Pex, Copper, Cast - what would you Hang your Head

[mobiledynamics]

Just going through my bevy of tools....and I got alot of feedback on the other ProPress thread I did on where the market is trending...

ProPress on Hand
Full tank hoses/torches/etc on hand...
ProPex M12 own as well
Full threader set

For my own house, I prefer soldered copper for water, CI for primary stack and branching drains. I dunno if I'm old fashioned, but I still want 17AWG tubular brass under the sinks. Exposed things like lavatory, I prefer the heavy chrome/cast brass traps, hardline pipe and brass/chrome shutoffs with female brass ****** stubs -----although this Dinosaur in me for some items, is slowing okay with 5/8 compressions from Dahl. Sadly some faucets or alot....come with their own hoses on them... They don't look that -terrible- when you look at them.

Okay with PVC for vent and the stub ups of drain from the branching drains.

Don't laugh fellas, but in my 1st house, in keeping with the vintage of the place, all the plumbing I did on the water feeds, I was cutting/thread/reusing where I have removed all with red brass that was in there.

I think Pex is superior for certain hot water applications where tolerances are tight and you can't torch or twist to tighten.

 

[Jim greengo]

PVC waste/vent and groundwork ,copper for water lines.
Only thing I use pex for is radiant heat in floors.
Cpvc is junk,other than maybe for condensate drains.
Pro press sounds like a machine at planet fitness to me.
They can have my turbo torch/mapp gas and stay brite8 when they can pry it from my cold dead fingers.
C.I is only required in Omaha on commercial jobs and repairs on existing work.
I'm getting too old to dig up rotten old c.i ground in houses because people think acid drain openers are the answer to everything.

 

[yeldogt]

My plan was to do a pex home run for my new house -- I ended up going conventional CU branch w/ hot return leg.

Also prefer 17g P traps and threaded supply valves. I often do exposed -- so no real choice then.

Stopped using CI drains -- wrapped or sprayed PVC is quiet and never leaks if done correctly,

 

[spudley]

Pro press sounds like a machine at planet fitness to me.

They can have my turbo torch/mapp gas and stay brite8 when they can pry it from my cold dead fingers.

Thank you very much, I'll be here all week...

 

[theoldwizard1]

I have done a bit of DIY plumbing, some repair some new.

PEX is the only way to go for most supply lines. You main feed need to be 1" but the branches should be 3/4". For all new construction I can see where "home runs" are worth the trade off between time and material, but that is NOT practical for for retrofit.

ProPress is fast, but the tool price and the requirement to use special fittings leaves it out of the question for the DIY. I prefer the copper compression rings, but there are cases where getting the tool in place is a problem.

Minimize the use of elbows. The are expensive and drop pressure. Use metal corner supports. Less chance for kinks. If you are buying a large coil, take it outside, unwind as much as you can and leave it in the sun so that it can loose it "memory".

Use the copper "stub outs" for stops. They are sealed so you can do pressure testing without a stop attached. If I ever do another job, I would use 1/4 turn stops with compression fitting. The ferrule CAN BE REMOVED with the correct tool.

DWV is PVC. I talked to a plumber who was about 50. Even though he was trained to do cast iron drain pipe joints with oakum and lead he had NEVER DONE ONE ! Just cut the CI and use an adapter.

 

[mobiledynamics]

TOW Unless I misread your 2nd part " copper compression", I would never consider the copper compression (if we are talking the same thing, sleeve, nut) okay for rough in. The only time where it would be acceptable IMO if for a shutoff....like copper stubs under the kitchen sink, laundry outlet box, where the valve is a traditional 5/8 compression onto the copper.


Another one for you guys in the trades. LOL, at one one I wasn't even using 5/8 compression for hidden areas like kitchen cabinets and such. I was doing soldered valves. Some of them....was like a work of OCD. Cold and Hot had a T fitting. Each one had a fitting. This was due to my mindset of having a extra feed for the dishwasher.....nowadays, Dahl 5/8 3 Way Compressions are my preferred setup.

In your comment on repair, I dunno. I suppose if this was a line exposed under a floor joist in the basement or something and with no torches on hand, compression union would be suitable...

 

[HoosierBuddy]

DWV is PVC. I talked to a plumber who was about 50. Even though he was trained to do cast iron drain pipe joints with oakum and lead he had NEVER DONE ONE ! Just cut the CI and use an adapter.

All of the original sewer in my house is CI. The house is over 100 years old, but I think it may not have had any indoor plumbing until about WWII. It has held up pretty well, where we've had to tie on for additions we've done as you suggest. Fernco adapter to PVC.

Phil

 

[Bert_]

Nice thing about coupling PVC to cast is the cast is often 4" and we use mostly 3" PVC in a house. That means the PVC can be slid inside the cast iron pipe several inches. Then the fernco is mostly just sealing gas.

Cast is rough and the fernco often doesn't make a perfect seal. When the plastic is not slid down inside the cast it's pretty common to see water streaks from the fernco down.

 

[Jim greengo]

Nice thing about coupling PVC to cast is the cast is often 4" and we use mostly 3" PVC in a house. That means the PVC can be slid inside the cast iron pipe several inches. Then the fernco is mostly just sealing gas.

Cast is rough and the fernco often doesn't make a perfect seal. When the plastic is not slid down inside the cast it's pretty common to see water streaks from the fernco down.

Always slop some PVC cement around c.i before putting a no hub coupling on it.
No leaks that way.

 

[nadogail]

My houses all use ABS for DW&V. The older ones have Copper Supplies. One was originally built with plastic and redone with copper before we purchased it.

My residence was built with copper supplies.

The recently built rentals are plumed with plastic with copper stubs.

 

[Ron_J]

I have done a bit of DIY plumbing, some repair some new.

PEX is the only way to go for most supply lines. You main feed need to be 1" but the branches should be 3/4". For all new construction I can see where "home runs" are worth the trade off between time and material, but that is NOT practical for for retrofit.

Only drawback of using the larger lines is the time it takes to get hot water to the faucet. But the upside is you don't get scalded when in the shower and someone flushes!

 

[Toomanytools?]

Only drawback of using the larger lines is the time it takes to get hot water to the faucet. But the upside is you don't get scalded when in the shower and someone flushes!

The ID of 1" pex is smaller than 1" copper, 1" pex is like using 3/4 copper.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Always slop some PVC cement around c.i before putting a no hub coupling on it.
No leaks that way.

It may have worked for you so far, but it's just been your good skill at installing the couplings. PVC cements aren't cement. They're a solvent and won't "seal" PVC to cast iron.

Tommy

 

[Jim greengo]

It may have worked for you so far, but it's just been your good skill at installing the couplings. PVC cements aren't cement. They're a solvent and won't "seal" PVC to cast iron.

Tommy

I'm talking about using it to fill voids in the cast iron before clamping the no hub coupling down on to it,nothing to do with the plastic side of the project.
I also do it on cast iron to cast iron repairs when using no hub couplings.
It works,try it some time.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I'm talking about using it to fill voids in the cast iron before clamping the no hub coupling down on to it,nothing to do with the plastic side of the project.
I also do it on cast iron to cast iron repairs when using no hub couplings.
It works,try it some time.

I can buy that!

Tommy

 

[klassenl]

In my time all I have seen in new homes is ABS for drains and some form of plastic water line.

Commercial....it all depends on what philosophy the engineer subscribes to.