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Central Kansas | Most new construction in this area is PEX. You have a manifold, one side hot (red handles) one side blue (blue handles) so each run of PEX can be shut off independently of all others. Most home plumbing is not in plain sight so I don't think 'sloppy' would be much of a factor to most folks. PEX is used for in-floor heat albeit it is a sheathed variety. The downsides I found when I researched plumbing materials was the need for a special crimper for each size. I think these are much less money now and good quality ones can be purchased at the big box home centers.
We have had total PEX plumbing in a new home since 2003. There have been no leaks or problems whatsoever. I think the top quality PEX material is not really cheap...but the plumber time to plumb a house is much less with PEX....just a straight run to each use point with a separate tube. Like many innovations...there will be naysayers who point out shortcomings. I do think there were some crimping problems early on with all types of plastic pipes....but the PEX problem...even when joining to dis-similar materials, has pretty well been resolved. PEX can take some freezing without bursting, doesn't have to soldered, can make curves, bends and slight angles without connectors. I suspect it will become the standard for plumbing over time.
Along with the guys telling about problems with PEX....have you heard any stories about the quality of a sweated joint on copper with solder that cannot contain lead these days? I guess just like machinery....there are devotees to a specific brand without much wiggle room. Good luck on your decision. | |
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New Plumbing - copper water pipes or Pex piping?
