any plumbers out there? which would you recommend to repipe my crawlspace...cpvc or pex? which & why?

Question

this is a diy job. i currently have galvanized pipes, that's the reason for the repiping. i have ruled out copper. my house is small...the pipes are all in one area...pretty straight with only a couple of 90 degree turns. there is an add on bathroom that does have copper piping. i won't redo any of that. can you attach plastic pipe to copper pipe? how is that done? thanks to everyone!

this is for hot and cold water supply.

Answer 1

for water piping I'm assuming and it's a do it yourself project? Personally I prefer copper but, IF you're going to install the piping in a location where it can be accessed pex or cpvc is an "acceptable" alternative. Cost wise they run about the same but the tool to flare the pex pipe is about $400. As far as performance, durability. I've installed pex piping but I couldn't say how long it will last. CPVC I've seen become very brittle after about 10 years, especially with city water.

If you decide to use CPVC, I would buy the flowguard gold pipe, it's supposed to be "better". Pex would be my first choice but I think you will be satisfied with either. Make sure you give the pipe plenty of support sags can cause stresses that will turn into leaks.

to attach cpvc pipe to copper you have to use a transition fitting, it has a compression fitting for the copper side, cut the copper where you want it, sand it clean and use 2 wrenches to compress it onto the copper pipe. After that you can glue the cpvc right to it.

Answer 2

I spent some time in front of the computer for some good information about PEX or copper, and I found this article here very useful: http://www.miconstruguia.com/en/how-to-install-pex/. Hope this works for you too

Answer 3

I'm not a big fan of PEX, so I'd do it in pvc for the cold water and cpvc for the hot water (cheaper to run cold water in pvc). For the connection to your copper pipe, if you currently have a screw connection from the galvanized to the copper, you will probably be able to use that connection, with a correcponding pvc or cpvc adapter.

Answer 4

What type of plumbing is in your crawlspace? What is the reason for a re-pipe? How much room do you have to work with? Both types of pipe are OK to use. CPVC is a little more messy, with the primer and glue. PEX pipe is OK, but check the manufacturer's guidelines for installation. Branch runs can't be longer than 60'. If you are doing this yourself, the installation tool for PEX is a little pricey, and the tool with interchangeable heads for different size pipe, will run over $200. For ease of installation, and cost wise, I prefer CPVC. Whichever pipe you decide to use, I suggest insulation on all the pipes. PEX states that their pipe won't freeze, but I saw a piece of PEX that had burst from freezing. Either way, the choice is up to you! Good luck to you!

Answer 5

For the crawl, I would use PEX. Its flexible so in a tight spot it might be the best method to use. Just did a whole house in PEX, big time saver so if the job is on an hourly basis you might save money there. Parts might be a little more expensive. Use it for both hot and cold. Nice to have red PEX for hot and blue PEX for cold water. Future tie ins are easier.

Answer 6

Pex would probably be easier for supply lines because of the flexibility; however, also susceptible to varmints like mice an squirrels; might chew through it. For drain lines definately PVC, and I'd use copper for supply lines if under the structure.

Answer 7

Pex! It's fast, reliable, and inexpensive. There are adapters for copper to pex and for threaded to pex. There is a tool for crimp fittings all three sizes for 30.00.

Answer 8

pvc for drainage system...abs for supply system. Both for durability and ease of installation.

Answer 9

Some pretty good arguments here.

Answer 10

depends on what they are connecting to