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Dear SEC Home Inspections,
We're going to begin construction with a new family home this year and my contractor told me he installed PEX throughout the last two to three buildings they built and advised we choose it. Can you give us good info with regards to plumbing this brand new home with PEX?
Jim
Dear Jim
PEX; short for cross-linked polyethylene has become an efficient product of preference for a number of tradesman and local plumbers. It has been in use in America as early as the 1980’s for several purposes including basic plumbing and even hydronic floor heating systems.
PEX is not freeze resistant, and yet will be not as likely to burst during freezing temperature compared to almost every other type of plumbing. Because of its flexibility PEX can be installed in quite a few configurations such as having a manifold and plumbing a continuing home run on the cold and hot lines to each and every appliance. Using this type of set up there are no plumbing connectors present to cause leaks inside crawl spaces, inside walls or below concrete slabs.
PEX may also be installed along with couplings that can be connected with special fittings. You can use it as a main service line coming from the street but it needs to be protected inside of a sleeve where it's going through the foundation wall directly into the home.
PEX will be sold in the majority of common plumbing sizes in addition to you can find it color coded; red plumbing for your hot lines in addition to blue for the cold water lines. There are numerous positive characteristics however there are several details you should know involving installation.
You should not put it in direct sunlight also; you will have to think about thermal expansion which is evident as drooping anywhere between plumbing hangers requiring installation of more hangers.
There are not many do-it-yourself home owners using PEX considering that it requires some unique tools regarding installation; however it is starting to be very well liked in remodels along with improvements of pre-existing houses.
As the professional home inspector we don't find many problems concerning this product. We are finding a good number of home owners have excellent outcomes and would probably recommend it to anyone else building a new house.
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