I've been planning to re-plumb most of an old house we bought in my
home town for vacations, using pex products. My investigation so far
hasn't revealed much in the way of negatives about pex pipe. The Lowes
around here are stocking a good selection of Zurn brand pex pipe,
fittings and tools. BTW, Zurn now has a new tool, and new crimp rings,
so one needs only the one (expensive) tool to do 4 sizes of tubing.
The new tool is the kind that pinches an ear on the crimp ring, as
opposed to the tools that surround and squeeze the entire ring. That
means that it can be a bit smaller, and thus fit into some tighter
spaces. Ease of installation, resistance to freezing, and manifold
type of installation seem to be pluses to me. If anyone has had bad
luck with pex, I'm probably not the only one who would like to hear of
it. I'm getting ready to puchase the tools and supplies pretty soon.
Home Depot seems completely unaware of pex plumbing, and Menards home
centers do carry pex (Durapex), but perhaps not as complete a set as
that of Lowes. Thanks for any input.

Bates