BillyJoeJimBob
New Member
We have a cabin in the mountains in Ruidoso, New Mexico that was homeowner-built (and poorly) in the mid-1070's. Set "pier & beam" style on a mountain, the underside of the cabin is enclosed by uninsulated walls (we call it the "basement"), but it and the plumbing pipes, etc... are exposed and can be worked on easily.
Due to the age of the PVC pipes, and the possibility we might be renting it to mid-winter skiers, I'd like to replace the plumbing with something more durable, reliable, and freeze/break resistant. For some reason I have this idea that PEX is less likely (than PVC) to break if it freezes. It seems to me that as the ice expands it would push the fittings off the PEX pipe/hose rather than split sideways, and if it's going to freeze, that would be better and easier to fix than cracked PVC.
Also, the cabin's water comes from a cistern about 100' feet away and 23' below the cabin. Currently the sucker line is a flexible black plastic line, about 3/4" to 1" in diameter, and I have this idea of replacing that line with large diameter PEX, sleeved inside of a PVC "conduit" (not sure what the right word is), with the idea that I could easily pull the line through the PVC if necessary, and also perhaps the PVC sleeve might help protect the PEX from freezing.
Is PEX a better alternative than PVC for these purposes (under-house plumbing and the sucker line)?
Due to the age of the PVC pipes, and the possibility we might be renting it to mid-winter skiers, I'd like to replace the plumbing with something more durable, reliable, and freeze/break resistant. For some reason I have this idea that PEX is less likely (than PVC) to break if it freezes. It seems to me that as the ice expands it would push the fittings off the PEX pipe/hose rather than split sideways, and if it's going to freeze, that would be better and easier to fix than cracked PVC.
Also, the cabin's water comes from a cistern about 100' feet away and 23' below the cabin. Currently the sucker line is a flexible black plastic line, about 3/4" to 1" in diameter, and I have this idea of replacing that line with large diameter PEX, sleeved inside of a PVC "conduit" (not sure what the right word is), with the idea that I could easily pull the line through the PVC if necessary, and also perhaps the PVC sleeve might help protect the PEX from freezing.
Is PEX a better alternative than PVC for these purposes (under-house plumbing and the sucker line)?