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Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
8,307 posts, read 38,657,867 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Barking Spider
I just replaced the main water line at my house. I used PEX. Much easier to install than copper without the freeze issues or either copper or PVC.
The main line at my house is galvanized and the original gear from 1955 (Americans apparently knew a thing or two about galvanizing back then) and is probably way overdue for replacement. I'll use PEX for sure.
I just chatted with a friend that teaches plumbing here at a local college. I asked about why we don't use PEX here as a supply line. He said that a 1" PEX line will flow about the same amount of water as a 3/4" copper. You'd need to use a 1 1/4" PEX line to equal a 1" copper line. A 1" supply line is required here at minimum, either copper or PVC sch 40. He claims you'll lose about 15 lbs water pressure per 100 lineal feet of run with it too based on our water pressures here. WE have 80+ lbs line pressures here and a lot of it exceeds 125lbs. He says there is the issue with using PEX that large when it comes to crimping. It requires a hydraulic crimper to make any joints. I would imagine that the required equipment to make it work would throw it out of budget in most areas.
Most of our new construction uses PVC sch 40 for the supply lines. On my jobs I require the plumber to backfill with sand as we have a lot of soil movement here that most areas won't have. We hardly ever see temps cold enough for a supply line to be in any danger of freezing. Our burys are at most 18" deep and some are 6". My personal home is about 8" and PVC.
I'm willing to pay the modest cost differential that using copper vs pex requires.
(hint: the cost for the 50 feet of pipe is the least of the job)
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