- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Winter Olympics
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
re: Pex vs Copper - New Home Construction
Posted on 1/23/19 at 11:17 pm to Clames
Posted on 1/23/19 at 11:17 pm to Clames
The area of 3/8" is about 56% of the area of 1/2".....1" pipe will handle 400% more than 1/2"
If doing home runs for each fixture this doesn't matter much with cold lines because like mentioned, many fixtures use less water than even 3/8 supplies.
My gripe is with hot water lines. When not in use, those lines are a reservoir for cold water which must be flushed out by running the tap until the hot is purged through. While waste will be the same if both competing lines are 1/2", it could be reduced if the pex-a was reduced to 3/8 which would be an equal flow of the 1/2" internal fitting pex-b. Obviously this amount of water is small but over 20 years it could add up with the extra water use and particularly heating cost of water.
There is about 1/2gal of stale water in a 50' run of 1/2" pipe. So a savings of close to 1/4gal water everytime someone wants hot water from a faucet if using 3/8 uponor over 1/2" crimp pex.
If doing home runs for each fixture this doesn't matter much with cold lines because like mentioned, many fixtures use less water than even 3/8 supplies.
My gripe is with hot water lines. When not in use, those lines are a reservoir for cold water which must be flushed out by running the tap until the hot is purged through. While waste will be the same if both competing lines are 1/2", it could be reduced if the pex-a was reduced to 3/8 which would be an equal flow of the 1/2" internal fitting pex-b. Obviously this amount of water is small but over 20 years it could add up with the extra water use and particularly heating cost of water.
There is about 1/2gal of stale water in a 50' run of 1/2" pipe. So a savings of close to 1/4gal water everytime someone wants hot water from a faucet if using 3/8 uponor over 1/2" crimp pex.
1
Posted on 1/24/19 at 12:04 am to Chuker
quote:
The area of 3/8" is about 56% of the area of 1/2".....1" pipe will handle 400% more than 1/2"
Except that isn't what was discussed. It's about the difference in cross sectional area between standard PEX fittings and expansion-only fittings like Uponor's brand and that difference isn't that much. Talking around 0.016 square inches with 1/2" fittings. I don't like the idea of running two different sizes of plumbing either. I'd rather run a manifold to a central location and have a circulating loop to it from the water heater if the situation allowed.
Posted on 1/24/19 at 5:48 am to poochie
Pex with a hairline split will spray a fine mist into your attic or walls that will go undetected for a while. Then your repair bill could get interesting.
Posted on 1/24/19 at 7:41 am to ChenierauTigre
Copper pipe with a pinhole leak can also spray a must that goes undetected. My neighbor had a pinhole leak behind his wall in the kitchen, the tile only ran up to the cabinets so it was damming the water under the cabinets. It leaked until it finally filled up and came over the tile.
Posted on 1/24/19 at 8:15 am to ScottieP
quote:
Actually there are prefabbed copper stub outs that connect to the pex without any soldering.
Yes, there are some. Is what I used.
Posted on 1/24/19 at 9:42 am to fishfighter
Guys, thanks for the information. the OB never fails. Will go with Pex. I could probably tackle the whole scope myself but will be doing other things as well so may let the plumber do it. But it will be PEX and i will be inspecting everything daily...
thanks Baws. Here's Heidi from Home Improvement for your troubles...
thanks Baws. Here's Heidi from Home Improvement for your troubles...
Page 4 of 4
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News