Condo repipe

[veryamusing]

Hi there. I had a sneaking suspicion a permit was required to do this type of work--if only because it is so extensive. I work for the County, in addition to my [uncompensated] duties as Association treasurer / secretary, so I am familiar with the permitting process and how important it is that everything is legit.

I don't know what arrangement our Association manager had / has with this particular outfit, but the second plumber I met with this afternoon blew me away. He was exactly the sort of "consummate professional" I had hoped for. He is the president / owner of a very well-regarded firm, and the time he took with me to make suggestions and walk me through all of my options was such a refreshing experience. We talked for almost 45 minutes, and then he wrote up an estimate on the spot. No pressure sales pitch, and he actually seemed to want to do the job correctly. Whereas the first (idiot) plumber tried to tell me why all of my ideas / wants were crap, this man actually listened to me and spent a lot of time working through the various limitations / obstacles right there with me. It was like I was inside his head.

Big thanks to everyone on this forum for the invaluable insight. I feel much better about moving forward with this process. (And I'll probably be back for some more help before too long!) Y'all provide a tremendous service.

 

[MTcummins]

wow, pipes are that bad after 40 years? seems like you definitely need to consider pex. copper should last longer than that, you must have some pretty rough water.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[veryamusing]

Hi there.. I have another follow-up question if anyone is still reading.

I told a friend of mine who owns three units in the same condominium that the plumbers both want to run new PEX lines for the repipe of my unit. My friend informed me that there have been problems with PEX and a fair number of big lawsuits. In addition, he said that he used PEX in his master bathroom renovation and when his insurance caught wind of it his policy was canceled. My friend said to consider CPVC. The second plumber has a box on his estimate sheet for Flowguard Gold CPVC w/50-year limited non-transferable manufacturer's warranty (as well as his standard 10-year labor warranty, which applies for both PEX and CPVC jobs). I have emailed him to find out what the difference is and how much more or less it will be to use CPVC rather than PEX.

Just wondering what the board thinks about PEX vs. CPVC. Many thanks!!

 

[MTcummins]

Hi there.. I have another follow-up question if anyone is still reading.

I told a friend of mine who owns three units in the same condominium that the plumbers both want to run new PEX lines for the repipe of my unit. My friend informed me that there have been problems with PEX and a fair number of big lawsuits. In addition, he said that he used PEX in his master bathroom renovation and when his insurance caught wind of it his policy was canceled. My friend said to consider CPVC. The second plumber has a box on his estimate sheet for Flowguard Gold CPVC w/50-year limited non-transferable manufacturer's warranty (as well as his standard 10-year labor warranty, which applies for both PEX and CPVC jobs). I have emailed him to find out what the difference is and how much more or less it will be to use CPVC rather than PEX.

Just wondering what the board thinks about PEX vs. CPVC. Many thanks!!

There was a wave of bad fittings a good while ago that had problems. This has been fixed. Pex has been reliably in use in Europe for over 40 years, it is a good product. I personally don't like CPVC, I wouldn't put it in my house. Too many fittings, too many potential problems. Copper or Pex are the only two routes I'd go. I personally prefer (and mostly use) Pex.