In cost, reliability, and ease of installation,
PEX tubing is poised to compete with copper
Lightweight, tough, and flexible, PEX tubing is ideal
for sub-slab jobs (left) and messy retrofits. At right, the
author connects a home-run supply line to a basement
manifold.
If your plumber is up-to-date, you may have heard of a new
product for potable water piping — , tubing. In fact,
this product is not so new: PEX has been available for potable
water piping in Europe since 1971, and the tubing has been used
for heating in the United States since 1980. With polybutylene
(PB) off the market, many U.S. plumbers who had been using PB
for domestic water piping are switching to PEX.