Plastic or Copper water plumbing system ?

G

Georod3

I have old galvanised pipe running in the unit block I bought

I say running, i should say slowly choking the unit block

Any thoughts on replacements ? I have heard about PEX ? vs Copper ?

Anyone know the savings ? benefits ? drawbacks ?

its an old block up on concrete stumps etc timber floors etc so easy to work on

cheers
 
Georod3 said:
I have old galvanised pipe running in the unit block I bought

I say running, i should say slowly choking the unit block

Any thoughts on replacements ? I have heard about PEX ? vs Copper ?

Anyone know the savings ? benefits ? drawbacks ?

its an old block up on concrete stumps etc timber floors etc so easy to work on

cheers
Click to expand...

i had this same dilemma when i had to decide between both for my new home that i am building . plastic is cheaper but the joints are crimped together ,so speed means cheaper .but then and the plastic is gauranteed for 25 years .but what happens beyond that if the plastic degrades or the compression fittings come loose .on my investment homes they all have copper piping and and joins are silver solded together so simply cannot come apart .copper was about 20 percent dearer in cost but my peace of mind is worth 10 fold of the cost difference
 
We had our high-set Brisbane house replumbed last year with PVC. It's preferable to copper because it is flexible, you don't have all of the 90 degree bends (bad for flow), easy to install and will definitely outlive us in this house. No rust or hammering either (our previous pipe was galv). It also doesn't cost much- around $1000 to replumb the whole house.
 
Georod3 said:
I have old galvanised pipe running in the unit block I bought

I say running, i should say slowly choking the unit block

Any thoughts on replacements ? I have heard about PEX ? vs Copper ?

Anyone know the savings ? benefits ? drawbacks ?

its an old block up on concrete stumps etc timber floors etc so easy to work on

cheers
Click to expand...
I still use Copper,some use Plastic it is faster for the install and depending on where it is made it may not last,where as Copper
will still be there way past 25 years from my experience,and after all the ATO picks up the bill,all i would be checking first up is where is the materials made?,..
 
Nathan said:
PVC does not get stolen....

Sometimes locals break in to steal copper pipes.
Click to expand...
That happens all the time,but what they find when they try too sell the copper-brass,they need a ABN number to onsell the materials to the dealers,and the Police-ATO,have that area covered in several ways..
 
willair said:
That happens all the time,but what they find when they try too sell the copper-brass,they need a ABN number to onsell the materials to the dealers,and the Police-ATO,have that area covered in several ways..
Click to expand...

Believe me, they don't worry about ABN etc when it gets packed in a container by the local black market dealer and gets shipped to some highly industrialised not-so-commercially-regulated countries....

The Y-man
 
The Y-man said:
Believe me, they don't worry about ABN etc when it gets packed in a container by the local black market dealer and gets shipped to some highly industrialised not-so-commercially-regulated countries....

The Y-man
Click to expand...
Yes i guess it would be that way,every time i take a few old copper HWS -brass-pipework in they want a ABN,number or Qld driver id,maybe the guys that run the mobile runs may use that system,but they pay 50%less then the longtime metal dealers from what i'm told..
 
I had a plastic pipe in a unit block I owned, burst and took out 2 units below it. Insurance got me new carpet, floors kitchens etc but still a pia. I only use copper when building
 
Cooper seems more than 20% and I am getting quotes on various stuff..

PEX piping and also polybutylene .. Which I think is really low quality stuff...

Any more insights ?
 
I drink tap water and don't like the copper tang. I think plastic would taste better, but are there other health risks with PVC and can it be used on the hot water line?
 
I have pex in two ip's and copper in another and galv in my ppr.

I've had an on going issue with the copper for years. it springs leeks about every 2 months. Tiny pin holes in different stretches of pipe.

My PEX pipe gets chewed by rats and needs patching.

The galv in my ppr is being replaced soon with black pvc with pvc to copper fittings. because of its corrosion.

I have to pay the water usage in a duplex because the local plumbers dont have the PEX tools to fit water meters in for each unit.

I have a continuing water saga going on.

Good luck with your choice.
 
I've was a commercial Plumber for 10 years, (up until last July) we only used PE-X pipe, unless the pipe was 32mm or bigger, simply because copper in the larger sizes means less bracketing. The bigger brands sold by plumbing merchants(Rehau, Auspex) are used, dont touch the cheap Chinese versions, they generally arent made to standards, and an offer of a 25 year warranrty from a company 6 months old doesn't give too much confidence.
 
Dylan33 said:
I have pex in two ip's and copper in another and galv in my ppr.

I've had an on going issue with the copper for years. it springs leeks about every 2 months. Tiny pin holes in different stretches of pipe.

My PEX pipe gets chewed by rats and needs patching.

The galv in my ppr is being replaced soon with black pvc with pvc to copper fittings. because of its corrosion.

I have to pay the water usage in a duplex because the local plumbers dont have the PEX tools to fit water meters in for each unit.

I have a continuing water saga going on.

Good luck with your choice.
Click to expand...


Holy crap... I hope I don't get into this much trouble!
 
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