# PEX through the attic. Will it freeze?



## GA native (Feb 9, 2015)

I have that oh so wonderful polybutylene running under my slab. And it has sprung a leak.

So I've been taking bids from plumbers, and they want to run insulated PEX through the attic and down the exterior walls.

Will the pipes freeze? Through the attic, and down exterior walls, this design just seems destined to freeze and break. Especially when you consider last winter.

Do you have to leave all your faucets dripping during the below 20 weather?


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## rjcruiser (Feb 9, 2015)

Yes....they will freeze. How do I know?  Last year when the temps were in the single digits, my copper pipes in the attic froze.  I have 2 that go to outside spigots and one of them froze and burst...on of them didn't. I installed shut off valves to keep it from happening again.


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## jimbo4116 (Feb 9, 2015)

The water will freeze but the pex will not burst.  Not as cold down here.  I have an outdoor tankless water heater.
The plumbed it with pex back to the existing copper plumbing in the crawl space.  About 4 foot of 3/4 inch pex is exposed outside the house on the north end in the shade.

I have them insulated with foam sleeves.  In five years have yet have them to freeze. It was 17 here a few weeks ago and we have had temps down to 12.

I would not be afraid of it run through the attic in insulation.

I know of several homes that have all the plumbing supplied through the attic in pex.


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## 95g atl (Feb 9, 2015)

Running through the attic is a lot cheaper than cutting up your slab and doing it the right way.  I'm not a big fan of running pipes in the attic, however, cutting up the slab will cost several times more and make a huge mess.

so...................

I am not an expert on PEX.....however, i hear that if it freezes, it typically will NOT bust.

Long term use of PEX is still a little uncertain here in the U.S. from what experts tell me.  Apparently PEX has been around for decades, but they keep "improving it".  

Certain critters like to chew on PEX, so if you have any in attic, that may be an issue.

Chlorine, rust, etc., may have negative LONG TERM effects on PEX. 

Also, while the PEX may freeze and NOT burst, you are still left without water because the water in the pipe is FROZEN.

Those are the negatives I have heard, HOWEVER, there are many positives and seems like most new home builders go the PEX way. 

for me:

I have a lot of rental properties and I would ONE method that worked to keep the CPVC pipes from freezing (or any pipe for that matter) when it was 12 degrees last month under crawl space (which is colder than an attic).  And it wasn't "drip the water".  it was a recirculating hot water pump.   Cost was $200, and my labor doing the job --- about an hour or so.

that will eliminate FREEZING pipes.


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## The Longhunter (Feb 9, 2015)

GA native said:


> I have that oh so wonderful polybutylene running under my slab. And it has sprung a leak.
> 
> So I've been taking bids from plumbers, and they want to run insulated PEX through the attic and down the exterior walls.
> 
> ...



Check with Kenny Rogers about that.  He had this bazillion dollar house outside of Athens and all the plumbing was in the roof.

Course the house was insulated to beat the band, and we had one of those hard spring freezes, and he lost about half a bazillion dollars in contents.

Don't know if you can find it on an internet search, but it happened right down the road in Smithonia.

I have a country house, and I wouldn't have a pipe in any exterior wall I minded replacing from a leak.


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## Milkman (Feb 9, 2015)

95g atl said:


> I have a lot of rental properties and I would ONE method that worked to keep the CPVC pipes from freezing (or any pipe for that matter) when it was 12 degrees last month under crawl space (which is colder than an attic).  And it wasn't "drip the water".  it was a recirculating hot water pump.   Cost was $200, and my labor doing the job --- about an hour or so. that will eliminate FREEZING pipes.



If that pump circulating the water is the only protection what happens when the power goes off and the pump wont run?


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## T-N-T (Feb 9, 2015)

PEX is fine in the attic.  Just get some rolled insulation and cover.  

The only real concern is if the pipes they run down the wall are inside the existing insulation or not...  If they are resting against the sheathing on the exterior of the wall you might have some issues.  
But the stuff is unbelievably durable.


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## 95g atl (Feb 9, 2015)

Milkman said:


> If that pump circulating the water is the only protection what happens when the power goes off and the pump wont run?



Never had that happen.............

Guess if the power went out.....BOOM, pipes would burst.

