Frozen pipes

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Terry

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Have your pipes frozen?
Here is a shower valve located on an inside wall.
See how the ice forced the copper pipe out of the valve body.

freeze_moen.jpg


We had to reheat this and solder it back up.

freeze_moen_2.jpg


Here is one where the shower riser pulled out.

freeze_pipe_1.jpg


This is what a burst looks like in copper pipe.

freeze_pipe_2.jpg


And another burst copper pipe.
It will be a while before this house will be dried out.
 

Bpetey

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Is pex any better? All I could find before were different opinions both good and bad.
 

Gardner

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Is pex any better

Copper is vulnerable to ice-jacking: in a freeze-thaw cycle, the freeze-up stretches the copper a bit. When it thaws, the water fills the now slightly larger pipe diameter. Next freeze it stretches just a bit more. Over time and freeze-thaw cycles, the pipe stretches too far and ruptures.

Plastics are more resilient than copper. They can stretch around the ice when it forms, and when the thaw comes, will go back to their old dimensions. So you don't get the same ratchet effect.

Whether PEX is "better" in an absolute sense is a whole different question.

When a whole big run of pipe freezes in one go though, the pressure is huge. The 1/2 in pipe might bulge-out width-wise by a few thou, but it's the 10-foot run wanting to be an inch longer that pulls the fittings apart. The valve pushed off the end of the copper pipe like in one of Terry's picture is a pretty common failure mode around here (where it gets very cold) and I doubt even the flexibility of plastic pipe would have helped much.
 

Randyj

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I'm in Alabama where frozen pipes are only a few days of concern in the winter. I've used some pex without worrying about the pipe rupturing. My readings indicate that the biggest risk with PEX is that rodents like to gnaw on it. My biggest fear is not the pipe rupturing but the fittings freezing and rupturing. So far I've not used Wirsbo or anything else needing an expander tool. The good thing is that IMO PEX is easier to work with than even PVC since very few fittings are required. The most difficult thing is that the crimping tool I have requires plenty of working room and can't be used in tight places.
 
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