Replacing entire house of Galvanized with PEX-DIY or not?

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We're in a 70 year old house plumbed entirely with galvanized that I'm guessing is original. We're hoping to move within a year, although it's been "within a year" for the past year hoping that pricing will cool off(and also being picky to get as close as possible to what we want and not just anything).

In any case, I'm tired of super low water pressure, including a bathroom faucet that can slow to a drip if you happen to have the washer running just after flushing the toilet. I'm also getting tired of cleaning rust flakes out of the faucet strainers sometimes a couple times a week, and am afraid we're on borrowed time on those.

This is a 2 story house, but all the plumbing is on the first floor and it's not a particularly large house. As best as I can tell it's all in the crawl space. It seems to come in from the street where it breaks off to the water heater and washer in the laundry room, then head under the house where it Ts off to the kitchen sink, continues on to the bathroom sink, shower, and toilet. These are the plumbing fixtures in the house. There are no outside spigots(a sore point for me-on a few occasions I've connected a hose in the laundry room...).

Looking at this, I keep going through phases of thinking I could tackle replacing it all myself if I did it with PEX, and part of me thinks just get an estimate from a plumber. PEX does appeal to me since we did have a pretty bad freeze last winter and I was really glad nothing burst. There's also a bit of PEX already running to the washing machine.

Ideally also I'd like to start at the meter, add a customer-side shut off valve, and then just bring it in and replace everything from there. Slightly more ambitious might be also running a spigot to the garage.

Has anyone done a project like this themselves with little prior plumbing experience outside basic things like toilet repair and fixture replacement? I'm torn on it, and I wouldn't tackle it without getting under the house and actually mapping everything out....
 
pex is water lines from legos.. ez mode. Totally doable just use the right tools, parts and have a clue.. or at least watch some youtube videos. :ROFLMAO:

My whole house is pex, and I've replaced well tanks+pumps replumbed with pex... at some friends/relatives houses.

if it leaks you screwd something up, but its easy to pressure test and see if it holds

if you are using crimper type might need a close quarters crimper + a regular one.

You can do it with s T's or use a manifold setup depending on the house.

Also make sure you attach it right so it doesnt bounce around from turning on and off of water.
 
It does sound like those galvanized pipes are scaled up. The water pressure will show up on a inspection report.

One thought would be to run the PEX parallel to the existing pipes with the intent to switch over when you are done. This way you don’t have to shut off the water. Add some hose bibbs too as future owners will be wanting them.
 
PEX is great, if you're handy and the runs are easily accessible why not DIY? I would probably get a couple quotes from professionals as well to see if the savings is worth it. Sometimes I get estimates and determine my time is more valuable than the savings.
 
Pex is wonderful! I used it when re plumbing most of my house. Two reasons. I'm on a crawlspace so the pipes freezing is a possibility during a power outage in the winter. Pex handles that a bit better than copper. Second, I know I'd burn the place down trying to solder.

But it's so much easier to work with. Can bend, etc a lot better. As long as you go with a good crimp system you're fine.
 
Huge fan of PEX.

There are three types of PEX, A, B, and C. B is the most popular and sold at Lowes, Home Depot, etc. It requires crimps.

I love PEX A. Yes you have to buy a $500 tool, and PEX A is typically sold at a plumber supply house (or Menards). But PEX A flows better the PEX B, and a six year old can connect PEX A. That easy////
 
Huge fan of PEX.

There are three types of PEX, A, B, and C. B is the most popular and sold at Lowes, Home Depot, etc. It requires crimps.

I love PEX A. Yes you have to buy a $500 tool, and PEX A is typically sold at a plumber supply house (or Menards). But PEX A flows better the PEX B, and a six year old can connect PEX A. That easy////
or cinch clamp rings(pex B)
Not really buying the flows more as a major feature.. can always go up to 1" if you need more flow.
Pex A is really nice... but I am very comfortable installing pex b.

