CPVC or PEX

[kf4zht]

For my airline? J/K, mine are all copper and not going to start that fight

I am adding a sink to my basement shop. Currently line around about 10' Away overhead. Plumbing is going to be interesting since it will backup against a slab wall, but it's a shop.

Current lines are all CPVC. Was considering running PEX however due to the routing that I will have to do. Cost is about the same other than the crimp tool, but I will probably use that again.

What would your preference be and what is the easiest way to transition CPVC to PEX? I was going to have a valve where I tee off to make it easy (and in case of line damage)

 

[mygarageone]

To transition , just use a male or female cpvc adapter and then use the opposite one on the pex .
I quit using copper a long time ago , Pex is so much easier to install and add on to . It actually is cheaper than CPVC , at least here where I live it is and no waiting for glue to cure .

 

[xyster101]

PEX is flexible if it ever freezes or your bump it hard. I love PEX, super easy to use.

 

[lorne]

My moms condo she just sold had cpvc. I can't believe it meets code in states that having freezing temps. You look at it wrong and it cracks. It also has no flexibility if it does freeze. I'd go with Pex.

 

[brownbagg]

cpvc *****, I rip all mine out and went with pex. not a big fan of pex but it been no trouble.

 

[SALIV8]

Pex is the shizzz...

Cpvc is garbage compared to pex.

 

[monkeybar]

Me & pex

Well, everybody prefers PEX, it seems. We bought a house 14 months ago, 10 years old. Completely plumbed with PEX. Wife heard water running recently, I'm almost deaf, could hear it splashing underneath in crawl space. I started crawling, after shutting water off. Original installer of main line feeding through foundation had the weight of about 5 feet of PEX coming through horizontally, then straight up through floor into wall above.

The unsupported 5' run pulled the brass elbow out of the vertical. A giant furnace duct blocks the crawl to get to it, and the dust and debris had me barely able to breathe to get the hell out of there. Can't afford a plumber, likely wouldn't trust a stranger anyhow. Outside of house, we dug down until the entry water line was reached: surprise! From the meter, about 150 feet away, and across a natural wash about 5 feet deep, they had used Sch. 40 PVC, underground. I bored a hole through the wall, sliced off the horiz. section, went up and over through wall and connected to incoming PEX inside the wall. Used one of those fancy PEX brass slip-on fittings with the O-ring inside, works well, expensive though.

Put in new water heater, bought PEX fittings, crimped them on, one leaked ever to slowly, a drop every 10 seconds, but inside the house, onto the floor. O-ring fitting there solved that one. So, my experiences with PEX have not been that good. Agree the tubing is super strong, feels similar to Nylon, but those f...ing crimp fittings, I'm not sold on. JMO. monkey

 

[larry4406]

I have no experience with PEX. My house is cpvc of 12 years no issues. I did my detached garage with cpvc. I build high end production homes some upwards of $1M and we use cpvc with no issues.

 

[kf4zht]

Sounds like PEX is the way. I will have to buy the tool, but from the sound of how bad CPVC is I will probably end up running anything else with PEX. I typically use copper and don't have issues with leaks, but it is a PITA

Anyone have comments on crimp vs clinch? The crimp seems to be the "official" way but the tooling costs more. The clinch don't need dies but I am seeing a few bad reviews. Not sure if those are bad installs or an actual issue.

Going to avoid sharkbites, too expensive and too many bad reviews

 

[NAPPY]

I work with pex all the time at work. RV manufactures love the stuff. you don't have to use crimp fittings. there is a compression style made by flair-it, and a push in style made by sea tech.

 

[cowboyjosh]

PEX, I haven't used CPVC in a house in over 7 years. I was reluctant to start using PEX years ago, but now that I have built 100+ houses with it, I'm sold. I would even prefer PEX to Copper.

 

[3xpendable]

Pex it! Use a shark bite to move from cpvc to pex. Once you use it you will wonder how you ever got on with out it
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=288495&stc=1&d=1382196393

 

[maxspeed96ct]

I always prefer copper, and try to use copper when ever I can. But pex is always good and has its place for certain applications .

 

[rslaback]

For hidden stuff I would go with pex. That said the **** retentive part of me can't stand the drooping runs you get from a flexible product so I go copper on anything exposed.

 

[justin1795]

i redid the basment at my old house in pex. it was actually uponor and a buddy gave me all the tools. only drawl back was most the fittings were about 10 bucks a piece for the metal ones. but it alowed me to remove all the galvonized pipe and get extra head room

 

[Diesel Dan]

After redoing several houses over the years I have used a little bit of everything, PEX, PVC, CPVC, copper and pipe. Removed all old galvanized and cpvc in one house and redid with all copper, very expensive today. Last two houses were all PEX.

I do like pex but only buy "name brand" tubing, not the cheap ebay stuff made by who knows what.

There are two main style clamps for PEX tubing;
-Oetiker: http://www.homedepot.com/p/SharkBite-1-2-in-PEX-Clamps-10-Pack-UC953A/202032891
-copper compression: http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/145/46/462271e7-a95c-4b8a-8b6e-f1adeb2e242c_145.jpg

I've have Oetiker pliers but still had a couple fittings leak. After using a good set of compression crimpers I have not had any leaks. This is the crimp tool I bought and highly recommend it, has 4 dies to crimp 3/8,1/2,3/4 and 1" and they are USA made. http://www.homedepot.com/p/SharkBite-Multi-Head-Crimp-Tool-Kit-23100/202032966#.UmPgLn-bwfx

99% of my soldered copper joints didn't leak but there is always one that will. It is much cheaper to run a manifold system with dedicated lines to fixtures using PEX and that takes care of pressure drops when flushing a toilet and taking a shower. Even copper has its downfalls with hard water and high velocities that will erode elbows if not designed properly.

IMO, PEX over CPVC all day long!