Replies

1. 
   Piffin | Feb 12, 2007 03:22am | #1

   No PVC

   What you want to use is called PEX

    

    

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1. 
   bigbossman | Feb 12, 2007 03:29am | #3

   What is PEX? Heard of PVC from Home Depot. Do you work with it the same way as PVC? I've done that before but am I going to need a college degree with PEX?

    

1. 
   Piffin | Feb 12, 2007 03:49am | #4

   PEX does take sme learning, It is a fleable line that is nearly indestructable and runs to a manifold.I wouldn't have PVC supply lines for a dog house. Do your self a favor and make sure the local inspector will even allow it. 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

1. 
   bigbossman | Feb 12, 2007 04:51am | #6

   Thanks now can you tell me how you connect this PEX. Is it with glue like pvc or what?

   I've contacted HD near me and they knew nothing about it. Sounds interesting but I need to know more.

1. 
   kgregor4 | Feb 12, 2007 04:56am | #7

   Google PEX and you'll get a lot of info. Here's one link that can get you going.

   http://www.houseneeds.com/shop/plumbing/pexplumbing/vanguard/pexplumbingpipemain.htm?_kk=pex%20plumbing&_kt=2d232ba4-65bb-46a7-b32a-1b8423e44784&gclid=COrzs-Dcp4oCFRlmWAodfTDvuw

2. 
   Piffin | Feb 12, 2007 05:07am | #9

   http://www.wirsbo.ca/default.php?id=32http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=10&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.motherearthnews.com%2Fdiy%2F2006_June_July%2FEasier_Plumbing_with_PEX&ei=u8rPRfXbCJ3uwQLAqMG8Aw&usg=__h49MRrNOz1GTIN8gMhJc67XJiBM=&sig2=jrGdkcEmwL-VdhuA3d_vvQ 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

2. 
   Piffin | Feb 12, 2007 03:23am | #2

   I missed that final Q -
   Best way to do it is to call a plumber with experience using it.

    

    

   Welcome to the
   Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
    where ...
   Excellence is its own reward!

3. 
   florida | Feb 12, 2007 04:44am | #5

   Try CPVC. It's made for hot water so will work with cold and hot, it's cheap, easy to use, and it's easy to get. It's about all we use in south Florida for refits or new plumbing.

1. 
   Piffin | Feb 12, 2007 04:58am | #8

   Don't forget the part about it falling apart in twenty years 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

1. 
   florida | Feb 12, 2007 03:04pm | #15

   You'll have to help. I've never heard of it happening and it's been the pipe of choice here for a long time. Just to make sure I called my plumber and asked him too. He said he had never heard of properly installed CPVC failing and he's used it for over 30 years. It's also approved and widely used around here for commercial and residential sprinkler systems.

1. 
   DougU | Feb 12, 2007 03:11pm | #17

   florida

   I just moved back to Iowa from Texas and cpvc is widely used there as well but no way is it exceptable up here.

   I dont know if code would allow it,  I hope not.

   The stuff in my home down in TX is very brittle - I redid a shower and one little bump and the stuff shatered. I would not use it no matter what some plumber said or did. BTW my house there is roughly 25 years old.

   Its (cpvc) easy to install and thats what made it a good DIY'er choice. But learning to sweat copper is easy to and I dont know why more wouldnt go that route. I'm sure its an intimidation thing.....

   Doug

1. 
   FrankDuVal | Feb 12, 2007 03:46pm | #18

   It is not the sweating of copper that caused me to install cpvc in my house. I can sweat pipe easily. It was the fact that the well water around here eats through the copper pipe!Frank DuVal You can never make something foolproof because fools are so ingenious.

2. 
   DougU | Feb 13, 2007 05:43am | #23

   It was the fact that the well water around here eats through the copper pipe!

   Frank

   I've heard of water doing that to copper pipe and I guess if that was what I had to deal with I can see that you didnt have a whole lot of choices - thank God that we have a choice now and can go with Pex!

   Doug

2. 
   Piffin | Feb 12, 2007 03:58pm | #21

   It gets brittle over time. No problem underground for sprinklers when it leaks, but not so good in a house. Maybe you guys got different water down there 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

1. 
   plumbbill | Feb 12, 2007 04:23pm | #22

   The "sprinkler" he's referring too is the orange fire protection systems---- I'm guessing.

    “Well, the election campaign in the country is picking up speed... All the candidates are talking about health care now. Don’t they realize that it’s their campaign speeches that makes us sick?” —Bob Hope

2. 
   WillieWonka | Feb 12, 2007 05:12am | #10

   Try CPVC. It's made for hot water so will work with cold and hot, it's cheap

   Exactly. If at first you don't succeed, try using a hammer next time...everything needs some extra persuasion from time to time.  -ME

1. 
   florida | Feb 12, 2007 03:06pm | #16

   Let me rephrase then. It's cheap compared to PEX and a heck of a lot easier to snake through finished walls than PEX. I like PEX just fine in new construction or a remodel with open walls.

