How to Replumb a Whole House with PEX Pipe Through the Attic || DIY Repipe Project to Replace Copper
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 24 авг 2023
- In this DIY I will show you step-by-step how to replumb/repipe a house using PEX pipe. I will be using PEX-A expansion fittings. Due to the small size of my attic, I settled on a trunk and branch system rather than a home run manifold system.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Materials:
U-Shaped 40mm Pipe Clamps - amzn.to/3KOK8O8
Armaflex Continuous Pipe Insulation (75ft Roll) - www.homedepot.com/p/Armaflex-...
Apollo PEX-A 3/4" Pipe (100ft Roll) - www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-3-...
Apollo PEX-A 1/2" Pipe (100ft Roll Blue) - www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-1-...
Apollo PEX-A 1/2" Pipe (100ft Roll Red) - www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-1-...
Apollo PEX-A 1/2" Expansion Rings - www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-1-...
Apollo PEX-A 3/4" Expansion Rings - www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-3-...
Oatley 3/4" Insulating Pipe Clamps - www.homedepot.com/p/Oatey-3-4...
Oatley 3/4" Insulating Pipe Clamps - www.homedepot.com/p/Oatey-1-2...
PEX 1/2" Butterfly Clamp Pipe Insulators - www.homedepot.com/p/The-Plumb...
Sharkbite 1/2" Quarter Turn Hose Bibb - amzn.to/3Ld3pJt
Sharkbite 3/4" Quarter Turn Hose Bibb - amzn.to/3YKXQqT
Sharkbite 3/4" Tee Fitting - amzn.to/3OGcBqB
Sharkbite 1/2" Tee Fitting - amzn.to/3KQI8EX
Sharkbite 3/4" Elbow Fitting - amzn.to/3QVvE2C
Sharkbite 1/2" Elbow Fitting - amzn.to/3qGY1ai
Sharkbite 1/2" Straight Washing Machine Valve - amzn.to/3qI4BNS
Klein Masonry Anchor Kit - amzn.to/3QIJyoV
Apollo CPVC to PEX-A Adapter 1/2" - www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-1-...
Apollo CPVC to PEX-A Adapter 3/4" - www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-3-...
Apollo Brass PEX-A 3/4" Elbow Fitting - www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-3-...
Apollo Brass PEX-A 1/2" Elbow Fitting - www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-1-...
Apollo Brass PEX-A 3/4" Tee Fitting - www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-3-...
Apollo Brass PEX-A 1/2" Tee Fitting - www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-1-...
Apollo Brass PEX-A 3/4" to 1/2" Elbow Fitting - www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-1-...
Copper Pipe Clamps 1/2" - www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-...
CPVC One-Step Cement - www.homedepot.com/p/Oatey-Flo...
Clear Plumber's Caulk - www.homedepot.com/p/Hercules-...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tools:
Dewalt PEX Expansion Tool with Battery - amzn.to/3OKWRT7
Dewalt PEX Expansion Tool (without battery) - amzn.to/47EbmRn
Manual PEX Expansion Tool - amzn.to/47DLDIL
PEX Pipe Cutter - amzn.to/3OMWRSN
Bosch 12" Drill Bit Extension for Spade Bits - amzn.to/47G5Lde
Bosch 1-3/8" Spade Wood Drill Bit - amzn.to/45g4I1T
Concrete Hole Saw 30mm - amzn.to/3YJqxEM
PVC Cutter - amzn.to/40DGXPA
Dewalt Utility Knife - amzn.to/3loJltt
Hammer drill, tape measure
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases. Thanks for your support! 
Хобби
![How to Do a Whole House Re-Pipe Using PEX [The Original Plumber - Open 7 Days A Week]](/img/1.gif)
Holy smokes - what a great job and such an excellent video to boot. Thanks for taking the time to produce and share. Great stuff.
Thank you very much. Happy to do it.
