Copper vs. PEX Hearing mixed reviews
I'm in the process of planning out my plumming upgrades in the house. With our water suply being reduced from the exit of the water softener from 1 to 1/2, we tend to have a water volume issue if more then one demand for water is introduced. With the amount of pipe I'll be upgrading from 1/2 to 3/4, PEX is the direction I am looking at going. That being said, I am starting to hear mix reviews on going with PEX. Some love it, others hate it. Cost and ease of install appears to be the big benifits, but I've heard many people complain about leaking after a while. A friend of mine says looking for leaks is part of the regular routine when they open their cottage for the summer. Is there anything I should watch out for or avoid when I go to PEX? I will be avoiding those Snakebit addapters as much as possible as they are very expensive. A friend of mine says looking for leaks is part of the regular routine when they open their cottage for the summer. They do not winterize correctly then. Pex all the way.... Price copper then tell me what you will go with. Trust me, I know how much copper will hurt the wallet. 8ft of 1 1/4 copper pipe for my boiler repairs set me back ~$90. ~200+ft of 3/4 copper would be crazy. Here so you can compare prices. Tubing PEX Tubing , Plumbing PEX Tubing , Aquapex Tubing , PEX Pipe - PexSupply.com Fittings. PEX Fittings , Rifeng Fittings , PEX Crimp Fittings , Clamp PEX Fittings - PexSupply.com I like the rings and is what I use. PEX Fittings , Rifeng Fittings , PEX Crimp Fittings , Clamp PEX Fittings - PexSupply.com Any price consideration aside I still pick PEX over copper every time. Some parts of our county have water that is extremely tough on copper, slowly dissolving it away from the inside. And, in my rental houses that are vacant during winter it's only the copper lines that rupture from freezing. I have never had a PEX line damaged by freezing. Since the inside diameter of PEX is slightly smaller than the same nominal size of copper I would go no less than one-inch PEX for main lines and 3/4 inch PEX for any branch serving more than one fixture. Originally Posted by Furd Since the inside diameter of PEX is slightly smaller than the same nominal size of copper I would go no less than one-inch PEX for main lines and 3/4 inch PEX for any branch serving more than one fixture. That was the plan. 1 through from the well pressure tank to the manifold splitting hot and cold water. 3/4 from there to every room requiring water, 1/2 to the fixtures. You don't need my 2 cents, with all the other good information. But in case you run out of advice.........PEX, hands down. Even though the ID of PEX is smaller it allows long continuous runs with generous sweeping turns and fewer if any 90 degree fittings that really kill a flow rate so the smaller diameter does not have much effect.
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