dgibson

i am considering replacing the 30-yr old horizontal pipes in my attic (Houston, Tx - they do it that way here) and my remodeler recommended using Quest but i find nothing but negative talk about it - apparently it was recalled some years back and there are lawsuits etc - have they improved the product since then to where it is useable? or do we just go back in with pvc piping??

isola96

Just go with PVC they make the furncoat fitting for them at the box stores.

Redwood

Quest is a water supply pipe. Are you talking about water supply lines in your attic?

If so PVC is not an option as it is only allowed underground outside the foundation for water supply by code. PVC also can never be used for hot water as its pressure rating is derated with higher temperatures.

PEX tubing may be used as well as copper & CPVC tube.

isola96

Correct PVC for drains and vents inside home I don't know why water supply would be in attic? Texas? Attic? Heat?....

Redwood

Most homes in Texas are slabs and not basements.

The supply pipes are usually under the slab but when they fail they are rerouted through the walls and attic. We don't have that option up north because of freezing concerns but Texas has a much warmer climate.

joecaption

Unless someone had some left over from many years ago he can not even buy Quest.
He must have meant Pex.

dgibson

thanks all. and yes, pipes here are in the attic so when the galvanized pipes develop a pinhole leak you have ceiling sheetrock to repair, worse if they freeze and break of course but that is rare. we rarely get below 28 or so, although one winter we had an extended freeze when many people were gone for the holidays, lots and lots of problems and a big boon to drywall and carpet contractors... ;-)

after researching i have come close to deciding to just put in a Vanaguard Manabloc system, connect to the top of the drop-downs but leave enough extra Pex to bypass the drop at a later date if needed.

Redwood

Ouch!

Make sure you have enough unused outlets and a way of capping the ones that go bad... Hardly my favorite system....

You may want to look at this link for alternatives to the Home Run System such as the Trunk & Branch and for larger homes the Trunk & Branch with Remote Manifolds... http://www.toolbase.org/pdf/designguides/pex_designguide.pdf

With the Home Run System there is a huge amount of tubing used and in a larger home long waits for hot water to arrive at each fixture. Recirculation loops are not possible as well....

You may also want to hire a repipe expert to do the drops and get it all done at once, we have our ways of doing things with very little additional damage to walls and ceilings....

dgibson

very nice document, thanks for the link! however, it tends to keep me siming for the homerun system. their take is that hot water is actually faster with HR, you disagree? another interesting thing is that the original owner had the water heater installed in the attic of all places, but being directly over the master shower it makes for a real quick hot water delivery time. PITA to replace though, i have done it twice, and each time have drained and left the old one up there. now that i have added a larger attic ladder i may take them out.

house is not large, 1850 sf. other than the amounts of tubing needed (cost not a factor) what makes it undesirable to you? do the maniblocs eventually fail? unused outlets leak? dont they offer caps?

Redwood

In the home run you have to wait fro hot at each fixture.
With the trunk and branch you may wait at the lav sink in the morning but then it is already at the shower. Then when you go to the kitchen it is already nearby from the bath activities etc.

I have seen a lot of failures of the outlets on manabloc manifolds...