I just did a PEX re-pipe on my house in December. Like you a 1500 sqft house; though I was in a crawl space instead of attic. I used Zurn Pex B which is actually designed and rated for expansion fittings. 3/4" trunk and 1/2" branches. I found that the Zurn and Uponor (ProPex) rings are tighter and faster to seal completely than the Apollo rings. I also commend your persistence with the manual tool. I bought an electric and that made the whole project like putting toys together. Sooooo much easier.
Thanks for the feedback!
Seriously, I too commend you for the manual tool rather than the battery powered one. Serious props. Great work.
@@donschafer3428 thanks!
Dudes a penny pincher and wouldn’t spend a few extra shekels. He’d rather fight that manual tool and waste more time/effort 🤣
I also reside in Florida those old Florida homes are well made. I need to get my home re plumbed and I'm trying to get educated before they come out to give me an estimate. Thank you so much for the upload. You are Blessed that your handy.
Thank you! I hope that you get some reasonable quotes. Good job educating yourself!
I live in Palm Beach County Florida and I am doing a add on its copper all the way 👍 no pex in sight
I got an estimate for my house in Indiana (3 bathrooms) very accessible and got a shocker quote of $9250!
@@garfixit Not a bad idea but don't forget you can mix systems. Use copper behind the shower valve and anywhere else that is critical then use plastic pipe on long runs or main lines.
@@BlackShale Not a bad price if the installers take their time and do good work so no leaks - ever. It is a lot of time to replace pipe vs the original install and you could just update critical pipes in walls and not redo the entire system
Thanks for the video. I'm also in FL and repiping my 1957 Ranch through my attic with PEX. Got up in my attic yesterday and boy I thought I had a tight spot. I think I'll opt for the Milwaukee tool as I'm sure I'll need to mess with PEXa again. Great job!
Sure thing! Glad it helped. Yes the Milwaukee tool will makes things so much easier.
Great video i watched all. I will tackle my house sometime this week
Thank you!
salute sir, thankds for encouraging us. I used to scare to change same to my house. Now i will do it with CONFIDENCE. Thanks again sir.
Thank you - glad it helped!
Perfect timing
I wish I Am young again like you. Good job. thank you for sharing this with us.
Thank you!
Sir, I salute you. you made my determination more strong, you deserve free meal on us sir. you the man...Thanks for encouraging me.
Thank you - glad it helped!
great job!!
Thank you!
I would think that in earthquake prone zones and where the ground is prone to sink, PexA is the way to go because it will move with the movement.
Your pretty good.
Great video, esp using different systems PEX A + CPVC & shark bite, etc. 41:03 I believe that plastic hangers should be used with the PVC instead of metal to prevent the pipe from wearing down from rubbing against the strap and the same with copper pipe use copper strap and finally steel strap for steel conduit. Also, the loose insulation in the attack should be tested for asbestos and even if it is not a mask should be worn in the attic to prevent breathing dust and fiberglass. Attic crawl space: by code wires can be flopped on top of the ceiling joists - sloppy but saves time and you can run a mechanics creeper cart on top of the wood to make it easier to move up there and use a trash pickup handy grabber tool to reach tools, materials, etc. Smart to work when it is cool
Good job,
Thanks!
I'm about to do the same for my 1955 house. Do you have any tips?
That's a lot of work to trust those fitting, the rings or pinch seem more secure,
i'm a believer in Pex now, damn you! Ha Ha i want to help my pops and finish the old risers he left Galvi in the walls from the crawlspace copper change years ago. Figue I can more easily take a few bathrooms and misc one at a time incorporating shut offs as I go and not break my bank, back or time clock. Thanks, I think Ha Ha
Haha sorry! Good plan though!
As someone that has renovated, flipped similar houses, I like the spirit of this diy project. ..i probably wouldnt have used cpvc pipe at all.or one or the other. Some pros (and cons) of cpvc/cpvc gold flow etc ...but probably just drop pex ..In particular the garage drop whereas you implemented a series of 45s cpvc ...just would have cut a little shorter pex so the drop of the pex would be in the grove you wish. Also I know it would have been more work.. but would have looked into dropping the pipe into the walls. Even a concrete wall drop is possible.. Hard to say from the video but some vertical partion of the concrete wall could have been hammered out in a vertical fashing a few inches wide/ deep or so to allow for pipe.. then the water line pathway, could be piped, refinished with a concrete patch and painted for a fully finished out look.
