I might be doing some extensive interior plumbing pretty soon. Copper is great but I have some corners to go around where getting in to sweat the joints is almost impossible, not to mention the price. Of the synthetic materials, what's best and why? I've used both PEX and CPVC on small jobs and they've worked fine. PCVC is really easy to use but does it have problems that I don't know about?

I used PEX and Gatorbite fittings on my last remodel job and won't ever use anything else again. I'm seriously considering removing all my copper lines and converting it over to PEX.

I can't speak to the PCVC but the PEX along with the Gatorbite or Sharkbite fittings makes the job so much easier, especially when you have corners and bends to deal with.

WE re-plumbed the "Pheasant Shack" with pex and wouldn't use anything else.

Do it once with pex and don't ever worry about freezing & bursting pipes ever again. It expands if the water freezes and then returns to original diameter. Quick attach couplings makes remodel jobs quick and pretty painless. Some of the quick-attach couplings are expensive, but you don't need any tools other than a tape measure and a PVC pipe cutter. I tried a hand pruner once to cut pex, but couldn't quite get the 90* angle consistently.

Ed

Another vote for PEX. I've soldered a lot of copper over the years, but PEX is easier, more freeze resilient, and faster for me at least.

PEX

PEX for my next re-do

I"d lean to Pex hard right now. The only thing is we don't know how it will be in 30 years, but so far its been good.

Be warned in cold though, the fittings themselves can freeze and crack. The pipe will not.

Copper is good IF the water doesn't eat it away and todays copper isn't near as good as 50 years ago.

CPVC is ok today, but damn stuff gets brittle....with age. My attic is full of it. Ugh. One day I'm considering attempting to repipe. But I have other more important stuff right now.

I reckon the 'other more important stuff right now' will take a backseat real fast, whenever one of those cpvc supplies burst......

One more vote for PEX.

I am working on a lake barn and have built an apartment in one corner. It is approx. 1250 square feet. Not a great deal of PEX but, still a fair amount.

I would also advise using Sharkbite clamps and brass fittings. Might be a bit more costly but, I doubt the brass will fail. I would worry about the job had I used the plastic connectors.

Good luck in your improvement.

This.

I have used it when we built the kids camp in Oregon and when we did the remodel in the old farm house we moved for our daughter and family.

Pex. Did a cabin in MN with it almost 9 years ago and tested the "won't burst if frozen" claim on a few pieces.

It doesn't burst, but the fittings can.

Easy to work with, hasn't leaked yet.

Thanks for the info, guys. I'd never heard about CPVC getting brittle. I don't know if I'll be doing this or not but we've been negotiating on a house sale. If we do it, I have some plumbing to replace.

With PEX, is it worth the cost of the clamps to use the clamp rings instead of the expensive Sharkbite fittings? Of course it depends on how many you have to do but I'll be doing a whole house.

The Sharkbite fittings vary in price depending on what type of fitting you need (T, L, etc). I chose the Gatorbite fittings because of the ease of use and how simple they are to replace should I ever have to do so.

The clamp rings are quite a bit cheaper but you'll need a tool to clamp them to the PEX. I didn't use these because it was crimp dependent and I didn't want any leaks once I turned on the water pressure.

I had zero leaks after installing the PEX with the Gatorbite fittings and have since had to replace 1 inner sleeve on one fitting.

I'm a big fan of PEX. I have tried several different brands of the so called shark-bite fittings--some are better than others, but I have had some of them freeze and break. I bought the crimping tool and never had a problem with them leaking because of frost. Every time I'm down in the states I stop by Menards and grap a handfull of elbows, Tees and crimp bands--ball valves are realy cheap there compared to the local hardware store also.

I have 2 cabins here that are not winterized--plus my house and shop. Got everything plumbed with pex now. Only soldering I do now is when building a column for a new still.

I used to spend a whole day in the Spring runnin around and fixing all the joints that burst over the winter and gettin the water working in the cabins--now I just turn on a valve and go fishin.

Yep, you hit that nail on the head. Hope I can beat it, but you know how that goes. At least they are WELL insulated and covered in insulation, but our 120 in the shade days which makes the attic some 150ish typically on some days, probably ain't helping. I've cut into those pipes in the last 2 years and they were still fine, but time is ticking. Figure in 10 years they won't be so swift.

You figure out the leaks by putting a pressure gauge on the line and put a bit more than water pressure on it and leave it on while constructing...

You need to doubt. Its proven that the brass fittings do freeze and WILL split. Every issue we've had here with unprotected pex that I"ve heard of, has been a cracked or split brass fitting. The pipe has been fine.

This.

I re-did all the rough plumbing in my 100-year-old WI house a few years back, and I was amazed at the results. Hot water arrives HOT 3 storeys above the water heater in seconds, cold water is COLD. Add to that the expandibility, so your pipes can't ever burst due to a freeze, and there's simply no other way to go.

All my PEX and fittings are in the crawl space so the temps never get below 60 degrees.

PEX simply has no competition at present. There are lots of ways to join PEX and all of them are okay, but a few are better than the rest. As for joints/connections, I've done numerous residential and commercial buildings that do not have a connector or joint other than the manifold because it is easy to bend and manipulate without kinking. It is easy to connect/disconnect, irrespective of fitting selection, with the proper tool and a complete idiot can be trained for proper installation in short order.

I have seen PEX split on 2 occasions
A very short piece between 2 fittings and when drilled thur a 6inch beam with avery tight fit.
We use it on all remodels now.
You have to consider that 3/4 PEX is the same id as 1/2 copper. Flow rate is very important.
The cost of sharkbite fittings really adds up fast.
We crimp everything. The price of the new lead free brass fittings is also high.

You should be able to rent the crimp tools.

I am not in extreme cold weather country, and I replumbed my entire house using CPVC about 8 years ago.
It was easy to work and have had no issues.
YMMV

I recommend PEX ,in my area ,pretty much no one is using cpvc

you may be able to rent the tool ,if you have to purchase the tool it most likely won't be cost effective

I'm thinking that for the few extra $$ a crimping clamp would cost, it would be worth having it on hand for emergencies for those added jobs that you think of later.

There you go.
PEX is a great way to go. Get the crimper For future changes/repairs & it will pay for itself very fast. like the ratcheting crimpers for the tight places

I've installed 1000's of feet of 1/2"-1-1/4" pex with zero problems.

EXCEPT SUNLIGHT!!!!

Keep the direct sun off of it & be worry free the rest of your life & probably another generation or two.

This is where you could be wrong ... ever heard of Aquatherm? It's a top-notch product.

http://www.aquatherm.com

true , but pvc , cpvc is not uv resistant either . That is the big difference in pvc and grey conduit is the uv protection

I used to be a purist, nothing but copper! My next house build will be pex all throughout. I have to admit some of this new stuff is really the cats meow.

CPVC dries out and gets brittle with age.

PEX. Run,run, run away from CPVC.

I bought a 100 PSI guage, and put 100 lbs oh air pressure on the lines overnight, before I put water on the..

Again, pex

PEX is as about a bulletproof plumbing system as you're ever going to get. That is awesome in sub-zero climates. You can even use it for the bulk of your boiler-based heating system.

No, I've not heard of Aquatherm, but then I'm not a plumber or HVAC guy. By saying there is no competition I did not mean to imply that no one else is in the race, but that the winner is decided before the flag drops.

How available is Aquatherm? That alone would indicate that while it may be good stuff, it is not in competition with PEX--at least not yet. I'm all for something better, but for now PEX is the way to go, there's no competition.