Different Piping Materials And What's Best For Your Home

If you are doing a plumbing repiping job in your home there are several considerations for the type of pipe you choose.
For many years lead was the primary source for metal pipes. The lead would leech into the water causing various health issues, and this type of pipe is no longer in use at all. In some much older homes if there is still lead pipe installed, in most cases it should be replaced. A certified plumber can assess this need for the homeowner and repiping is usually necessary.
In later homes, those built prior to the early 1960's, galvanized steel pipes were the most commonly installed type. These pipes eventually corroded and rusted causing major failures in the system. Galvanized pipe is still available but not frequently used inside the home.

For many years now, the alternative has been copper pipe which was considerably more expensive, but would not fail, except due to freezing conditions. The water expansion in a freeze would split the copper and could cause serious damage. The copper would usually be replaced with more of the same, as when proper precautions are taken it would not fail. Early copper piping used lead in the soldering, though this is now banned. Copper pipe is still considered a good choice for most homes and is in use around the country today. The downside for copper is that the expense is accelerating as this metal becomes rarer and even more valuable.

Plastic pipes of various types have been used through the last 30 years or so. The first extensively installed plastic was polybutylene or PB, a grey plastic pipe which was used for about 20 years and unfortunately was highly susceptible to failure. The chlorine in water is enough to destroy the PB from the inside out. Many lawsuits have been filed through the years due to damage from this type of pipe, and it is no longer in use anywhere. It can be found in homes where it was previously installed and has not yet failed though this is a rare occurrence. For safety's sake it should be replaced if discovered to be still in use.
The white or cream colored plastic used in many installations is PVC or Poly Vinyl Chloride . This is inexpensive and easy to install using glue with the many fittings available. It will fail if frozen, but is in use in warm climates extensively because of the low price to obtain and assemble.

Today's best choice for plumbing pipe is the newer PEX or Cross Linked Polyethylene. This is usually found in white, and a few other colors, and is available everywhere in almost any diameter or length needed. Like PVC it is relatively inexpensive and can be installed by anyone with some proper training. The installation can be assembled using click together fittings of every type which can be removed as needed to change the set up. Alternately most plumbers use crimp on copper or other soft metal rings, installed with a special crimping tool. These fittings will not fail if properly installed, and the pipe is not prone to freeze damage in most circumstances, as it will flex to accommodate some water expansion. In the United States PEX plumbing has been used in RV's and campers as well as home since the mid 1990's. Very long term experience here is limited, though in other countries the PEX has been used years longer and reports are good on its life span.

If price is not a major consideration, copper plumbing is still highly recommended, and could be combined with PEX as needed in areas where the plumbing is easily accessible in case of a repair being required. An entire PEX installation is commonplace today as well.