Installing New Plumbing: Copper or PEX?

LESLIE: Doug in Nevada’s got a plumbing problem. What happened?

DOUG: I’m planning on building a second home in the mountains next spring and I’m trying to determine what plumbing system to install. And I’m considering the – installing the traditional copper pipe plumbing, but I also am looking at the PEX flexible tubing. And I’m just wondering if you’ve had any experience with the PEX flexible tubing as a plumbing system type in a cabin.

LESLIE: Well, when was that article in Fine Homebuilding, Tom, about that whole plumbing system with the …?

TOM: I think it was the September or the October issue of Fine Homebuilding magazine had a good story about PEX. And they were very high on it. I have personally never installed PEX and you know, my tendency is to kind of wait and see how it shakes out because there’s been bad experiences with plastic pipe in the past. If you go copper, you know, you can never go wrong. But the folks at Fine Homebuilding, who I greatly respect, did a lot of research on it and were very, very positive about the opportunities with it. It was easier to work with. It was less expensive. There were fewer connections. You could run it to more places. You needn’t have to worry about soldering and things of this nature. So, so far it seems to be getting a pretty reputation. So I think they’re both good choices. It probably is going to come down to cost.

DOUG: OK. And it would seem to me that PEX is a little bit easier for the do-it-yourselfer as well. Is that correct?

TOM: Yes.

LESLIE: Oh, absolutely.

TOM: It definitely is easier for the do-it-yourselfer. Because if you – if you try the copper pipe yourself and you’re not real familiar with it, you can get yourself in trouble really quickly.

Doug, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.