Handwriting on wall

Hi,

We live in a very small wooden cottage (about 500 sq. ft.) which is about 60 years old. 18 inch crawl space under the house.

About 12 years ago, we switched from well water to 'city' water which has chlorine, like most city water, I suppose. I think it's free chlorine.

About 4 months ago, the 3/4" copper pipe under our house sprung a leak.

I fixed it with one of those clamp things.

A couple days ago, I found 2 new pin hole leaks. Fixed them with gasket material and hose clamps. Neither of these leaks were at joints.

So, The Handwriting is on The Wall.

I've decided to replace the copper pipe and all the rest of the pipe in the house because... why not? And I'll be doing it myself just like all the rest of the work on this place.

I've been looking into PEX and cpvc as options.

My question is, which of the two is more highly recommended by the pros?

Our water runs from the street to the house in 3/4" copper. Under the house, where it comes in, is where I'll be making the transition, probably with a SharkBite. (no soldering under house please)

Thanks.

Some areas of the country have minerals in the water (naturally) that tends to corrode copper Before selecting the new piping medium, I would do a couple of things first. Inquire around as to what others have experienced with copper. Also discuss the problem with local plumbing contractors. It might be that your house was just plumbed with a bad batch of copper. If you do find that a different pipe material is needed, I would look at PEX before CPVC.

Thanks for the input, Gary.

I live in Florida. When the house was on a well for about 45 or 50 years, I'm sure a lot of minerals went through the pipes. And the one that's going bad was probably the cheapest copper they could buy at the time. The quality of the rest of the stuff may not be any better.

But the main reason I need to replace the plumbing is because I can't get to where the main 3/4 inch pipe joins the rest of the 1/2 inch pipes. And the space where my water heater is located if VERY tight.

So I'm just going to have to cut the two lines at the water heater, slip on a couple of SharkBites, and figure out a different way of routing the other pipes.

And I need to replace my shower fixture anyway. Already have the wall exposed. I figure I might as well replace the rest of the old fixtures and pipes while I'm at it to eliminate the future hassle.

If I do PEX, I'm thinking about a manifold system so there won't be any joints under the house except for the one that meets the supply line.