Pex Or Kitec

jlandry

Which do you prefer and why or why not.

Teetorbilt

copper. It's been around for over 100 yrs.

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

locofoco

I agree with Teetorbilt. I did'nt know what Pex was 'til I moved to Alabama. The stuff seems to work great under concrete floors, the question is will it continue working for 40-50 years? I don't know?
Loco

747

pex

Bjd

Go with the PEX, any brand.

Wirsbro, Zurn, Vanguard,

They all work well

bjd

jaimester

uponor makes a couple of different types of pex but WIRSBO is a good one.
copper is great, but it is a real pain for reroutes. And as for how good is it? The playing field for the denver broncos is natural grass with an open roof stadium and is kept warm by several thousand linear feet of wirsbo aquapex running warm water. so it's pretty good.

tzzzz216

I just moved to north Florida just a few miles from Alabama state line ,pex doesn;t give me the warm fuzzys, My questions is if its so great why do they stub out in copper?? I've been told that the copper gets eaten from the inside out up here do to the water.

mdshunk

There's not too many new houses in my area that are plumbed with anthing other than PEX now. Seems like a super slick system. Fast, anyhow.

eastvanbuilder

stub outs are done in copper as the wirsbow is sensitive to uv and should not be expose for long periods of time, its also easier to change the shut off valves when they wear out, sweat off the old on and compression or sweat on a new one

locofoco

I didn't know what pex was till I moved South. In Illinois it's copper unless below slab. Down here (al) it seems to be the logical answer with all the concrete floors.

locofoco

redundant-sorry, when you're my age the memory goes.

smellslike$tome

I hate it when I have to show how ignorant I am, after all I suppose I'm supposed to know this if it's plumbing related. What the heck is kitec?

ricks_plumbing

Kitec is grrrrrreat I used a ton of it out in santa fe NM it's similar to pex except there is an aluminum oxygen barrier in the middle of the tubing so while it is as flexible as pex it is easier to work with because it will not uncoil and once you bend it into shape ex.. a 180 in your radiant floor it keeps its shape which also allows you to have a much nicer looking finished product in your framing not to mention the crimp type fittings are so much easier then pex expansion
Although I do believe kitec's compression fittings were recently recalled for having to much lead in them
wonderfull product cant wait till I can use it here

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Rick McCarthy
Ricks Plumbing
OakRidge TN

Song Dog

I've been using Wirsbo Aquapex. I have 3 contractors that after using this, doesn't want copper anymore. I myself, after using it, wouldn't bother me abit if I never touch copper again.

God Bless,

Song Dog

ncor

kitec recall rick got any more info on that
thanks neil

ricks_plumbing

No, I actually looked for some on their site but couldnt find it I found out through word of mouth from my old boss in NM he used tons of it always had company reps coming out to see how it was being used etc.. apparently though the comp fittings had to high of a lead content the crimp are fine as far as I know still a great product

__________________
Rick McCarthy
Ricks Plumbing
OakRidge TN

cmsfire

Copper is the best. But if you want to eat, go with Pex

plumb_it_right

I love installing copper and plumb it right.
What sucks is them damn Swiss are going to force me to use wirsbo to keep up with the other plumbers.
I will say this after going over to lead free solder in 85 or 86 I forgot there is no better looking job then a well installed copper pipe job.
O well I guess I will have to be Wisbo spaghetti man like all the other plumbers.
One Fast Plumber

plumberswife

Pex is not as clean looking as copper, but it's a whole lot easier on your schedule and your wallet!

TxPlumber77

Pex all the way. Kitec sucks. Installed it in about 8 houses in Dallas and I am glad I was a sub on those jobs. I use zurn and vega pex in my trac homes and offer wirsbo as an upgrade. Copper may look nicer, but face it, pex is a better product. Plus it has been around longer than people think.