Posted on: July 15, 2016
By: Alan O'Neill
Posted in: Plumbing
Today, PEX is an affordable and widely used material for piping. Many homes and buildings with old, corroding copper-pipe systems opt to upgrade to the safer PEX piping.
Others claim the fault lies not so much with the pipe, but with the plastic fittings and elbows often used in conjunction with piping.
If you live in an older structure, chances are your piping system is old as well. You may have aging pipes that have gone through a lot of abuse over the years. Depending on the material of the pipes, they may begin to come apart at the joints and experience small cracks and fissures.As water begins to slowly drip out of your pipes, structural damage will follow. You may have various forms of water damage behind your walls because of slow drips coming out of the pipes. If this deterioration continues, you may also experience warped walls, mold, mildew and a variety of other problems.
Copper repiping may be the only option for you to overcome these problems. It’s a good idea to have a representative of Fischer Plumbing inspect your property. We can diagnose any piping problems and can determine whether or not you are in need of new pipes. The repiping process will then take about 3 days if you decide to move forward with the project.
Plumbing and sewage pipes may need to be replaced in your home. PVC and other materials are used today that weren’t available years ago. By upgrading from copper pipes to these modern materials, you can save yourself a lot of problems down the road.
As homes and buildings in our neighborhoods age, repiping projects are an inevitable part of the job for plumbing professionals. When it comes to repiping a plumbing system, many home and building owners seek out their installer’s advice on which material is best for the job. It often comes down to material and installation cost, combined with the material’s performance and its warranty.
When replacing old, corroded pipe, you want to ensure you’re swapping it for a quality material. Copper and PEX (short for crosslinked polyethylene) are the pipes most plumbers like to use today. Each has its advantages, depending on what qualities you’re seeking. Copper resists corrosion and internal bacterial growth, and does not break down with exposure to ultraviolet rays. It does, however, have some drawbacks. If the water flowing through it is too acidic, the copper pipe will still corrode. It is also considerably more expensive than PEX pipe, and if the weather does freeze, the pipes can burst.
PEX is less expensive than copper, more resistant to mineral deposits and corrosion, and doesn’t involve soldering, so has a considerably faster install. It also does not lose heat, so it is the more efficient option.
Replace when you renovate. Whenever you remodel a portion of your house, take the opportunity to inspect—and if need be, replace—any plumbing lines that you expose when you open up the walls and floors. This includes not only the plumbing in the kitchen or bathroom that you’re remaking, but also any pipes passing through the walls to feed upstairs bathrooms. Call us (713) 812-7070 for home service and repair needs.
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