PEX Pipe: Is Copper on the Way Out?



		" border="0" src="/finehomebuilding/media/fh189nav.jpg" width="136" align="center">
		YES! I want expert home building advice from the pros. Renew Subscription Give a Gift

Fine Homebuilding Home
In the Current Issue
Advertiser Index
Magazine Index
Contact the Staff
Advertiser Information
Author Guidelines
Buy Back Issues
Order Slipcases
Fine Homebuilding eLetter

Design
Energy Efficiency
Foundations & Masonry
Framing
Interior Finish
Kitchen & Bath
Materials & Products
Mechanical Systems
Roofing
Safety
Tools
Video Tips
Online Extras

Links
About Your Safety
Breaktime Discussion
Events

ARTICLE PREVIEW
from Fine Homebuilding June/July 2006 (#180)

PEX Pipe: Is Copper on the Way Out?
Cross-linked polyethylene tubing is cheaper to buy, is faster to install, and won't corrode or explode
by Andy Engel

Rising copper prices, combined with a new, easy to use, and seemingly reliable product may mean that copper is going the way of lead and galvanized iron before it. PEX, or cross-linked polyethylene, has been around now for about 50 years as the go-to product for radiant floor heating. The flexible tubing cuts plumbing time by a third, is wonderfully suited for remodeling, and offers superior burst resistance due to freezing, but should we trust it?

Online extra: Video tip: PEX Water-Pipe Connections

Photos: Daniel S. Morrison (left), Krysta S. Doerfler (center and right)

Preview next article

Back to this issue

Buy this issue

Subscribe now and never miss an issue

From Fine Homebuilding #180, pp. 70-75
Purchase back issues