I am starting a remodel/new construction project, and I am considering using PEX instead of copper. I am getting alot of conflicting information about the product. I am not a plumber so I wouldn't know much about how it compares to copper. From what I have been told though, the labor costs aren't as high to install pex as they are for copper because of the time savings in soldering. Is this a good reliable product, and as a plumber, would you put it in your own home?
would you use PEX?
- Thread starter drdan
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Redwood
Master Plumber
I have installed PEX in my home, my mothers home, my brothers home and my sisters home. I hope that answers your concerns.
BTW an few in-laws as well!
BTW an few in-laws as well!
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Nate R
Member
I've also installed Pex in my home. I'm not a plumber, and I installed it because it would be easier to run the route I needed to in Pex instead of Copper. Has worked out well so far.
Master Plumber 101
In the Trades
I have installed two form's of pex, the type on the job that is coiled in 1,000ft roll's. The other type is the straight length's that come in 10 or 20ft lengths. that was not to bad. Over all I'm not a fan of pex, it might be ok for a home owner, but in my opinion not for plumber's. I feel it dumb's down the industry by showing not alot of skill to install it. I feel copper or cpvc is a better alt. Pex has it's applications but not for a whole house repipe.
Redwood
Master Plumber
Most of the time I do whole house repipes it is because of issues involving corrosion of copper pipes. I would not use copper in that application. I lean heavily towards PEX in a repipe because I often can do it a lot less invasively than I could with any other kind of pipe. Here CPVC is the #1 choice of the handyman!
Master Plumber 101
In the Trades
I disagree. Send pics of a repipe in pex. It does not look good installed. If your replacing copper because of corrosion, it was inproperly installed or the water quality must be really bad where you are replacing it. The advantage of the cpvc or pex is the plastic does'nt easily corode if at all. It's the opposite here, pex is the choice of handyman.
Redwood
Master Plumber
The corrosion was definitly aggressive water conditions, Hardly the place to install more copper.
Really Union Organizer 101, The appearance of any piping is governed by the workmanship of the installer. It doesn't matter what the material is if it was installed by a hack it looks like it.
The material choice seems to be regional. In this area the pro's tend to use Copper and PEX. There is very little CPVC usage. The bulk of the usage here is the handy man, doesn't have the sweating skills for copper and unwilling to buy PEX tools. I had never seen a good looking CPVC job until recently when a friend from Virginia e-mailed me pictures of a job his company did.
I can repipe a house with minimal wall and ceiling openings using PEX and I would consider that to be a value to the homeowner.
Really Union Organizer 101, The appearance of any piping is governed by the workmanship of the installer. It doesn't matter what the material is if it was installed by a hack it looks like it.
The material choice seems to be regional. In this area the pro's tend to use Copper and PEX. There is very little CPVC usage. The bulk of the usage here is the handy man, doesn't have the sweating skills for copper and unwilling to buy PEX tools. I had never seen a good looking CPVC job until recently when a friend from Virginia e-mailed me pictures of a job his company did.
I can repipe a house with minimal wall and ceiling openings using PEX and I would consider that to be a value to the homeowner.
Master Plumber 101
In the Trades
RW, I agree pex has it's applications and is probably a better choice in agressive water situations. Some companies are starting to use pex in new home constuction, every home owner I talked to did not like the apperance of the pex. I have seen union and non union installs and none of which looked impressive. Next job I have with cpvc repipe or new construction I will take pics and post it. If you have any pics of your pex work I would be intrested in seeing them.
The houses you repipe, do they have basements or are they primarily on slabs.
The houses you repipe, do they have basements or are they primarily on slabs.
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hj
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neatness
CPVC installations should be a neat as copper ones unless you are not using the 20' rigid lengths. Unless you use extra fittings, such as elbows for turns rather than curving the pipe, then PEX cannot be installed as "neatly" as copper or CPVC.
CPVC installations should be a neat as copper ones unless you are not using the 20' rigid lengths. Unless you use extra fittings, such as elbows for turns rather than curving the pipe, then PEX cannot be installed as "neatly" as copper or CPVC.
Redwood
Master Plumber
I agree HJ but it doesn't have to look like a bowl of spaggetti either.
Here we have underground storage units, and very few slabs.
Here we have underground storage units, and very few slabs.
Patrick88
Plumber
You can make pex look nice with bend supports and proper hangers.
I just re-plumbed my in laws. If I used copper I would have needed to take a about 2 days to prep the job site. Lots of junk in the way for copper pipe. The pex I ran looks straight and neat. If I used copper or cpvc I would have needed to prep angles for the real tight spots. The odd angles that pex allowed does look a little sloppy, but once I got around the tight spots I placed hangers to straighten things out.
I just re-plumbed my in laws. If I used copper I would have needed to take a about 2 days to prep the job site. Lots of junk in the way for copper pipe. The pex I ran looks straight and neat. If I used copper or cpvc I would have needed to prep angles for the real tight spots. The odd angles that pex allowed does look a little sloppy, but once I got around the tight spots I placed hangers to straighten things out.
Master Plumber 101
In the Trades
Send pics of the repipe if you can.
Patrick88
Plumber
need to get back to eastern Mass. I live in western Mass. 1.5hrs away
Master Plumber 101
In the Trades
I see. If you ever get back there and think of it take some pics.
Patrick88
Plumber
I will a.s.a.p. but not sure when
Like it or not, copper is not long for this world. I'll give it another 10 years before it goes the way of hug and spigot DWV. Times change, materials change, attitudes change a whole lot more slowley. I liked windows 95, though it was the bomb. Anyone still using windows 95?, 98? ME,
Master Plumber 101
In the Trades
John McCain.. Maybe?
Patrick88
Plumber
My coppy of ME is gone the way of fire. Poof. 98 Poof. Never spend another dime on any winjunk. I would rather shop at the homecheapo or the other place.
I agree the prices are going to push copper out the door.
99k
Radon Contractor and Water Treatment
I like to use my propress with copper. I have considered buying a PEX jaw but I really hate the look of PEX. I do water conditioning, IMHO any money saved by not using copper is squandered with all the time and hangers trying to make the PEX look pretty.
The system I like is a combination of both copper and PEX. I was in one condo where a copper distribution line was fed down the middle of the basement and had PEX bratches coming off of it ... looked really nice.
The system I like is a combination of both copper and PEX. I was in one condo where a copper distribution line was fed down the middle of the basement and had PEX bratches coming off of it ... looked really nice.
99k
Radon Contractor and Water Treatment
The thing I dislike about CPVC is the creep ... over time things start to move, bend, and take a permanent set.
