For decades residential plumbing has been copper tubing. Copper was used for residential hot water and cold water plumbing systems because it was cheap, as compared to its predecessor galvanized piping, easy to work with and lasted for decades without any problems. But copper has gotten to be very expensive and has been replaced with plastic tubing called pex.

Pex is a form of polyethylene (plastic material) that is formed into tubing and is quickly taking the place of copper tubing f or residential construction. It s used in is all plumbing systems such as hot water heating systems, cold and hot water piping systems. Pex piping has also become a viable alternative to polyvinyl chloride piping (PVC).

The DIY homeowner now requires a different tool set to perform his own plumbing with pex tubing. The old solder torch, solder paste and solder can be retired and replaced with the new pex tubing tools. The new tools are crimper tools for crimping fitting rings on the tubing and an expanded to expand the end of a tube so a fitting can be slipped into the inside diameter. These tools are reasonably priced. DIY homeowners will find that performing plumbing tasks with pex is much easier than copper.

In the early days of pex tubing there were some problems associated with small pin leaks as the tubing aged. Those problems have been long solved. Today pex tubing is just as reliable as copper tubing. With a little practice a DIY homeowner can become proficient at doing any pex plumbing task.

There are many advantages to using pex tubing and pex plumbing fittings. Running pex piping is similar to running electrical wiring whereby there does not have to be any joints in the pipe. If you want, you can run a separate one piece pipe to each fixture from where the water supply enters the house. The piping can easily bend around corners and through tight places in one continuous circuit. This advantage makes using of pex tubing an enormous time saver. The cost of pex tubing and fittings are a fraction of the cost of copper tubing.

I recommend testing your new plumbing skills before you actually start putting pex tubing and fittings in your home. Create small test joints where you connect a pex pipe to an actual water supply with a shutoff valve. It may take a few tries to get use to the expander and crimper tools. Check for any leaks.

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