Builders, contractors & handy men, advice please!

[BigJim13]

So my wife and I have several home improvemnt projects to be done this year. Priority #1 is redoing our bathroom. ITs in dire need. Other than needing some updating we need to redo some of the piping, the old copper pipes are tired and starting to show their age. We have put this off for some time but can't put bandaids on any longer.

One of my big concerns with redoing the bathroom is the cost of copper, its insane! So, I wonder if anybody has used or has experience with Pex pipe? I have seen it used in radiant heating, but It looks like there is red and blue (hot and cold I am assuming) now that is for residential water? How hard is it work with and what pros and cons are there? Its like 1/4 the cost of copper and if its as durable as PVC, Im kind of leaning that way.

So, thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[BigJim13]

This is the stuff I was talking about, in case you were wondering.

SharkBite, 1/2 in. x 100 ft. Red PEX Pipe, U860R100 at The Home Depot - Tablet

 

[TrickyPutt]

No

 

[limpalong]

PEX is now approved by code enforcement and zoning offices who have adopted the IBC (International Building Code) for domestic water use. We just contracted to have one of our bathroom showers removed and replaced. The contractor will be using PEX for the minimal work required for that installation.
I love copper. Put in a water softener a couple years ago and hard-piped it all with copper. The finished product looks so much more professional, in my opinion, than any of the poly products. As you state, the cost of copper has continued to escalate. Personally, I have not done any plumbing with PEX so cannot give you any indication of the ease of installing that product.

 

[BigJim13]

PEX is now approved by code enforcement and zoning offices who have adopted the IBC (International Building Code) for domestic water use. We just contracted to have one of our bathroom showers removed and replaced. The contractor will be using PEX for the minimal work required for that installation.
I love copper. Put in a water softener a couple years ago and hard-piped it all with copper. The finished product looks so much more professional, in my opinion, than any of the poly products. As you state, the cost of copper has continued to escalate. Personally, I have not done any plumbing with PEX so cannot give you any indication of the ease of installing that product.

It seems to be fairly new for residential use and I haven't met many people who have used it in their home. At 1/4 cost though, I will be doing more research.

As for professional looking, most of our pipes are either in the wall or run throughout the basement, so not highly visible.

 

[TrickyPutt]

There is a black o ring in the sharkbite. Its not a good idea around here, we have limey water. For such little work, the copper is going to be bulletproof. Chlorine in the water affects plastics over time. I have yet to see a system that survives it. Let a woman put a toilet sanitizer in the tank of a toilet and see how long the plastic bits stay good.

I learned this the hard way owning apartments.

 

[eclark53520]

Pex isn't' all that new...I worked on a house probably 10 years ago that was being built with it...

Personally, unless there's no other choice, I'm saving up and doing it in copper. Nothing is going to fail with properly soldered copper. Pex? Lots of failure points and the longevity scares me.

One fitting leaks for a couple years in a place you can't see it, or a fitting fails while you're out of town, and that couple hundred you saved doing PEX just went out the window.

JMO...I'm sure it would be just fine.

 

[nututhugame]

There is a black o ring in the sharkbite. Its not a good idea around here, we have limey water. For such little work, the copper is going to be bulletproof. Chlorine in the water affects plastics over time. I have yet to see a system that survives it. Let a woman put a toilet sanitizer in the tank of a toilet and see how long the plastic bits stay good.

I learned this the hard way owning apartments.

Pex isn't' all that new...I worked on a house probably 10 years ago that was being built with it...

Personally, unless there's no other choice, I'm saving up and doing it in copper. Nothing is going to fail with properly soldered copper. Pex? Lots of failure points and the longevity scares me.

One fitting leaks for a couple years in a place you can't see it, or a fitting fails while you're out of town, and that couple hundred you saved doing PEX just went out the window.

JMO...I'm sure it would be just fine.

Agree.

 

[BigJim13]

Agree.

So, it's not as durable as copper?

As for leaking and failed fittings, what's to say that can't happen with copper? Forgive my ignorance on this subject, this is my first foray into the world of plumbing.

 

[nututhugame]

So, it's not as durable as copper?

I'm not a plumber, but no. Plastic parts and o rings... no.

 

[eclark53520]

So, it's not as durable as copper?

As for leaking and failed fittings, what's to say that can't happen with copper? Forgive my ignorance on this subject, this is my first foray into the world of plumbing.

It's basically the difference between welding two pieces of metal together(soldering isn't quite welding...but for arguments sake it's close enough) and holding those same pieces together with clamps.

Now, if you could get compression fittings without any O-rings, that would be better, but I would still opt for copper unless absolutely unavailable.

 

[BigJim13]

It's basically the difference between welding two pieces of metal together(soldering isn't quite welding...but for arguments sake it's close enough) and holding those same pieces together with clamps.

Now, if you could get compression fittings without any O-rings, that would be better, but I would still opt for copper unless absolutely unavailable.

I was just reading up more on Pex and am starting to lean back towards copper. From everything I have found the life span is much shorter with Pex (no specifics on how much shorter though) and more susceptible to bacteria and contamination.

I will read more that's just the first few items I found on google.

 

[nututhugame]

I was just reading up more on Pex and am starting to lean back towards copper. From everything I have found the life span is much shorter with Pex (no specifics on how much shorter though) and more susceptible to bacteria and contamination.

I will read more that's just the first few items I found on google.

That would be enough for me...

 

[TrickyPutt]

I know its crazy sounding but yes copper is highly poisonous. A hvac drain of copper for example wont plug with biological goo the way pvc will. I also learned this owning apartments..after a ceiling leak from a pvc drain line. Copper wont rust though, like iron pipe.

 

[BigJim13]

That would be enough for me...

Yeah that's kind of what I was thinking too. I guess there is a reason it's cheaper.