Whether you are building or remodeling a home, choosing the most appropriate plumbing material is crucial in order to have a fully functioning plumbing system without any problems for many years to come. Although there are many plumbing material options on the market today, PEX is increasingly used in residential and commercial plumbing applications.
Reasons to use PEX piping
PEX, which stands for cross-linked polyethylene, is a plastic material that offers some significant advantages over other piping options, including copper, galvanized steel, PVC, and CPVC. To understand why more and more professionals and homeowners are choosing PEX over other plumbing materials, let's take a closer look at its properties.
The flexibility of PEX piping
PEX is flexible enough to bend 90 degrees without any accessories. In contrast, rigid piping materials, such as copper, galvanized steel, PVC, and CPVC, cannot bend around structural elements. In addition to extending the construction schedule and adding to the overall cost of the project, cutting pipes and installing fittings can increase the likelihood of water leaks behind walls. PEX can reduce the risk of these situations happening. To minimize the risk of water leaks, plumbers can use PEX pipe manifolds and separate, uninterrupted PEX lines to connect the main water supply line to each fixture or group of fixtures. For example, with manifolds and continuous PEX piping, separate water lines can be connected to your kitchen, laundry room, and each bathroom.
In addition to simplifying the installation process, PEX is compatible with many piping materials, including copper, galvanized steel, PVC, and CPVC. This allows you to switch from other materials to PEX and vice versa according to your project specifications.
Thermal Conductivity
Because pipes are also used to transport hot water in plumbing systems, it's important to ensure that the pipe material you choose can withstand high temperatures. First, ASTM does not approve PVC pipe for applications with temperatures above 140°F. For hot water applications above that, professionals recommend copper, galvanized steel, CPVC, or PEX pipe, which can easily withstand water temperatures up to 200°F.
Furthermore, metals are good conductors of heat. For example, uninsulated copper and galvanized steel pipe can lose 22 to 34 BTUs per hour per foot. Therefore, metal water pipes that are not properly insulated can lose a lot of heat, increasing your energy bills. Although PEX also loses some heat to the surroundings, it has a lower thermal conductivity than metal. However, the heat transfer of hot water flowing through PEX pipes depends not only on the thermal resistance of the material, but also on the chosen pipe wall thickness and insulation material.
Cost of PEX tubing
PEX is much less expensive than copper and galvanized steel pipe, and about the same price as PVC and CPVC pipe. However, "PEX pipe" is a general term that includes three pipe categories with different characteristics and price ranges.
1. PEX-A pipes, manufactured using the "thermal" crosslinking method. The method involves crosslinking polyethylene molecules at temperatures above the melting point of the polymers used. PEX-A pipe is more flexible than PEX-B and PEX-C pipe, expanding or contracting more when exposed to hot or cold water. This type of pipe also has the highest resistance to cracking when temperatures drop below freezing. Given its unique characteristics, it's easy to see why PEX-A is more expensive than PEX-B and PEX-C pipe.
2. PEX-B pipes are produced by placing the pipes in a hot water bath after using a catalyst in the extrusion process. PEX-B is stiffer than PEX-A due to molecular cross-linking between 65% and 70%. Therefore, PEX-B does not swell as well as PEX-A.
3.PEX-C pipes are manufactured with the help of electron radiation beams, which break the existing bonds between molecules and create new cross-links. With the least degree of cross-linking, this is the stiffest piping option, prone to kinks and cracks in freezing conditions.
Durability of PEX piping
Compared to copper and galvanized steel pipes which are prone to corrode, rust and accumulate mineral deposits due to prolonged exposure to water, PEX offers resistance to rust, corrosion, scaling and other damage that water can cause . Thus, PEX piping prevents problems such as water discoloration, metallic taste, pipe noise, low water pressure, and pipe bursts.
PEX piping restrictions
Like PVC and CPVC, PEX breaks down under UV radiation. Additionally, PEX piping is susceptible to damage from extreme heat, flames, high concentrations of chlorine, and contaminants. For example, certain petroleum or mineral-based products can alter the chemical composition of PEX, which can damage pipes and fittings.
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