Heard a plumbing inspector say something that made me think twice about PEX

Was waiting for materials at the supply house last week and overheard two plumbing inspectors talking. One said he sees way more PEX failures in crawl spaces because rodents chew through it and the UV from vent lights degrades it over time. He said copper lasts 50+ years with no worry about critters. Got me wondering if I should talk my next reno customer out of PEX for their new addition. Any of you guys run into rodent damage on PEX jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

joseph_green132d ago

Honestly I see it a bit different. Rodents will chew through PVC drain lines and electrical wires too so it's not really a PEX problem it's a critter problem. If you got mice in the crawlspace they'll find something to mess up regardless of what pipe you use. As for the UV thing sure that's real but you wouldn't put PEX in direct sunlight for years anyway it gets covered up. Copper has its own issues with pinhole leaks from aggressive water chemistry and electrolysis that can pop up way before 50 years.

the_rowan2d ago

You got a good point @joseph_green13. I've seen copper get eaten up by acidic water in some old houses, pinholing all over the place within 15 years. PEX has its drawbacks sure but people act like copper is bulletproof and it definitely isn't. From what I've seen on job sites the rodent thing is real but it's more about sealing up the crawlspace than picking a different pipe material. A few bucks in steel wool and some spray foam beats ripping out all your plumbing any day.