From: "Gary Slusser" 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: PEX water pipe
Date: Tue, 07 Oct 2003 03:11:21 GMT


"WasteNotWantNot"  wrote
> me63401@privacy.net wrote in message
news:...
> > >You can bend PEX an an extreme angle without kinking it so you
don't
> > >need as many connections at all. And it is almost never going to
> > >freeze and leak. If lack of leaks is important to you, this is a
good
> > >product. It can save a lot of labor on installation. If you want to
> > >pay for copper soldered joints you can have an all metal system of
> > >course. I think the main disadvantage of the PEX is when a
homeowner
> > >wants to change something and is unfamiliar with it.
> >
> > Interesting!
> >
> > Thanks for that info!!
> >
> > Tel me tho.....  how is it that PEX is so resistant to
> > leaks and freezing?
> >
> > Please excuse my ignorance.... Im in the "research"
> > mode and thinking of building a home....and Ive never
> > had any experience with construction methods.
> >
> > Anyway..... typically copper pipe WAS used for water
> > runs until PEX came along. Correct?
> >
> > If yes.... how is it that PEX is less likely to freeze
> > or leak than say copper?   Does PEX have the ability to
> > expand and "stretch" more when water freezes inside it?
> > More so than copper does?
> >
> > John
>
> Absolutely yes, that's what the sellers claim and over the 20 years
> that it has been out, that seems to be the case. Hey, I'm not pushing
> PEX. I like copper too. You say you are thinking of "building a home".
> If it's you doing the labor then you might prefer copper. If you are
> paying someone else to do it you might save by using PEX. If you're
> just saving the builder some time and he's not passing the saving on,
> then maybe you're back to copper. It all depends upon whose ox is
> being gored.

Well maybe until we look at water quality issues, then there's no
comparison and PEX wins regardless of the ox.

CPVC has been used for longer and is a very good choice as long as you
go one size larger than you would use in copper; or PEX. The reason
being the smaller ID of the fittings for CPVC.

Pex comes in varying 'qualities'.

Gary
Quality Water Associates