Copper vs Pex vs SharkBite - Freeze Testing

Matt goes Experimental & Freezes Copper and Pex piping filled with Water, Capped with SharkBite Fittings. Which will survive in this IN DEPTH Freeze Testing Build Show?!?

Huge thanks to our Show sponsors USG/Tremco, Polywall, Huber, Dorken Delta, Prosoco, Marvin Windows, Roxul & Endura for helping to make these videos possible! These are all trusted companies that Matt has worked with for years and trusts their products in the homes he builds.

[davidcamp]

Cpvc has a 3% expansion rate when it's new but as it ages it becomes brittle. So after as little as 8 yrs you would have very differant results. It would shatter. I have witnessed over and over again as a service plumber for tha last 20 yrs.

[otresplumbing]

Plumber from Canada. Pex B splits and CPVC spilts. Pex A (Wirsbo) will resist splitting, the fittings however I'm not convinced are impervious to splitting. Enjoyed the video; reaffirms my religious use of Pex A

[milindkhurd]

Very useful video, appreciate making it. Houston was hit hard this week. I got pex type A. Survived without an issue. Thsnks again for sharing.

[tsherwoodrzero]

Thank you for the scientific analysis of failure modes in real-world conditions. This is EXACTLY what I needed to see to make the proper choice for the main input line for our 70s mobile home, constantly subject to freeze/thaw (Northern Ohio...). Copper failed twice in a month, exactly as it did here.

[ryanporter]

As a plumber, I have seen the benefits of pex in Colorado's sometimes extreme winter temperatures. I had a lady whose hot and cold water lines to her kitchen faucet froze two different times in one winter season. . She had pex. Both times we were able to thaw the lines and they were fine. If she had copper lines, I am certain they would have bursted. After the two freezes i installed heat tape on the lines.

[qcc]

I have done plumbing for many years, and have seen a lot of broken lines from freezing. I have asked myself this very question, and you answered it completely. I too, am surprised that the CPVC held up. I have worried about the SharkBite connectors in freezing conditions, and am happy to see the result. I will now change out some of my SharkBites on copper, and put in some PEX in it's place. Very informative. Thanks.

[royledesma]

I am glad I did my old house 4 yrs ago with pex it held great during last week's deep freeze at 9 degrees in Weimar.

[jaredfrasure]

Thanx for the video, it really helped solidify my choice for changing my pipes in my garage. House was built in 49 and has copper pipes wrapped up for the cold with a room built around my pressure tank from the well water. I live in Ohio and had to put a heater in the room during the winter with negative degrees with the polar vortex. I’m going to switch out all the copper for pex. Thanx again!

[artistman]

Looks like PEX has a few benefits, it's cheaper, stands up better and people don't steal it out of the house!

[davejalenderki]

I would have never thought of putting a camera in a freezer to video pipes freezing. I love these kinds of videos. Thanks. I got a kick out of watching it.

[notaboutU]

When I first started with PEX I think I called it freeze proof. Then I got a few frozen PEX repair calls and now I call it freeze resistant. I live around a lot of well systems with slightly acidic water (including my own) and PEX is an awesome alternative to installing and maintaining a neutralizer and possibly a softener to reduce corrosion of Cu pipe. The one thing I always point out to my clients before they make the Cu vs. PEX decision is that I have NEVER seen rats chew through a Cu pipe and I've seen rat chewed PEX plumbing a number of times now. I also tell them that they shouldn't have rats where there is PEX because I've also seen rat chewed ABS pipe and Romex wire. I pretty much just assume there are going to be rats and I try to route plumbing and wiring where it's not as easy to chew on. Whenever you see rat chewing damage it seems to always be where they can sit comfortably and chew for a while, so I try to avoid setting that up for them. Also, condensation on the pipes is a fresh water source that could help to attract all kinds of critters to licking/chewing the plumbing. Insulation on the pipes can eliminate condensation, so it's not just for freeze resistance and saving energy.

[BigJackXLT]

Excellent video Matt! You’re the real deal. It’s one thing to hear a sales guy pitch the benefits of their product, but something totally else to see it proven via the scientific method. Thank you!

[noretreat]

I don’t do any plumbing, however, this video IS so interesting I had to watch twice. Thanks for posting your test.

[davidstovall]

Tks for taking the time to show how the pipe and fittings hold up!

[JohnvanGurp]

That's a great test Matt. I really enjoy this as it's something I have wanted to see you for a long long time, ever since PEX first came out. I just plugged in my Cottage here in Eastern Canada where we get some pretty bitter long Winters and I used PEX for everything with crimp on fasteners. I made sure that every line has a downward slope to a common drain so all I have to do is open one valve and the whole place drains down. That being said it's good to know that I don't have to worry about freezing if somehow water ends up in the system and it goes below zero.

[nelsonadams]

Excellent video! I appreciate your time and effort. This was a very informative video. As a plumber for over thirty years I have seen many systems come and go. I am not totally sold on PEX because I have serviced many rodent issues in rural locations. Copper has always been prone to freezing and bursting. I have also seen many instances of CPVC freezing and bursting, the older CPVC pipe becomes somewhat brittle. Thank you again.

[mikehunter]

Thanks, I picked up my first rental property and your videos have been very helpful

[jhomoelle]

Thanks for the video. We have PEX in our motorhome (new--2021) and are taking a trip out west starting Dec 28. I was worried that some of our stops would take us to mid 20's temperatures and the PEX pipes would freeze and burst. Looks like I have nothing to worry about thanks to your controlled experiment, Matt!

[ezekieo]

So u work at a plumbing store for the last 4 years and here's my input for PEX vs Copper base on experiences from customers. Pest love chewing on PEX, DO NOT put in crawl spaces or areas where pest can be found, hundreds of customers are repairing PEX piping there all the time b.c of pest! Yes rats and other pest can chew through copper too, but I'm yet to find a customer coming in to repair copper pipes that been chewed on. PEX A and B is amazing, but that is the biggest drawback. I believe using both copper and PEX for a whole home. Do not limit yourself to one system completely.

[JmGuTe]

Thank you for this video. I recently had a "frost proof outdoor faucet" copper pipe that was installed through the concrete foundation burst. I will be going with Pex for sure!