If you have pipes installed in a new home, or even if you have a current home re-piped, there is a good chance your plumber will recommend using a material called PEX for the job. PEX is short for cross-linked polyethylene. It's a specific type of plastic that has been used, with increasing frequency, to plumb homes. But why use PEX? Here are a few of the key reasons.
PEX is flexible.
Running new pipes is not easy work. With rigid materials like copper and PVC, plumbers have to measure, cut the pipes to length, and create a lot of angles to fit the pipes around floor joists and the like. This is especially challenging when they're plumbing an existing home with a lot of prior structures to work around. With PEX, this work is minimized. The PEX can bend, which means the plumbers have to create fewer joints and make fewer angle measurements. They can instead bend the pipe material around small obstructions. This saves them time and also minimizes the risk of errors.
PEX is color-coded.
Have you ever looked at a water pipe and wondered whether it was a hot or cold water pipe? It can be really hard to tell. You often have to trace the pipe, which is tough if it runs behind some walls and you can't see the whole thing. This is not an issue at all with PEX. The PEX pipes are color-coded. Red PEX pipes are for hot water, and blue ones are for cold water. You will instantly know if a certain pipe is hot or cold, which can make all future plumbing repairs and installations so much simpler.
PEX is affordable.
Copper is not cheap, which is why people often worry about the copper pipes being stolen. Plumbing a home with copper can cost an arm and a leg. PEX is so much more affordable. Choosing PEX may make re-plumbing your home a project that actually fits into your budget, or it may help you stay on budget when you're building a home from scratch.
Plumbers these days tend to push PEX because it truly is an excellent product. If your home needs new pipes, choosing PEX can help save your plumber some work, save you some money, and simplify your future repairs. Those are all benefits well worth exploring.
For more information about plumbing, contact local plumbing services.
Share3 May 2022
Think about how different your life would be without plumbing. To get water, you would have to walk outside and pull it up from a well. To use the bathroom, you would have to venture out to an outhouse, which would certainly not be pleasant in the winter. We really have to thank plumbers for the work that they do, since it allows us all to stay comfortable and do our business inside of our homes. Life has been transformed, in so many ways, by the plumbing profession. Join us in honoring plumbers by reading the articles on this website.