PEX PIPE FAILURE

["Fitz"]

Well, it happened. Due to three leaks at fittings on the hot water line, the PEX pipe sprung leaks. Tt turned our crawl space into a sauna in the winter cold..
The PEX pipe showed decolorization and stress fractures.
Due to a well insulated craw space, the pipe leaked for some time. Three walls will have to be removed due to mold buildup.
Our furnace, water heater and my custom workbench that I built, all need to be moved. Not great with weather in the 20's.
We live in Oregon. Oregon was not involved in the class action suits against PEX.
I am looking for advice and direction on how to recover my financial loses. Has anyone experienced this problem?
My wife and I were told by two independent plumbers to replace everything. We decided to go forward with the replacement.
That alone will be 17k.
I am pushing 76 years old. We had our house built so we wouldn't have these problems. So much for that plan.
Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Thanks for listening to me whine.

 

[Breplum]

If the pipe is Uponor PEX, then contact Uponor to start a claim. Keep receipts. You will need the bad pipe date codes, via photos and keep the material so if they want it, they can not use it as an excuse.
I have many local customers who have dealt with this successfully, directly with Uponor. If you have any local Uponor reps, you might have your original plumbing contractor call the local rep to get things moving...but not absolutely necessary.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Pman6]

i just watched a video about this defect.

Are new PEX pipes reliable these days?

 

[Breplum]

yes

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

i just watched a video about this defect.

Are new PEX pipes reliable these days?

Copper is more reliable..... I feel you have to have a carbon filter to take out the chlorines in the
system to protect the pex from breaking down...


Turn in the damage to your insurance company and install some water alarms down in that crawl space

17k seems kind of high ,,,,,how much more money is it for copper??

 

[Integrity Repipe]

That’s a tough situation. If your PEX pipe showed stress fractures and discoloration, it’s possible that high chlorine levels, UV exposure before installation, or pressure fluctuations contributed to its failure. Since PEX can degrade over time, especially with crimped fittings or poor installation practices, a full replacement is the safest long-term fix. If you’re going forward with a repipe, PEX-A is worth considering, as it’s more flexible and durable than lower-grade PEX-B. Also, double-check that your home’s water pressure is regulated properly (ideally below 60 psi) as excessive pressure can shorten the lifespan of any plumbing system.

 

[GReynolds929]

PEX B is not lower grade. It just signifies a different manufacturing process of how the pipe is cross linked.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

PEX B is not lower grade. It just signifies a different manufacturing process of how the pipe is cross linked.

I think its all basically turning into dog shit.... their are too many chemicals in city water today that were not factored into the pex designs 20 years ago and now you see this stuff breaking down due to the high chlorine levels...

I am seeing our local supply house getting away from Wirsbo Aquapex right now
and that stuff was considered the best 10-20 years ago.... Now they have brought in bunch of
new junk that they claim is of better quality that they are selling.....

My house is a 1966 and is plumbed in copper
we have not had an issue with any of it to this day
so do the math... the house is = 59 years old...

I dont think the pex will last that long....maybe 30 at the most