Copper vs PVC vs PEX

[jsburger]

DLB said in another thread...

"PEX is excellent but requires some investment in the special clamping tools. The clamps are checked with simple Go/No-go tests."

First let me say soldering copper pipe is not hard but you have to learn the technique. Learning the technique is not easy but once you have it it is a piece of cake. It is a matter of understanding how heat and solder flow work together. The same principles apply closely in electronic soldering.

When I built my shop the only thing the contractor did was put up the building shell. I completed the interior. Air lines are 1/2" copper.

Anyhow, PVC is pretty simple. Cut, apply glue/solvent and stick together.

PEX is even easier. I used PEX in the shop bathroom. All water lines are run on the inside of the (outside) wall. Particle board walls, it's a shop. Fortunately at the time I had a friend at work that had a complete set of PEX tools. If you have the tools it is a piece of cake.

I don't heat the shop 24/7 so the two bathroom inside walls are insulated. Of course all outside walls are insulated. I have a 4' electric base board heater in the bathroom. In the winter time close the door and set the heater for 50 degrees and no problem in 10 years.

BTW, that is a 10 gallon hot water heater on the shelf. Not shown is the stainless steel band near the top that is screwed to the walls to hold it in place. It survived the recent magnitude 5.7 earth quake just fine.

[garys]

PEX seems to have a big price advantage over copper. But, PEX is the new kid on the market so we don't have a good history of its durability for the long haul. We know copper will last a long time and keep performing the same. PEX is too new to know.
There seem to be issues with PEX putting chemicals and odors into drinking water. These issues don't seem to be fully understood yet, and because of that, they haven't been addressed.
https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/ar ... -about-pex

[dusty]

PEX seems to have a big price advantage over copper. But, PEX is the new kid on the market so we don't have a good history of its durability for the long haul. We know copper will last a long time and keep performing the same. PEX is too new to know.
There seem to be issues with PEX putting chemicals and odors into drinking water. These issues don't seem to be fully understood yet, and because of that, they haven't been addressed.
https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/ar ... -about-pex

It'll take about a year for me to know about any unwanted smell or taste in the water. My daughter I have have re-plumbed her 19' RV with PEX. The amazing result , as I see it, was "NO LEAKS".

We chose PEX because it is reportedly more freeze resistant. I have a lot of experience with burst copper water lines and I don't want to continue that experience in the RV.

Since I am a tool junky, I had no problem with the idea of "new tools". I bought everything that anyone hinted I might need.

[jsburger]

PEX seems to have a big price advantage over copper. But, PEX is the new kid on the market so we don't have a good history of its durability for the long haul. We know copper will last a long time and keep performing the same. PEX is too new to know.
There seem to be issues with PEX putting chemicals and odors into drinking water. These issues don't seem to be fully understood yet, and because of that, they haven't been addressed.
https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/ar ... -about-pex

It'll take about a year for me to know about any unwanted smell or taste in the water. My daughter I have have re-plumbed her 19' RV with PEX. The amazing result , as I see it, was "NO LEAKS".

We chose PEX because it is reportedly more freeze resistant. I have a lot of experience with burst copper water lines and I don't want to continue that experience in the RV.

Since I am a tool junky, I had no problem with the idea of "new tools". I bought everything that anyone hinted I might need.

Yup, it is pretty much fool proof.

[jsburger]

PEX seems to have a big price advantage over copper. But, PEX is the new kid on the market so we don't have a good history of its durability for the long haul. We know copper will last a long time and keep performing the same. PEX is too new to know.
There seem to be issues with PEX putting chemicals and odors into drinking water. These issues don't seem to be fully understood yet, and because of that, they haven't been addressed.
https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/ar ... -about-pex

Well, there are always doom and gloom people around so who knows. In this day and age anyone can say their water smells like gasoline on the internet and it will go viral (I hate that term). Then all the nay sayers chime in and here we go again.

[bill50cal]

I would never use copper for water anymore. i have had to do repipes because of pinholes. on one of the repipes the copper was like egg shells thin. PVC has issues also with it becoming brittle over time but i would take it over copper in a house water system. the pex is my go to now. the campground i have i used it when i built the shower house and in a friends house and will be using it in the house i am building now. the draw back to pex is although it will not burst when frozen, any metal fitting or the manoblock if used will break if frozen. the new house will be plumbed with all piping on an up hill run so i can have a low point drain.

[rjent]

I would never use copper for water anymore. i have had to do repipes because of pinholes. on one of the repipes the copper was like egg shells thin. PVC has issues also with it becoming brittle over time but i would take it over copper in a house water system. the pex is my go to now. the campground i have i used it when i built the shower house and in a friends house and will be using it in the house i am building now. the draw back to pex is although it will not burst when frozen, any metal fitting or the manoblock if used will break if frozen. the new house will be plumbed with all piping on an up hill run so i can have a low point drain.

I agree.

PEX is my goto system. I even use the push connected fittings. I just re-plumbed the house from street to facet(s) in PEX a few years ago. All push connected and all perfect so far.

My vote is PEX also.

[robinson46176]

I absolutely love Pex... I have used about everything over the years. I'm sat up for 1/2" and 3/4" and have not found a reason to need anything else. I have 3 good sized Stanley tool boxes with an inside tray and a lot of pockets in the lid. One is all Pex, another is all PVC and the 3rd is all sweat copper stuff.
It will take a bigger and sturdier box for all of my flare fitting copper tube stuff.
My tools for iron pipe and cast iron soil pipe would fill a good sized closet. I have iron pipe threading stuff from 1/8" up to 4".
When it comes to threading 4" iron pipe I really like running Pex...
I only use iron pipe for repairs and I don't do that very often.
The first time I rehabbed the only rental house we still own I re-plumbed it from scratch with PVC. We had just bought it and the crap I ripped out was amazingly awful.
This time I'm doing it from scratch with Pex...Did I mention that I love Pex.
We put a large addition on my son's house several years ago and he plumbed it with Pex. Trouble free as usual.
I put in a new water system underground to put water out at horse lots for our boarding operation and I put it all in with Pex.
*
I had the pipeline gas disconnected from this house maybe 12 years ago and the black pipe lines are still hanging there (still look like new inside and out) and I have a good use for them. I'll be sawing them out with a saws-all to use in the collection of Pony pipe clamp end sets I have been able to accumulate. Seems like a good use for it.


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[bill50cal]

on the PVC i see people use it for air lines. even though it will work it is a no no in a commercial environment. i would highly recommend against it in the home also. i have seen it burst along chasing cracks it the fittings.

[dusty]

on the PVC i see people use it for air lines. even though it will work it is a no no in a commercial environment. i would highly recommend against it in the home also. i have seen it burst along chasing cracks it the fittings.

I don't KNOW this but I assume that if it cracks when being used for air lines that happens because the air pressure is/was greater than anticipated water pressure.

IF that is the caseI consider ir not a product deficiency but rather the results of misuse. That happens a lot, misuse that is.....and then blame the product!