The Wall
Forum / THE MAIN WALL / PEX and freezing
  • Post a Reply to this Thread

    PEX and freezing (3 Posts)

  • bill bill August 13, 2011 @ 6:16 AM
    Contact this user

    PEX and freezing

    Is there any data on how great PEX is to resisting breaking during a freeze up?.Now,I mean as opposed to copper. The insurance people up here are all wound up about it.
    Reply
  • kcopp kcopp August 13, 2011 @ 11:03 AM
    Contact this user

    data... hmmm

    from experience... Better but it would depend on how long it froze for. Oddly enough the place I see failures is right next to the adapter fittings w/ pexA. The old poly butylene was very freeze resistant. I saw occasions on plumbing where it froze for weeks and did not break. kpc
    Reply
  • Al Letellier Al Letellier August 14, 2011 @ 9:20 AM
    Contact this user

    freezing PEX

    As Kevin stated, it depends a lot on time and temperature,but it will burst. It is not indestructible. I have done over 600 insurance claim investigations for plumbing and heating issues and have seen a lot of ruptured PEX...but surprisingly more from overheating and overpressure than from freezing. A faulty aquastat and overheat situation blows that stuff apart like an old balloon......seen this on several manufacturer's products, not just one or two.....I find that adjusters ask me more what caused it to burst, not "was it copper of PEX?". In either case, the cause is more the issue that the product itself.
    ACL Consulting and Inspection Services
    Reply
  •  
Post a Reply to this Thread