PEX vs copper

Let’s pretend I’m building a new house and there’s no price difference between PEX and copper plumbing. I’m less concerned with freezing where I live. Is copper the better option? Which would you use and why?

Thanks in advance.

 

You had better provide insulation for either.

 

I would be surprised if you can even find someone who would do copper. PEX is the better option hands down.

 

Don’t take it from me as I’m not a plumber, but I have been in the plumbing and heating wholesale industry for nearly 20 years. Take a tour of the Uponor factory in Minnesota and watch the testing they do on their cross linked polyethylene pipe and it’ll make anyone a believer. Pex hands down in my opinion.

 

PEX

 

Also note there are different grades of pex. I’d strictly use pex-a if it were my house. You can use anyones fitting system (Uponor, Rehau, Heatlink) but I’d definitely stick with pex-a.

 

We are builders and prefer copper over the pex. The only time we use PEX is if we are working on a house that already has it.

 

New to me house has pex and aside from initial learning curve of what is pex-a, tools, and fitting types it's really quick and easy to work on even in tight spaces. No more sweating fittings for me!

 

In my area, many of the higher-end custom houses are being built with copper, but I didn’t know if that meant that copper was actually better.

 

Pex for sure, I live in socal so obviously no freezing concerns, but pex is very vulnerable to UV damage so just gotta make sure it's been shielded before you put it in.

 

Building with PEX as we speak.

 

If you water is very acidic PEX may be preferable.
With PEX I still use copper stub outs - much cleaner look
I like crimp rings over other solutions
Beware cheap chinesium copper
Use appropriate wall thickness
I like using manifold in easy to reach location
Consider the Moen wifi auto leak detector/shutoff

 

I should add we always use type L copper.

 

Just curious as to which Pex and pvc pipe you use? As in the company that made it.

 

I stopped plumbing just as PEX started getting really popular, also right after those sharkbite couplers hit the market. I never used or trusted either, granted I never spent the time to learn about either.

It was my understanding that as mentioned PEX doesn't hold up well in direct sunlight, which shouldn't be a big deal. The other concern was that much like similar "soft" tubing used in manufactured homes, PEX doesn't hold up well to rodents.

Easier to work with for sure (the joints still make me nervous) and significantly cheaper for parts and labor.

If I'm doing the work, I would still run copper. Sweating pipe is no big deal as long as you have room to work. As long as you don't have the pipe touching other metals or cement and you use the blue grade it should last a lifetime.

 

Off the shelf from Home Depot, Lowe's, or Locke supply. Depends on who has what when I need it and where I am at the time. Not brand loyal really. All is pressure tested well above operating pressures after installation.

 

Don’t know about in-house use but I see people putting in pex heated driveways. I personally wouldn’t do that; go with electric coils. Also, if you’re building north of the Mason-Dixon; spend the cash now and put in a heated driveway. Heated driveway comes out to be about the same cost as a broken hip. Even less if you’ve already got things ripped up. Just my $.02.

 

X2

 

I’m in the construction industry (GC) and bar none every building being done in Upstate NY is using Pex. Great product. Easy to install. They have manifolds that you can isolate every line with ease to expand the system, fix issues that may arise, etc. Not to mention the cost in materials let alone the labor difference.

 

If you have hard water copper can actually be worse, much worse. The labor and time it takes to install copper is much more than PEX. Used to be that material is more as well but who knows right now. They may just be doing copper stub outs or feel better running copper under the slabs down there. Btw my in laws are from Cut Off LA, I went to college at UNO. I hope ya’ll made out okay from IDA.

 

PEX. Easier to install and or repair. Less likely to have a leak due to a "bad" braze joint.

 

Mind sharing why?

 

My brother is a plumber. He says he only installs PEX on new builds and when doing renos, if at all possible he'll replace copper with PEX.

 

One thing is copper is proven for many years and is not like working with a limp dick. Plus I can sweat copper in my sleep and can trust what I have done. I know everyone has there own opinion on things but I think most people use PEX because 1 it's cheap and 2 anyone can do it. You can have a bad joint in either of them if not done right. For us we just rather work with copper plus a nice straight pipe run looks 10 times better to me. When we run electrical or copper everything is run on a chalkline we are not trying for speed. I have a friend that's a full-time plumber and he will tell you he just uses PEX because it's fast an cheap and it makes him more money. But hey that's why we have choices.

 

Plus I know some people's argument is PEX doesn't freeze and bust as easy as copper which is true but if it's ran right you shouldn't have that problem anyway.

 

I'm not sure if it's really a PEX vs Copper but more of a PEX diameter vs 1/2 or 3/4 copper tubing...

 

Still have a tarp on the roof and can't find a trim carpenter to save my life but otherwise made out ok.

 

You can get pieces for copper and pvc all over the place pex you can not if something goes bad. You need special tools for pex and not so much for copper and pvc. A lot of plumbers do not mess with pex if you have to call one out. There are pros and cons for both. I would stick with what you know and have access to.

 

Special tools? Pex you need a tube cutter, crimp sleeves, and a crimper. Copper you need a torch, fire resistant cloth, leather gloves, solder, not to mention maybe having to drain the line so the copper will heat up properly for the solder joint. PEX is easier and faster. I don't care how good of a plumber someone is. You can't beat the speed of PEX install. As far as getting pieces for PEX, any big box store I.E. Lowes, Home Depot, Ace True Value, etc. has what I've needed.

 

Go with copper and press fittings. Just as fast as PEX and more durable.

Also looks cleaner.