PEX is great, if you're handy and the runs are easily accessible why not DIY? I would probably get a couple quotes from professionals as well to see if the savings is worth it. Sometimes I get estimates and determine my time is more valuable than the savings.

Depends on the pro.. joe the retired plumber doing it on the side.. might be doable.. actual plumber.. well they wanted 3200 to put in a (1200 retail- 1800 their price) hot water tank.. and that was the reputable place.. not the rip off.

I got a similar model price mistake hot water tank and installed it myself for <50$ in parts..
 
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I’d do PEX A. Bite the bullet and buy the Milwaukee M12 kit - I have it and it’s awesome.

Making the actual connections will be the near-fool-proof/easy part. Planning it out and getting access to pipes behind walls will be the biggest challenge.
 
PEX A with expansion fittings is the way to go if you decide to replumb the house...But before you touch anything in the house, make sure the issue is not with your main water service. Some of the old water service lines were galvanized and can become very restricted with mineral deposits.
 
I had a 2900 SF ranch built in 2017 with copper L pipe plumbing. One reason we went with copper is that during the planning process, PEX was mentioned as having a potential to attract rodents that can chew through it and cause lots of damage.


 
Homes of that era used the galvanized water pipe going out to the water meter as the ground for the electrical system. Removing that pipe removes your ground and can cause safety and equipment problems for your electrical system. On a 240 volt service, the purpose of the neutral is to carry the unbalanced load between the two hot legs back to ground. For example if one hot leg has a 25 amp load and the other hot leg has a 17 amp load, the neutral wire carries 8 amps unbalanced load (25 amps minus 17 amps equals 8 amps unbalanced load) back to the ground. Cut that galvanized pipe and that 8 amps could be flowing through you. Check to see if your existing electrical service was upgraded and already uses a ground rod before you make that cut.
 
Homes of that era used the galvanized water pipe going out to the water meter as the ground for the electrical system. Removing that pipe removes your ground and can cause safety and equipment problems for your electrical system. On a 240 volt service, the purpose of the neutral is to carry the unbalanced load between the two hot legs back to ground. For example if one hot leg has a 25 amp load and the other hot leg has a 17 amp load, the neutral wire carries 8 amps unbalanced load (25 amps minus 17 amps equals 8 amps unbalanced load) back to the ground. Cut that galvanized pipe and that 8 amps could be flowing through you. Check to see if your existing electrical service was upgraded and already uses a ground rod before you make that cut.


The way around that is to condemn the pipe and leave it.
 
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I had a 2900 SF ranch built in 2017 with copper L pipe plumbing. One reason we went with copper is that during the planning process, PEX was mentioned as having a potential to attract rodents that can chew through it and cause lots of damage.


Not sure about PEX, but new wiring has sodium-based fire retardants rodents love. PEX also doesn’t possess natural anti-bacterial properties as copper(but it’s still possible to get legionnaire’s disease from copper pipes). Viega makes a Pro-Press system for flameless joining of copper as well.

But, PEX is DIY friendly, even if you throw down on a Uponor or Viega joining system with a Milwaukee or Ridgid tool, easier to install and safer for the DIY/pro - no flame, flux and solder needed.
 
My whole house is PEX, looking around I'm pretty sure I could re-plumb the entire house including the downstairs bathroom over a weekend if I had a helpy helperton doing the dummy work. It's extremely easy. I piped in a water softener last winter in about an hour, hardest part was actually removing the leaky filter head near my pressure tank (separate project that I did at the same time) and routing the flush drain across the house.
 
I did exactly this. Replaced all water supply lines & connections with PEX-A (expansion). I bought the cordless expander tool just for the job and sold it at a profit. Made a couple hundred bucks on the old copper too!

While I've done plumbing (copper & pvc) in the past, I am not a plumber. I suggest planning it out in detail to determine routing, fittings, and sizing. My installation went great - not a single leak, and I'm confident it will outlast me.
 
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