Great ideas here! I went with CPVC for parts of this install so that I didn’t have to insulate to protect from UV light.
@@hanoveroak understand. Both PEX and CPVC are susceptible to UV light damage over time. PEX more problematic from what I have read on the subject. Both will discolor. All of this as we know are small comprises here and there with pros and cons each. Make a part 2 video with pipes exposed on the walls being protected in the wall.. as an upgraded project. ..and more youtube view counts 👍🤔💥🏆😎
@@pcexpress911 you are very right! Thanks for the idea! :)
Good job
Thanks!
In the video at 24:50 you cut off the expansion ring. It looked like the PEX pipe had a crack in it. Why was there a crack in the pipe or was that from the knife?
Great video, thanks for sharing! The tools list is very handy, will purchase mines from your referral list.
I am starting a similar project. It seems you left PEX visible instead of pushing it inside the wall. What was your reasoning?
Any reason why you did not use a manifold?
Did you attach the cold/hot PEX lines to your water heater?
Thanks for the support! I was unable to put the PEX behind the walls without ripping out drywall or cutting channels in the block walls. It just made more sense in my scenario to keep it insulated and external. I did not need a manifold because this wasn't a home run system. Just a basic hot and cold run with branches off the main trunks for the supplies to each room. I have not relocated the hot water heater yet, but yes I will be running PEX to it except for the last 18 inches. That will be metal flex pipe meant for connection to hot water heaters. They make them with PEX connections on one end which makes it super easy.
07:00 I've seen putting water berween the isolation and the pipe- it slides more easily.
14:00 y could use red and black tape
The CPVC near the exterior would be concern for a future bust - probably a *Long* way down the road
It just never fails for cpvc pipes to break on the exterior of a home
But I could be speaking for other traditional cpvc set-ups
The amount of attention and methodology based around your video probably makes your installation long-lasting 🙌🏽
Also the insulation for your Pex installation was amazing to see it all come together
However, what if the cpvc near the exterior deals with cold-temps or a freeze? Cpvc does not like expansion compared to Pex
Thank you! We are in Florida so having CPVC in the garage is no problem at all. Very common down here.
Do you have video of you fixing the shower from the back side?
I don’t yet. Will be wrapping this portion up in the near future and I will be sure to post the process!
After using the expansion tool on this job your arms must have had a good workout.
For sure! Should have gone with the electric tool! But I wanted to show how to use the manual tool in this video because it’s much more affordable.
I did not see any water hammer arrestor installed in your system?????
we can't use pex pipes all the way everywhere? any specific reason to mixup cpvc and pex pipes??
You can. If you use PEX anywhere that there is UV light from the sun then you will need to insulate it to protect it. I was avoiding insulating everything that I installed in the garage so I used CPVC for some of it. I also wanted to show different ways of doing things.
i know you finished but heres a pro tip only or most only plumbers know....instead of paper towels to cover you openings. use a piece of bread wad up a small piece and insert into your pipe! water will dissolve it but wouldnt recommend for water lines going to ice makers or filters!!!
Did you do the square pavers and artificial turf? Looks good.
I did - thank you!
At 3:45 in the video, you do NOT want to compress the insulation. Think about what it does when you do that.
Great video… I was watching for the part on how you connect to the bathroom though soooo…. I wish you would’ve clarified “whole house… except”
Same 😂
Where is the house located? Have you heard of boxes or cages to contain the pipe?
It’s in Florida. Yes I may end up boxing the exposed pipes in eventually.
@@hanoveroak Thanks, but what is the purpose of boxing them? The plumber who did the repiping to pex in the attic wants to box them. However, the cost would be $6,500. I am trying to find out what good boxing would do in No. Virginia where the winters aren't that severe. I will fnd out on Monday if the county requires it.
