Water leaks....Water leaks everywhere...

[romakdaddy]

Originally Posted by dennis3751

Many more sources for 1/2" Pex on the road, should you need new connectors.

Dennis

yeah, lowes had a ton of 1/2 stuff but the 3/8 stuff was very limited. I'm thinking of going with the metal fittings hopefully they aren't as prone to bust in a freezing situation.

[BAB]

Well, I'm glad you're replacing it with PEX. What I saw in post #12 looked very much like the Polybutylene piping that was in my house in San Diego. Which all had to be replaced, courtesy of the manufacturer (I think it was Shell oil). The PB was fine, but there was some kind of chemical reaction where it was fitted/joined. Which eventually resulted in teensy tiny little sprays of water, then bigger sprays of water.... The crimp fittings used with PEX and the PEX itself are the only way to go. I wish my house was plumbed with it rather than copper. I think all new construction uses PEX, and having plumbed hundreds of feet of it myself, it is really foolproof. As long as you crimp it properly. Which you will do if you use the "check-up" gauge for the size of tubing you're installing. The other advantage is "red" for hot water and "blue" for cold. Never a mistake when you're joining lines or adding a line for an ice maker, humidifier, etc.

[J. Morgan]

The only disadvantage with running 1/2" instead of 3/8" is a little longer wait time for hot water to reach a faucet or shower head.

I plumbed with 1/2", to me the little water lost is made up for in better flow when water pressure is low.


Superat stultitia.

[Gregsch]

Go for it! You won't regret it. Take before and after pics. Some spots will be so tight that you can only get everything in one way. l had a couple places that I had to redo because I put the wrong pipe in first. Test fit assemblies of several fittings and pipes under cabinets or behind walls, them take them out in the open space where you can get the crimper on them then crimp the assembly together. You don't have to crimp them exactly the way they go. You can twist the fitting a little bit after they are crimped.The sharkbites are expensive but they work good. Don't hesitate to use them to put you subassemblies together in areas where you can't use the crimper. They make life a lot easier.