PEX and Copper pipe comparing

With the prices of copper consistently rising, more people are looking toward plastic options, such as PEX tubing in their plumbing. With more individuals looking to install plastic tubing in their homes, the NAHB Research Center partnered with a number of other organizations to create a comparison report. The report looked at the average installation time, the cost of the different materials, and the performance of both metal and plastic tubing in the homes in which they are installed.

The testing first started in the summer of 2005 and was conducted at Liberty Village. The community was an urban one, and they decided that they would run the test in four newly constructed homes that shared blueprints and architectural plans. The houses were all 1,500 square feet overall, and had two bathrooms, each containing a full bath. The second floor also had a sink in the kitchen, a powder room with complete plumbing, washer and dryer hookups, and two hoses that were connected to the outside of the bottom level of the building.

First, they looked at how long it would usually take to install each of the different systems. The results showed that PEX tubing was much quicker for them to install, mostly due to their flexibility and limited joints and connections. Copper took much longer to install, and requires more man hours.

Both systems performed admirably when the flow of water was tested. PEX generally was able to deliver hot water at a faster rate. In fact, the PEX tubing was shown to deliver hot water 30% faster to the farthest bathroom in the house.

Keeping in mind that the study was conducted in 2006, it showed that copper was less expensive. However, since the time that the study was conducted copper has raised considerably in price. PEX tubing was also in high demand at the time, which raised the price one could expect to pay significantly.

By the time that the survey was all said and done, PEX tubing proved to be 28% less costly than copper. This data includes the man hours that were required to install and the cost of the tubing and other supplies itself. With this information in mind, it is easy to see why more homes are being fitted with PEX tubing, rather than the traditional copper alternatives.