Pex Water Lines In Attic

A pex supply won t corrode like copper.

Pex water lines in attic.

Pex is available in a variety of lengths from short 10 foot pieces for small repairs to rolls over 500 feet long which are used to install a home s entire water supply system. Pex is semi flexible which allows for long continuous runs through joists. While pex does not ordinarily burst in the cold the water in the pipes can still freeze. That s because pex pipes basically a type of plastic are physically different from other common piping materials.

What is pex plumbing. Insulating pex pipes offer its own unique set of challenges and considerations. Use pex pipe when running pipe from a slab to an attic use cross linked polyethylene tubing or pex instead of copper. Existing ranch has very low ceilings 7 8 so dropping any ceilings will not work.

A pex supply is unaffected by acidic water and is therefore a better choice in these areas. Need to get a hot water line from one end of the house to the other in a ranch with a concrete slab. They are very flexible and less prone to cracking. They also contract with heat cold and sometimes even water flow.

But even if you install pex fittings in a conventional main line and branch system the connections are quicker to make than soldering copper. Pex type is forgiving when it freezes as far as breakage but insulating an exposed water line does little to keep it from freezing. Insulation only slows the time when it will freeze after the water is not running through the pipe. Pex tubing or piping is used for water supply lines as well as radiant floor heating.

There s been a lot of debate over pex for the last several years because pex has a few downsides that you might not expect. No interior walls to use either. Such as at night if the attic temp is 15 deg f. Water line would run over the top of the 2x4 bottom truss cord and i would create a tent over pipe so there was no.

If you live in an area with acidic water copper can corrode over time.