Anyone else had to replace their pipes? Which did you decide on, and why?

[pnwmom]

Copper or PEX?

Thanks for any advice!
I hate water.

[Polly Hennessey]

1. I hate water so much I am not even awed by the ocean

We chose copper.

“Copper: Copper pipes are tough. They are heat resistant, safe from corrosion, and are naturally antimicrobial.”

[pnwmom]

2. Thanks, Polly! The plumber was pushing for PEX but I have my doubts. nt

[deepblue]

3. Copper inside, pvc underground

Metal inside because of noise reduction.

That's the expert's word I got.

[Old Crank]

4. An interesting question.

You might need to ask a couple of contractors who do both or specialize in one. The Pex will have cheaper material costs. It might be easier and less invasive to install depending on your current piping.
Good luck.

[pnwmom]

5. Yes, it is easier to install PEX, and I got the impression that's why

many plumbers prefer it.

[RockRaven]

6. My experience was about a decade ago, and I don't know how fast things change

in this space, but we chose copper over PEX.

For context, we were doing a significant remodel/rehabilitation of a 40s/50s era house and took the opportunity to replace 100% of the plumbing (also all of the old wiring, sewer and gas lines since we had it entirely down to the studs interiorly, and figured it would never be so again in our lifetimes, yet some of that stuff was badly aged or very obsolete).

As for why copper, it was everything together rather than any single factor. Copper has a longer projected lifespan in our mild conditions (no freezing, not salty/extra corrosive to degrade said lifespan). Our city water was chlorinated at the time, which was reportedly bad for PEX. Also PEX should not be exposed to UV so certain outside parts of the system have to be copper anyway.

At the time copper was about twice as expensive, give or take, and yes that was undesirable but we were making a big investment in a long-planned/saved-for upgrade anyway so we rationalized it as not a big change proportional to the whole project.

One thing which didn't affect our decision but one ought to know is that rodents can chew through PEX fairly readily. So if there is any chance of rodents gaining access to your crawl space/basement or relevant wall cavities, etc then that is something to address/remediate alongside installing any PEX because a leaking pipe in a spot particularly accessible to or favored by rodents sounds like a real pain in the ass.

[pnwmom]

7. Thanks for the tip about rodents! Good to know. nt

[ExciteBike66]

8. PEX, its easy to diy

And if you are not into diy, pex is also easier for a plumber to fix if needed in the future.

[SheltieLover]

9. Copper

Definitely copper especially for supply lines.

Contractors will push PEX for two reasons: a much greater profit margin for them (PEX is dirt cheap), & because they don't know how to solder.

I would advise you to hire someone who does know how to solder & write it in your contract that they are not to use any "shark bite" or other quick connectors. Insist they do the job correctly & solder the copper.

I'll bet if you tell them the above, you will eliminate about 90% of the contractors you are considering because they either don't know how to solder or are looking to make a quick buck with those quick connectors. (Those gadgets can be ok but they also can create nightmare situations.)

I hope this helps.



PS - PEX can also literally come unglued. I had it happen.

[NBachers]

10. I'm the lead guy in the plumbing department of my large independent home care center, and I endorse SheltieLover's post.

[SheltieLover]

11. Thank you!

I'm not a fan of all the quick fixes. lol

[hunter]

14. PEX is never "glued." You may be thinking of PVC or CPVC.

I live in a place where the local well water can be quite aggressive towards copper. Copper's longevity here is overrated. One nearby housing development started suffering failures after ten to fifteen years, especially in the hot water lines. The lead solder and alloys used in older copper plumbing are also a problem.

Rodents are always a problem, not just for plumbing. They'll chew on electric lines and heating/cooling/ventilation ducts too. It's all bad. Excluding rodents is essential.

[Americanme]

12. PEX

I replaced some of my water lines a couple years ago, used PEX, just because it was so easy. I haven't done any copper sweating for many years.

[hunter]

13. PEX has a much smaller environmental footprint.

This planet cannot support copper plumbing for 8 billion people.

I favor PEX for that reason alone.