However, since that particular property is all electric, i'm sure if the power went out the folks wouldn't be happy with NO heat and NO water.

All well, can only do some much and cover 99% of the what if's....


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## 1gr8bldr (Feb 9, 2015)

Pex will expand enough, problem is if it freezes and expands in the crimp fitting. You will need to wrap insulate everything


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## tr21 (Feb 9, 2015)

pex is great stuff. I built my house and used it because of it's ability to withstand freezing temps (it's been used for years in Canada and Europe). I have it ran in my crawlspace and exterior walls, it's not wrapped and made it through last winter with below 0 temps and days where it did not get above 32. if you have the ability just buy the crimp tool kit for $99 at HD and do it yourself it'd easy to work with and if you ever do have a leak wont need to call  plumber out.


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## hobbs27 (Feb 9, 2015)

I believe I would just fix the leak. Pex will stand up to freezing but you wont have freezing in your slab.


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## GA native (Feb 10, 2015)

hobbs27 said:


> I believe I would just fix the leak. Pex will stand up to freezing but you wont have freezing in your slab.



Not feasible. Once you fix the first leak, it will spring a leak 2' away, then another, then another.


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## hobbs27 (Feb 10, 2015)

GA native said:


> Not feasible. Once you fix the first leak, it will spring a leak 2' away, then another, then another.



There's no fittings in the slab( which is where the problem occurs with quest pipe) so it's just a solid pipe, and rare to get a leak in it. Not to mention the damage a leak In the attic could cause on a house, but it's your home.


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## GA native (Feb 10, 2015)

hobbs27 said:


> There's no fittings in the slab( which is where the problem occurs with quest pipe) so it's just a solid pipe, and rare to get a leak in it. Not to mention the damage a leak In the attic could cause on a house, but it's your home.



Rare to get a leak? I've dug up too much of this stuff to know that's not true. It springs a leak at any random point on the line. Polybutylene has a service life of 25 years or so.
It is more cost efficient to replace the whole system in one shot; than to R&R the finished floor and slab, every time I spring a new leak.


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## hobbs27 (Feb 10, 2015)

GA native said:


> Rare to get a leak? I've dug up too much of this stuff to know that's not true. It springs a leak at any random point on the line. Polybutylene has a service life of 25 years or so.
> It is more cost efficient to replace the whole system in one shot; than to R&R the finished floor and slab, every time I spring a new leak.



Guess I'm just lucky , of the hundreds of slabs I helped put poly in back in the 80's and 90's in subdivisions close to me I've not heard of a single problem in the slabs. The main line from the street and fittings is a different issue. 

 Hope you find a solution that doesn't bring on more problems.


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## mguthrie (Feb 15, 2015)

I wouldn't put it in the attic. I work for restoration company that was vary busy last year when we had that cold weather. Seen a number of broken pipes in the attic. Copper and poly mostly but I wouldn't trust pex running on top of my house. Don't know what your solution is other than busting up the slab.


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## GA native (Feb 18, 2015)

mguthrie said:


> I wouldn't put it in the attic. I work for restoration company that was vary busy last year when we had that cold weather. Seen a number of broken pipes in the attic. Copper and poly mostly but I wouldn't trust pex running on top of my house. Don't know what your solution is other than busting up the slab.



Run it through the interior walls. Just a lot of sheetrock repair. And a few plant shelves built to hide the pipe.

Busting out the slab, and the tiles, and other finished floor, isn't a viable option. If the house was vacant, maybe. 
But,
With a wife, a hound, and two toddlers running about. A few hundred feet of channel cutting, then jackhammering, laying the pipe, waiting for the county to sign off, then pouring concrete, and replacing finished flooring... The mess. The twisted ankles. The two year old's who love digging in the dirt. The mess. Are you reeling yet? Did I mention the mess?


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## OmenHonkey (Feb 18, 2015)

PEX was designed to be an overhead water system anyway. Or that's what the plumber I worked with told me. On a slab house we would only lay the drain lines out and then install a pipe chase from the outside of the slab form to where the manifold was to be located. Then all the water lines were run in and above the walls and ceilings. I will be using it in my new home and will have to run some over head in the attic space as well. It's tough stuff!!


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