Looks like I'm going to be doing my house,.since all the local plumbers are criminals or think they are brain surgeons. May have some questions or if there are tips of the trade I need to know,..
I am not a plumber, but I re-piped my entire house from galvanized to copper during a remodel. My own experience: cut and mock up the layout before prepping; this will give you a visual reminder of what goes in which direction, and will ensure the fit won’t be a problem. Mistakes can and will happen. Be sure the outside and inside of every copper joint is scuffed and clean. Use cotton work gloves to handle everything, since your fingerprint oil can contaminate the joint. Moderately flux, if you’re not using flux core solder; too much can be a bad thing. Heat the joints in the direction you want the solder to flow, and apply the solder wire after you’ve heated the joint for a few seconds. Be sure to “walk” the solder around the joint completely when joining. Excess solder can be wiped off while still molten, and it’s also better to identify pinhole leaks if they occur. If you’re doing a fresh install, use an air tank to pressurize the system (a section of heater hose and a couple of clamps work wonderfully) and check for leaks with a bottle of soapy water. If you have to de-solder a joint, be sure the entire application area is spotless before re-jointing.
No copper I'll be using Pex, thanks for info tho I'll be doing both the only thing I may need to do some thinking on is the vents and waste layout
Will you be doing all fresh water or wastewater or both? For ease and cost of installation go with PEX. You can run blue for cold, red for domestic hot, and clear/white for house feed. Purchase a good quality crimp tool( about the cost of the plumber showing up at your house) We did our 4 story, 5 bath, large custom kitchen plumbing job(fresh and wastewater) 2 guys 2.25 days.
First plumber got me for about $1500,...and drug me around for 128days and only done about $800 in actual work...we'll cross paths again I assure you,..second outfit were professional looking said they would have 3 guys on it and be done in 3 days,..awesome till I got the quote $12k psshhh get the hell out here. I'll climb under my house in a speedo and drag my dick in the dirt b4 I pay 12k to run some pipe!! So here I am as usual going to DO IT MY DAMN SELF HA gotta love it
Gonna put me one of them whole house filtration units too excited about that,...I got super weird skin everything irritates it,..hoping it helps with that
I helped my BIL with a bathroom remodel using PEX and shark bite (?) connectors. You’re right - it’s a lot less hassle.
The shark bite is great for small repair or just a few connections,.for a whole house I'm either cmgoing with the crimp or the clamp,..the first jerkoff used clamp on what little he done so I'm probably gonna continue withe them you also dont need but the one tool vs the crimp where you either have two heads or a bulky tool that does both 1/2 and the 3/4
Pex is definitely the best way to go. On the water lines I would suggest using manifolds to even the pressure when drawing water from 2 different sources. Personally I crimp all my connections. And it only takes a few seconds to swap my crimper from 1/2" to 3/4" or whatever size I need. A big bag of the crimp clamps is like $5 .. cheap! I would also suggest buying a basic plumbing book from a home improvement store. I bought 1 years ago and still reference it from time to time. Keith
On the skin thing... I ran on well water for years with no problem. They piped city water to my area and I installed it into my house. I think it is the chlorine, but now my skin itches like crazy all the time.
I'm sure it is the chlorine after I get out of the shower I wanna claw myself only on my chest and back tho,. I will adjust to it then they do something and I'm miserable for a couple months again
I have never used PEX, but in New England if you didn't use copper, it would be assumed that it was a cheap job. Here in SW Florida, people have copper removed and replace it with PVC or PEX. The water here will destroy copper in about 20-25 years. I still like PVC, but just because I am familiar with it. If I still lived in New England, I would still use copper.
Next to cutting grass, plumbing has to be one of worst jobs ever. I hate it, by bathroom shower is still dripping as we speak and I’m fine with it. A bucket under the kitchen sink for a small leak works fine. But I probably would also attempt before spending 12k or move
Start with these guys for pricing supplies: https://www.supplyhouse.com/ I started replacing the copper with PEX in my sister's 1950's rancher. I don't mind doing new runs with copper, but repairing old copper is futile.... everytime I touch it more leaks appear! For cold runs, I use a 3/4" central run with 1/2" running off it. But for hot, you are better off running individual 1/2" lines from a manifold at the water heater. Since hot water in long runs cools when not in use, the 1/2" lines will get hot water from heater to faucet faster.
Tip: Mark the pipes with a sharpie about how far they need to go in for a good seal then you know about how far in you are and if you need to try again or if it was seated hours ago. I have not messed with pex but I know the stuff that was first put in is junk and was recalled but they have come a long way since then. I am in upstate New York and prefer copper for water and pvc for sewer.
There are several different types of pex tubing. Some is used for plumbing water lines. Others for heating purposes etc.. Keith