@@vincentdesapio I would think they want to box them to protect from the cold. In Virginia I think insulating them with foam is enough. I was only considering boxing the exposed pipe in the attic to make it look better.
@@hanoveroak Thanks. I am beginning to suspect it is for cosmetic reasons only. I don't intend to show guests into the attic.
@@vincentdesapio haha absolutely. I actually meant I considered boxing the exposed pipe in the garage. Definitely no one will be going into my attic!
Do you need a city permit for projects like this? None of the licensed plumbers I asked wanted to apply for the permit.
Yes, typically the city/county you live in is going to require a permit.
Ask yourself why. If a plumber is doing the job correctly and to code, why would they have a problem?
Pulling a permit protects you the homeowner against the frauds and posers. When you sell, the buyer would want to check if a permit was pulled, especially for a huge job like replumbing the entire house.
Better check your insurance will cover damage from ,fissured tube /pin holes/hot blow outs,and your good to go
What caused you to decide on Pex A vs Pex B?
I really like the expansion fittings. It leaves very little room for mistakes and potential leaks.
Hey buddy what’s state are you
Florida
why you change from pex to cpvc
It’s less susceptible to UV damage and I didn’t want to have to insulate certain parts. I also wanted to show how to transition from/to different types of pipe in the video.
I'm guessing you are not in a cold place
You are correct - sunny Florida :)
As he did in the video, you better INSULATE the cold and hot unless you live in south Florida or Texas.
Yea pay the $400.00 for the dewalt tool
first comment
That Apollo PEX pipe is made in China. Let that marinate. Is it really worth it not to use the best PEX pipe you can find? Which is Sioux Chief PEX A? In my area, a pipe reroute is $2500.00. Ever priced carpet these days? If you get flooded out from a pipe leak....... You need to get drastic on your water lines.
A lot of PEX products were very hard to find at the time this video was filmed. That being said, the Apollo has been great and I know others that have had it installed for years with no issues whatsoever. I will tell you this - it's MUCH better than the 60 year old copper that was there before! THAT is an accident waiting to happen!
You got a point with that scenario. Got to have water. I have old copper pipes as well. 4 under slab leaks later at the tune of $2500 per leak.... LOL @@hanoveroak
you could have used push n fit joints from shark
Offtopic...nice watch!
Thank you!
And shrkbite press fittings are temporary as a plumber for over 30 years I have lost count of floods from sharkbite fittings
Copper is 60 years old and you’re telling me the PEX is better? Lol PEX has like a 25 year warranty. It’s a more affordable and easier to install system, doubt it will outlast copper.
How to do run copper pipe on a repipe and not cut up all the walls? Are you serious?
Most copper today is made from recycled materials, which is why it's not a durable as pex.
@@benjaminbrooks40 WRONG! You have no idea... new copper pipe is a MINIMUM of 99.9% pure copper.
Push to fit has a 25 year warranty.
I live in philly where copper freezes and bursts. Whenever I get a new rental as soon as I put a new roof on it I rip out the copper and replace it with pex
Avoid CPVC at all costs
Pex already is failing and class action lawsuits are already starting. My copper pipes will outlast pex it's the new poly beautalene just different name
😂this dude is so cheap. Probably got like 10 estimates and decided to waste his life hacking it himself. Leave this for the pros. Weekend warrior over here thinks he cracked the code to life 😂
I really just enjoy doing home improvement projects myself.
You must be a plumber or have a plumbing business. You guys can’t stand to see a homeowner fix his own stuff.
In the video at 24:50 you cut off the expansion ring. It looked like the PEX pipe had a crack in it. Why was there a crack in the pipe or was that from the knife?
That was from cutting the ring and pipe with the knife.
I hope you don’t have very cold winters where you live. I wouldn’t feel comfortable with the pipes in the cold attic.
@@jimbo4551PEX A expands better than copper, so cold temperatures are much less of a concern for PEX rather then copper.