That “haunted” water line story gave me a laugh—seen my share of mystery leaks blamed on everything but the real culprit. I’ll say this: PEX is quick to work with and cheaper, but those rodent issues are no joke. In older buildings, copper might hold up better in the long run, even if it’s pricier upfront. Still, nothing’s bulletproof. Had a guy swear by stainless flex lines after his third mouse incident... then squirrels got into his attic and chewed those too. Sometimes you just pick your battles and hope for the best.
Still, nothing’s bulletproof.
Had to laugh at the “pick your battles” bit—truer words. But I’ll push back a little on copper always being the safer bet in older places. I’ve had pinhole leaks crop up in 40-year-old copper, thanks to bad water chemistry. PEX has its headaches, but sometimes it’s less about the material and more about what’s lurking behind the walls. Rodents, sure, but also old insulation, weird wiring, you name it. Sometimes you just cross your fingers and hope the next leak isn’t in the ceiling over someone’s bed...
Yeah, I hear you on the copper—seen plenty of “tried and true” stuff fail for weird reasons. If you’re replacing fixtures, I’d double-check what’s actually behind the wall first. Sometimes it’s not the pipe, but the 1970s electrical job next to it that causes headaches...
Definitely agree—what’s behind the wall is just as important as what you’re putting in front of it. I’ve run into a few jobs where the copper looked fine, but then you open up the wall and there’s a rat’s nest of old BX cable running right alongside it. Sometimes you even find those old metal junction boxes half-buried in insulation, which is just asking for trouble if you’re not careful.
Here’s how I usually tackle fixture replacements, especially in older places:
1. Kill the power to any circuits that might be near your work area. Even if you’re “just” doing plumbing, you don’t want to get zapped by some mystery wire from 1978.
2. Open up a small section of drywall behind or under the fixture (if possible) before you start yanking anything out. You’d be surprised how often there’s something unexpected back there—wires, weird framing, sometimes even old gas lines that were capped off and forgotten.
3. Check for signs of corrosion or heat damage on both pipes and wires. If you see greenish stains on copper or brittle insulation on wires, that’s a red flag.
4. When installing new fixtures, make sure nothing is pressing against electrical lines or boxes. I’ve seen people wedge pipes right up against Romex, which can wear through over time and cause shorts.
5. If you’re dealing with really old wiring (cloth-wrapped or aluminum), it might be worth calling in an electrician before you button everything up again.
One thing I’ll add—sometimes people focus so much on the pipes they forget about venting and drainage. Make sure your new fixture isn’t going to mess with the existing vent stack or create a slow drain situation.
I know some folks swear by PEX these days, but I still like copper for certain jobs—just depends on what’s already there and how much access you have. Either way, double-checking what’s behind the wall saves a lot of headaches down the line... trust me, I’ve learned that one the hard way more than once.
That’s a great checklist. I wish I’d seen something like this before I started tearing into my bathroom wall last year. I thought it was just going to be a quick faucet swap, but once I opened things up, there was this old wire running right behind the copper—looked like it hadn’t been touched since the 60s. I ended up calling in an electrician because honestly, I didn’t trust myself not to mess something up.
One thing that tripped me up was venting. I replaced the sink and suddenly the drain was super slow. Turns out, the new fixture was just a bit taller and messed with the slope of the pipe, plus there was some weird venting setup hidden in the wall. Had to go back and redo part of it so everything drained right.
I’m still on the fence about PEX vs copper. PEX seems easier, but I get nervous about plastic behind walls—maybe that’s just me being paranoid. Either way, double-checking what’s hidden back there is worth every extra minute.
