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Plumbing tubing provide users with a number of different advantages over copper pipes and other piping materials. The use of the material has grown in popularity in recent years and continues to creep its way into the plumbing community in North America. It had been used throughout Europe for more than 30 years, but is just now starting to be considered an industry standard in North America.
One of the main reasons why this shift has been seen is because plastic piping is very flexible material, and requires less connections throughout an entire system. This is very desirable because the less connections that are observed throughout a system, the less time that it takes to put the system together. This, combined with the fact that the material does require the use of a solder or flame to make these connections means less installation time for companies. Copper pipes require a solder and flame to be connected together, and there are many less options in the way of fittings. PEX is able to connect to a variety of different pipes through both threaded and crimp-style fittings.
PEX is also known for being resistant to extreme temperatures. While copper pipes are known for cracking in the coldest of conditions, plumbing tubing do not crack when the water inside the pipes freezes. In fact, instead of cracking the pipes will expand, and then contract as things begin to thaw. Keep in mind that just because the pipes are not prone to breaking during these extreme temperatures, doesn’t mean that the contents inside of them will not still freeze. You can thaw PEX pipes out using a hairdryer or warm, wet rag draped around the pipe. These rags will need to be changed every half hour or so to ensure that they are still effectively thawing the materials inside of the pipes.
The material is also resistant to many of the chemicals that are typically responsible for the corrosion of copper and other metal pipes. This is a highly sought after feature because one of the biggest plagues of copper pipes is that they corrode over time.
There are many reasons why many plumbing companies are slowly but surely moving to PEX over the alternative materials that are commonly used for plumbing piping. All in all, even though the materials themselves might be more expensive, the expenses that are saved during the installation and repair process in the way of time make it a more cost effective material for most companies.