. Horizontal drain lines still need to be pitched etc.
Brass fiittings are best. Transitioning to hard pipe when you bring the plumbing inside the living space is a neccessity.
Try not to have unions inside enclosed joist/stud bays. Use manifolds and homeruns to fixtures, or primary manifolds that homerun to secondary manifolds (small manifold in each bath, for example) then supply the fixtures off the secondary manifolds.
PEX expands, allow for that movement in the hot supply.
Tools to work the pipe fittings are expensive, but worth it.
Thanks for the suggestions ...
I'm no plumber dude, but the two who I'll go to for this job are very conscientious. I haven't even run this issue past them yet; just looking for other opinions right now. I can see where the stuff could be the dream material for a DIY'er who didn't understand the implications of installing it properly, or didn't care.
My issue is whether I want to specify it in a project, providing it's installed by a trained pro using the best materials.
Mongo,
My brothers and I just roughed in my house with pex, first time any of us used it and we felt like were we missing something it was so fast and easy. Granted I've had to install some additional blocking ect. for support. We ran 1200 feet in 21 man hours. I went from shower controls with copper. Today I padded all the holes with pipe wrap for saftey, still easier than copper I just hope it proves it's durability. I can't wait to do the maniblock...........we have everything measured and layed out and in my opinion it looks almost as good as copper. It takes two or three guys to make pulling easy.
Good Lucl
Rupert