1. 
   FrankDuVal | Feb 12, 2007 03:50pm | #19

   Interesting. The literature promotes PEX as being the easiest to snake through existing walls. It does have a bend radius of 6 times its diameter. Cpvc certainly does not.I have only used PEX in an industrial application. We even used Sharkbite fittings instead of crimp so the equipment can be removed easily ( R&D use ).Frank DuVal You can never make something foolproof because fools are so ingenious.

3. 
   BillHartmann | Feb 12, 2007 05:55am | #12

   I did not find CPVC that cheap.I had to replace a PT safety on a WH. One where it goes in the top.The old was done in PVC. And since I had to cut it ot get out anyway I had to redo the setup.Where a little cheaper than copper it was not that much cheaper for the smal amount that I was doing.So I redid it in copper and put in a male/female IPS fitting in the middle so that it can be disasembled and replaced without cutting..
   .
   A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.

1. 
   Terry | Apr 08, 2007 01:47am | #27

   Is there anything we can do to get you to update your tag line.  It is crude and, like flatulance, it is only funny once--if then.

4. 
   Dave45 | Feb 12, 2007 05:25am | #11

   Bossman -

   No offense, but your questions leave me with the feeling that you might want to do some serious research and lots of practicing before you actually start your job.

   You first need to find out if you can even use PEX or CPVC for your piping.  Some jurisdictions won't allow it.  If it's legal, then buy (or rent) the tools you'll need and practice making up the fittings until you're comfortable with the tools and techniques.

   Several years ago, a neighbor told me that he was going to do his own copper re-pipe because he thought that the plumbers bid was just short of highway robbery.  Then he asked me to show him how to sweat copper fittings.  Since I was feeling kinda froggy that day, I dug out my torch, some 1/2" copper pipe, a handfull of fittings, and showed him how to clean, flux, and sweat a fitting.  After he did a few (and seemed to be getting it), I told him to take the bag and some pipe and go sweat a few more while laying on his back under his Toyota pickup.  A few days later, there was a plumbing company pickup parked in his driveway. - lol

1. 
   mclaren | Feb 13, 2007 06:12am | #24

   lol

   greast lesson.

   Mclaren

1. 
   barmil | Feb 13, 2007 06:32am | #25

   After I saw my plumber use PEX in a new outside hose bib installation in the basement, I decided that was how I would resolve the problem of low water pressure in my upstairs shower currently fed by eighty year old galvanized pipes. The chases are already there, so why not? I look forward to Ritz Carlton showers later this year. Ahhhh.

1. 
   bigbossman | Apr 08, 2007 01:07am | #26

   How do you get the PEX up to the second floor without having to cut up the walls? I was wondering if you us a rope to pull it up along the old galvanized pipes or how do I think of doing this?

   Can't tear up the walls and want to get this done with the change over of piping. Does the pex have the shutoff main board I have seen In some online installs so I could shutoff each area if trouble arrises?

   If you have had this done what type of Pricing should I expect with the change over from old galv pipes to pex? I just would like to know what would be a ballpark figure on cost before I get into it.

    

5. 
   plumbbill | Feb 12, 2007 06:12am | #13

   As others have said pex is a way to do it.

   I noticed they gave you some links, there should be enough info there for ya to chew on.

   I don't like pvc, except for DWV, & I'm not a big fan of that either.

   CPVC, I wouldn't put in my house----- T & P valves are generally rated 150 PSI & 210 degrees. CPVC rated 100 psi @ 180 degrees---- rare that those might happen, but I want my pipe to be stronger than the saftey valve.

   “Well, the election campaign in the country is picking up speed... All the candidates are talking about health care now. Don’t they realize that it’s their campaign speeches that makes us sick?” —Bob Hope

6. 
   DougU | Feb 12, 2007 02:50pm | #14

   Bossman

   Where are you - fill out your profile!

   I have a house down in Texas and it has that wonderful cpvc, your welcome to it, good thing is all you have to do to remove it is give it a little bump and it will break for you!

   As others stated I wouldnt take it as a gift. I dont know that it could stand 25 years up here in the north. I do know that 25 years in Texas is about all it has in it for a life.

   Doug

1. 
   Piffin | Feb 12, 2007 03:56pm | #20

   "give it a little bump and it will break for you!"Exactly!I was doing a demo for addition on one a couple years ago. The plumbing was variously between fifteen and 25 YO in different locations in that house. All CPVC. I thought I'd have a couple of hours withthe sawsall taking the old stuff out, but on the very first piece I touched - touched it is all I did , Honest! - I fractured pipe so pieces were all around as though I had broken an icicle off the roof edge and it landed on the deck.Rest of the house was the same way. Every bit of it needed almost no tweaking at all to pop right off. so I asked the plumbers here about it. I never got an answer if it was legal to use, but they all said they would never use it or touch it. In other words, If I had been doing a more modest job, they would have had to replumb the whole place anyhow. That is the only time I've actually worked with it, but I've heaard plenty of horror stories since. 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!