I hear you on the torch thing—last time I had to sweat copper under a crawlspace, I swore I’d never do it again. PEX is just so much easier to snake through tight spots, and if you’re managing a few rentals like I am, the time savings add up. Only thing I’ll say is, if you’ve got any old-school inspectors in your area, sometimes they still give you the side-eye for using PEX. But honestly, for most jobs these days, it’s hard to beat for cost and convenience.
- 100% agree, sweating copper in cramped spots is a pain—been there, done that, not eager to repeat.
- PEX has made life so much easier for these retrofits, especially when you’re dealing with older buildings with weird layouts.
- Only thing I watch for is making sure the fittings are solid and protected from any stray nails or critters—had a mouse chew through a line once, what a mess.
- Inspectors around here have mostly come around, but I still keep the PEX color-coded and labeled just to avoid any confusion during walkthroughs.
- For a tub-to-shower swap, unless there’s a compelling reason to stick with copper (like matching existing lines or resale expectations), I’d go PEX every time. The flexibility and speed just can’t be beat.
- Had a similar situation last year—old duplex, pipes running every which way, barely any room to work. PEX saved my sanity, honestly.
-
Been there. I had a squirrel get into a crawlspace and gnaw on a PEX line. Water everywhere, tenants not thrilled. Now I always run PEX inside conduit or at least put some metal plates where it’s exposed.“Only thing I watch for is making sure the fittings are solid and protected from any stray nails or critters—had a mouse chew through a line once, what a mess.”
- I do still wonder about long-term durability, though. Copper’s been around forever, and I’ve got some 60-year-old lines that are still fine. PEX is great for speed, but I’m not sure I trust it for 40+ years yet.
- For quick turnovers or when tenants are waiting, PEX is a no-brainer. But if I’m already opening up walls and the rest of the plumbing is copper, sometimes I just stick with it to keep things consistent.
- Color-coding and labeling is smart—city inspector here still gets twitchy if he can’t see what’s what at a glance.
Honestly, I’m still on the fence about going all-in with PEX for a shower swap. I get the speed and flexibility, but I’ve run into issues with fittings leaking years down the road—especially if they weren’t crimped just right. Copper’s a pain to work with in tight spots, but once it’s in, it’s rock solid. If you’re already tearing open walls, I’d lean toward matching what’s there, especially if it’s copper. Mixing materials always seems to invite weird transition problems later. Just my two cents.
Copper vs. PEX is like the Coke vs. Pepsi of plumbing—everyone’s got a strong opinion, and you’ll never get a straight answer at the hardware store.
Here’s my take, as someone who’s spent more on home projects than I care to admit:
-
“Copper’s a pain to work with in tight spots, but once it’s in, it’s rock solid.”
Couldn’t agree more. I tried sweating copper in my crawlspace once and nearly set my socks on fire. But yeah, it’s basically immortal if you do it right.
- PEX is like the IKEA furniture of plumbing. Super easy to install, but if you skip a step or cheap out on the fittings, you’ll be cursing yourself when you find a puddle under your shower in five years.
- The transition fittings are where things get dicey. I had a sharkbite fitting let go behind a wall once. Never again. If you’re mixing copper and PEX, make sure you use the right transition couplers and double-check everything. Maybe even triple-check if you’re paranoid like me.
- If you’re on a budget (like I always am), PEX is way cheaper and faster, especially if you’re doing it yourself. But if you’ve already got copper in the walls and don’t mind a little extra work (and maybe a few singed knuckles), sticking with copper keeps things simple.
- One thing nobody talks about: resale value. Some buyers get weird about seeing PEX if the rest of the house is copper. Not a dealbreaker, but something to think about if you’re planning to sell.
I guess it comes down to how much you trust your own handiwork and how much you hate crawling around with a torch. For me, I’ll probably keep using PEX where I can see it and copper where I can’t. If it leaks, at least I’ll know who to blame...
