PEX or Copper for cold climate?

[webables]

When doing plumbing projects in cold climates such as Anchorage, Alaska, which type of pipe is more resilient to the cold? This article from a local Anchorage plumbing company talks a good bit about the differences between Copper and PEX, but also states that they are both vulnerable in the cold.

Are there alternatives to Copper or PEX for extreme cold? If it's one or the other, which one?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Reach4]

Pex will usually survive a freeze, and copper will not.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

Here is an article that studied the freeze resilience to PEX

https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy06osti/39664.pdf

 

[JohnCT]

Neither should ever be allowed to freeze or installed in areas where freezing is inevitable.

But Reach4 is correct - PEX can take far more abuse from cold than copper can, you just don't want to design plumbing that will freeze on occasion.


John