Pex Piping In Attics

Cross linked polyethylene tubing better known as pex pipe has revolutionized plumbing installations in new home construction and remodeling.

Pex piping in attics.

Pex tubing or piping is used for water supply lines as well as radiant floor heating. Yes rodents will chew absoultely eveything they step on. When running pipe from a slab to an attic use cross linked polyethylene tubing or pex instead of copper. It may give it an extra hour before it freezes solid.

While pex does not ordinarily burst in the cold the water in the pipes can still freeze. Pex is available in a variety of lengths from short 10 foot pieces for small repairs to rolls over 500 feet long which are used to install a home s entire water supply system. It is important to insulate pex pipe in an attic particularly in cold weather areas. Sometimes they have been insulated makes very little difference to the temp on a july or august afternoon.

Insulation only slows the time when it will freeze after the water is not running through the pipe. Yes the cold water is hot in the summer very hot in fact due to the heat of the attic. Pex type is forgiving when it freezes as far as breakage but insulating an exposed water line does little to keep it from freezing. Because pex piping is flexible it is often used in angles loops or other non linear shapes which makes it imperative to have equally flexible insulation material.

Foam is used most commonly and generally works well. Safe for potable water pex is the red and blue flexible tubing that s used to make gentle bends around obstructions in your attic and is perfect for adding water supply to hard to reach locations. Pex is semi flexible which allows for long continuous runs through joists and studs. Pex plumbing is cross linked polyethylene which is a type of plastic.

What is pex plumbing. Pex cpvc poly back in the day even copper in the attics etc. Such as at night if the attic temp is 15 deg f.