PEX Tubing: Benefits and Drawbacks

PEX tubing has some major advantages. PEX is often much less expensive then copper tubing, and due to this it is growing in popularity. PEX can easily be used in nearly any plumbing system, and it can be combined with both metal and PVC. Since PEX is highly flexible, it can be installed very quickly and uses less fittings.

PEX tubing cannot be exposed to UV lighting.

Copper Piping: Benefits and Drawbacks

Copper Piping is a more expensive plumbing choice and has been around the longest. Copper can be recycled, unlike PEX. Copper can also be used both inside and outdoors.

Copper’s expense is one of the big drawbacks, since it can be twice as costly as PEX. Another drawback is that copper plumbing can sometimes give a metallic twang to water. Freezing weather is the enemy of copper piping, because it can freeze and break, so longevity is not always guaranteed.

Both PEX and Copper have some important advantages, so it is best to give careful consideration to each before choosing the right one for your home. Your plumbing is something you will be using for many years, possibly a lifetime, so take your time making your selection.

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So what should you do when these things happen?

If you are not a plumber, then perhaps you will want to know some plumbing repair tips for your home.

Doing these things will help keep your home running more smoothly, and it will help to ease some of the headaches that are bound to come about.

Fixing a clogged drain

One of the most common household plumbing problems that you are bound to run into is a clogged drain.

This is especially true in your bath tub.

Over time, it’s just a reality that things are going to go down your drain that should not be there.

With that said, there are times when the problem is really a small one and you can handle it all on your own.

First and foremost, you need to make sure that you don’t have any hair or something solid clogging up the drain at its entrance. This is an all too common problem, and people freak out because their tubs or sinks are getting backed up.

Once you’ve confirmed that the entrance to your drain is free of obstruction, you can continue along.

The first thing that you can try is a plunger, or you might try working with chemical drain cleaning solution.

These are things that you can handle on your own, without a plumber. If the problem is worse than that, you will have to do something a little more invasive.

If you are brave enough, you can try to use a snake to clean out the drain in your tub or any other drain lines which may be draining slowly. This is a somewhat complicated process, so you need to be careful that you don’t damage the pipes or cause water damage to your floors.

Doing these things will help you handle those little problems that might make you angry and they’ll help you protect against bigger problems. Your plumbing system is complicated, but there are some things that you can handle with relative ease if you are willing to.

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Here is why we use Pex Piping:

It is clean!

Unlike metal piping pex is immune to corrosion and mineral build-up, also, it uses no glue’s, solders or solvents to assemble which keeps potentially dangerous chemicals out of plumbing systems.

It is efficient!

Pex plumbing systems retain more heat in hot water lines and resist condensation on cold water lines. It will not burst in freezing conditions like metal piping will, which causes costly repairs. It is not affected by electrolysis which can cause small pin hole leaks in copper piping.

It is quiet and reliable!

Pex piping dampens rushing water noise making a quieter plumbing system so no more pipes that sing, whistle or make clunking noises in the wall or under the floor.

It is proven and guaranteed!

Pex piping has been around for more than 35 years with over 12 billion feet of tubing installed worldwide and is backed by a 25 year warranty when installed by a trained professional.

Pex vs. CPVC and Copper         PEX            CPVC            COPPER

Resists corrosion,                    YES              YES                NO
pitting and scaling

Requires use of                        NO              YES                YES
torches, glues, solvents

Dampens rushing                     YES              NO                NO
water noise, eliminates
clunking and singing pipes

Retains heat in hot water          YES              YES               NO
lines and resists condensation
on cold water lines

Flexible, eliminating                 YES              NO                NO
fittings and potential
leak points

Freeze resistant                       YES              NO                NO

The post Pex vs. Copper & CPVC Piping – Which Is Best? appeared first on White Knight Plumbing.

Winterizing Hose Bibs

#1 Disconnect all hoses from your hose bibs!

Most hose bibs installed these days are frost free which shuts the water off inside the wall away from the outside cold but, if you do not disconnect the hose the water stays trapped in the spout.

When the water freezes it expands and will damage the hose bib.

This problem is usually discovered in the spring or summer when you turn on the bib for the first time and find water is coming out of your wall.

Doing this will save you a costly repair!!

#2 Hose bib covers..

You can get these at any of your local home improvement stores.

They are  foam, dome shaped covers you put over your hose bib.

These covers help keep the cold away from the hose bib.

Hose bib covers are more important for non-frost free hose bibs but it wouldn’t hurt to put them an all of your outdoor faucets.

Putting these on will also help to remind you to disconnect your hoses.

These covers cost about 1-2 dollars and are a wise investment.

Insulate Piping

Many people often don’t realize the importance of insulating piping until it is too late and pipes are frozen and broken.

