PEX water lines?

iwanttofish · 08-11-2006, 08:04 AM

I am going to replace my water lines and wanted to find out if anyone has done their own house or have any recommendations. I have galvanized and need to replace it.

I am thinking about doing it myself.

Mike

sandman · 08-11-2006, 08:15 AM

Are you using wirsbo or pex?Wirsbo rocks,Easy to use.If you wanted to borrow my install tools for a couple weeks,no prob.Pm if you have more questions

Hare's Ear · 08-11-2006, 08:18 AM

I had my water supply line replaced two weeks ago. I dug the trench, but hired a plumber to replace the line. He used a flexible plastic pipe with a name like "werzbo". I'm sure that's not how its spelled, but that's what it sounded like. It took the plumber and his assistant about 2 hours to run the 30 feet of line, make the connection at the meter, widen the hole in my foundation to accept the larger pipe, and replace some connections in the house. Cost was $650.

iwanttofish · 08-11-2006, 08:19 AM

I have to do more research to see the difference between the two. Do you know any? I take it you have Wirsbo. I have been looking on Ebay for prices of tools and all the stuff. Did you do your own or have someone do it?

iwanttofish · 08-11-2006, 08:20 AM

Is there a reason you did only the 30 ft? a leak What is the rest of the house plumbing?

Hare's Ear · 08-11-2006, 10:47 AM

We didn't have a leak - just a 70 year old supply line with low pressure. It's only 30 feet from the meter to the house. We had our driveway and sidewalk torn up and I thought it would be a good idea to replace the water line while those obstacles were out of the way. The contractor that referred me to the plumber said that he couldn't do the job because there were special tools involved that he didn't have. I don't know what the tools are and how much they cost. I think that Wirsbo is a brand name for PEX.

iwanttofish · 08-11-2006, 09:19 PM

OK thanks its good that you got it done early before something happened.

spinnerbob · 08-11-2006, 09:48 PM

iwanttofish,

PEX is on its way out, and virtually replaced by wirsbo by all manufacturers and distributors. It's pretty much the same stuff. It's "cross-linked polyethelene" if you want to be specific.

the differences in installation are related more or less to the type of fittings and crimp used.

SSC (sometimes called RTI) is a stainless steel crimp ring with brass inserts.

"Wirsbo" is an expanding ring usually with brass, but sometimes plastic, inserts. I have seen very few failures with either SSC or Wirsbo, but Wirsbo is deemed to be the best installation system by most plumbers who take the time to use it.

As for water quality and taste: I always used to think water from old galvanized tasted the best, maybe because I grew up on it. But I now have wirsbo in my house, and have noted the cleanest, most tasteless water ever. It is a strong, durable pipe, supposedly inert--resistant to corrosion or chemical reaction.

One warning, though: High levels of dihydrogen monoxide have been noted in conjunction with the use of cross linked polyethelene, perhaps in part because current plumbing code requires an upsize to 1" in most house water supply mains.

iwanttofish · 08-12-2006, 09:21 AM

Well it sounds like it going to be wirsbo Now I have to figure out when to do it.

Thanks for all the info I looked up the dihydrogen monoxide and all I found out was its a myth or has to do with H20 so it sounds like I am going to be a plumber in the near future.

garyk · 08-12-2006, 10:01 AM

FWIW,

Some non-plumbing expert friends in Bend re-plumbed a small house in like a day using Wirsbo. I think they rented the fitting tools.

Over there, they really liked its resistance to breaking when frozen. Because it's flexible, it was also much easier to use in retro-fitting.

I believe this product originated in Sweden, where they know both quality and cold temps.

iwanttofish · 08-12-2006, 01:13 PM

Thanks now I have to figure out when to do it.