My plan is to run pex thru the attic below the insulation.
Pex water lines in 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.
Insulation only slows the time when it will freeze after the water is not running through the pipe.
A pex supply is unaffected by acidic water and is therefore a better choice in these areas.
While pex does not ordinarily burst in the cold the water in the pipes can still freeze.
Use pex pipe when running pipe from a slab to an attic use cross linked polyethylene tubing or pex instead of copper.
No interior walls to use either.
They also contract with heat cold and sometimes even water flow.
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.
Insulating pex pipes offer its own unique set of challenges and considerations.
Existing ranch has very low ceilings 7 8 so dropping any ceilings will not work.
But even if you install pex fittings in a conventional main line and branch system the connections are quicker to make than soldering copper.
What is pex plumbing.
Pex is semi flexible which allows for long continuous runs through joists.
Such as at night if the attic temp is 15 deg f.
They are very flexible and less prone to cracking.
Pex plumbing is cross linked polyethylene which is a type of plastic.
It is important to insulate pex pipe in an attic particularly in cold weather areas.
If you live in an area with acidic water copper can corrode over time.
That s because pex pipes basically a type of plastic are physically different from other common piping materials.
There s been a lot of debate over pex for the last several years because pex has a few downsides that you might not expect.
A pex supply won t corrode like copper.