All pipes in crawl spaces and any piping that is exposed on the outside of buildings or above the ground needs to be insulated.

Pipes in garages that are not heated are also vulnerable to freezing in cold weather and should be insulated.

Pump Houses

All exposed piping in pump houses should be insulated.

It is also important to have some heat in your pump house so your piping and pressure tank do not freeze.

Your local home improvement store will have several different winterizing options for you to help keep your pump house warm and your pressure tank and piping from freezing.

Items to look for or ask about are heat wire, this is wrapped around piping and warms up when plugged in, it keeps your pipes from freezing.

Heat lamps can also be installed near your pressure tank and piping and will help keep your pressure tank and piping warm to protect from freezing.

Both of these options can be plugged into a temperature sensing plug that turns on when it gets below a certain temperature and turns off when it gets above a higher temperature.

These can also be purchased at your local home improvement store and are another great defense against broken pipes and expensive repairs.

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How to prevent frozen pipes when temperature is going to drop below 32 degrees:

#1 Trickle water from a sink or two to keep water moving in your plumbing system, moving water takes longer to freeze than water that is not moving, this will help keep pipes from freezing.

#2 Open cabinet doors under sinks to allow warm air from the room to get back into the cabinet where pipes are.

#3 Turn your heat up a little warmer than normal. Warmer rooms mean warmer walls, and warmer walls help keep the pipes in those walls from freezing.

#4 Cover foundation vents around bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms that are on exterior walls to help keep the cold out and away from the piping in these areas. You can buy pre-formed styrafoam blocks that fit in standard foundation vents at your local home improvement store. These covers should be removed when the risk of freezing is over in order to allow cross ventilation in crawl space areas.

#5 Make sure that all piping in attics and crawl spaces are covered with insulation. A lot of houses have blown in insulation in attics which is fine but it tends to settle and expose pipes. If you have blown in insulation inspect insulation to make sure it has not settled and exposed piping. Batt insulation is a better choice in my opinion.

How to keep frozen pipes from happening again:

#1 Make sure that all piping in attics and crawl spaces are covered with insulation. I can not stress this enough. This is where I saw most of  the burst pipes I repaired. Most attics have blown in insulation and it settles over time exposing pipes. Exposed pipes freeze and burst! This could happen to you!

#2 In older homes that contain copper or galvanized piping consider replacing with PEX piping. PEX piping may freeze but it resists breakage. In the 100’s of calls I received, not one break was PEX related. However, I did cut out 100’s of feet of copper and galvanized pipe and fittings.

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Leaks inside the toilet can waste up to 200+ gallons of water a day. Toilet leaks can be detected by adding a few drops of food coloring or a leak detector tablet into the water in the toilet tank. If the colored water appears in the bowl, the toilet is leaking.

If you have leaking faucets or toilet, stop pouring money down the drain and call White Knight Plumbing today. We will send out a licensed technician to trouble shoot and repair your problem

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A tankless water heater is more energy efficient than most of the conventional water heaters on the market.  Read on to learn more specifics as to how tankless water heaters can work more efficiently for you, as well as learn how they can save you a considerable amount of money.

Unlike conventional tank water heaters that have to continually heat up the water stored in its tank, a tankless water heater heats up water as it goes through the unit and only when it is necessary to do so.

Have you ever had to wait for the water to heat up after someone else in the house has taken a hot shower?

This is because the water heater must work to heat up more water so it becomes available again – otherwise, the “hot” water will come out cold.

You may also encounter this if you take a shower too early after doing laundry and dishes the water will become more cool as the hot water runs out.

With a tankless water heater, these inconveniences are a thing of the past.

How does this work, you may ask?

Tankless water heaters make the water hot by means of a gas burner and heat exchanger, they are available in LP or natural gas.

As the water flows through the unit it is heated in the heat exchanger therefore, no tank is needed at all.

With these heaters, hot water is supplied to you at a constant temperature at all times.

The average tankless water heater will provide, on average, up to five gallons of heated water each minute.

Of course, there are different capacities available to you that provide more, but for most people, 5 gallons of hot water a minute is plenty enough.

Keep in mind also that you won’t be wasting any electricity or gas keeping a storage tank full of water hot, as the water is heated only as it is needed.

Most households use on average about 40 gallons of water a day.

Tankless heaters will save them on average 40% in energy costs.

When you do the math, that can add up to significant monthly savings.

Your choice of fuel,  where to locate the unit and how you are going to vent the unit are all factors you should consider when talking to your plumber about switching to a tankless heater – this will also determine the price of the water heater.

Ask a plumbing expert or others for more advice and information to help steer you in the right direction.

What are you waiting for?

Start saving energy and money today by going tankless today!

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