Year-End Review
PM SURVEY: PEX Use For Plumbing Gaining Ground

The results of a special PM survey show our readers really like PEX.

PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) plastic tubing has been around for a while - it was developed in the 1960s - and primarily used in heating applications. But since the mid- to late-1980s, it has been used for potable water, and its use is increasing in residential construction.

This is especially evident in the responses from a survey we sent to 1,000 Plumbing & Mechanical subscribers in July (a 28 percent response rate). The 146 respondents that said they installed PEX plumbing explained that 43.2 percent of their total plumbing installations used PEX tubing. Compare that to the 50.69 percent of copper pipe installations, and you'll see that PEX is gaining ground.

Installations are split pretty evenly between new construction or additions and remodeling/repair.

When asked to compare the number of PEX plumbing projects in 2004 to 2003, nearly 60 percent said they would increase; 38.5 percent said they'd stay the same. But when predicting usage five years from now, 73 percent said they'd have more PEX plumbing projects than they do now.

And that doesn't seem surprising, considering its ease of use and durability. And with the rising cost of copper, it's a more cost-effective alternative. When asked what was the greatest advantage of using PEX plumbing systems vs. other piping material, 55 percent of respondents said quicker installation time. Lower installed costs was the second advantage, followed by corrosion resistance and a more reliable system.

Other advantages listed were quiet operation, flexibility, easier to repair, energy efficient and freeze-break resistance.

Most of those core respondents (47.3 percent) use two brands of PEX plumbing and 32.9 percent use one brand. A very small percentage (2.7 percent) use four or more brands. When considering which brand to use, availability from the wholesaler was listed as the most important reason, followed by type of fitting system, price and reputation of manufacturer. Special promotions were listed as the least important.

A complete copy of the survey can be purchased for $95. For more information, contact Cory Maxwell at 248/244/6415, maxwellc@bnpmedia.com.

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Kelly Faloon was a former editor of Plumbing & Mechanical as well as the BNP Media Plumbing Group’s Integrated Content Development Specialist. She also was a former editor of the Radiant Comfort Guide the Radiant & Hydronics Report — both official publications of the Radiant Professionals Alliance — and twice-monthly Radiant & Hydronics eNews, an enewsletter for anyone interested in the world of heating with hot water.

Her editorial specialties included women in plumbing, recruiting for the trades, green construction techniques, water conservation, water treatment, hydronic heating, radiant heating and cooling, snow melt, solar thermal and geothermal.

After a 3½-year stint at sister publication Supply House Times, Faloon joined the PM staff in December 2001 as senior editor. She was named PM’s managing editor in 2006 and editor in 2013.

Previously, she spent nearly 10 years at CCH, a publishing firm specializing in business and tax law, where she wore many hats — proofreader, writer/editor for a daily tax publication, and Internal Revenue Code editor.

A native of Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula, Faloon is a 1986 journalism graduate of Michigan State University.