With Prices of copper rising worldlwide, PEX pipe become more and more popular with contractor and home owner especially when plumbing rehab or remodeling is in order.
Cross-linked polyethylene, also known as PEX or XLPE made from high densit
y polyethylene. PEX tubing is very popular in radiant heating application. 8-10 year. PEX tubing is manufactured by extrusion in sizes from ¼"-2" diameter to
copper tube size, OD controlled (CTS-OD) dimensions. The wall thickness
is based on Standard Dimension Ratio 9 (SDR 9) values. It is available
in coils and straight lengths.
5 to 8 years ago it was impossible to by pex tube or fittings in South-East. Today PEX become available in most plumbing supply houses and Big Box stores like Lowe's and Home Depot. It is a lot better than CPVC or PVC pipe. There is why:
- You can get full range of
adapters and connectors and use in repairs of old water piping. It is
great for service and repairs .
-
In second floor bath there
is no need to instal "T" and "L" in ceiling, just run
1/2" from each fixture to crawl space and connect every thing there.
(PEX pipe is relatively cheep).
- This way you have less joints in hard to reach places. Using soldering torch in old dry Houses in difficult to reach spaces creates substantial FIRE hazard. You can start fire inside the wall and not know it till is to late.
PEX Piping is commonly used in potable water distribution systems. It has been tested in accordance with Federal governing standard and complies with the requirements of ANSI/NSF Standard 61.
PEX tubing is also widely used for hydronic heating applications - both low-temperature (radiant floor heating, snow melting, and ice rinks), also as distribution tubing for hot water up to 200 F (hot water baseboard, convectors and radiators.
For more info on Pex tubing go to:
http://www.toolbase.org/pdf/techinv/pexhomerunplumbing_techspec.pdf