Just thinking outside the box.. and wish to ask if there is such a thing as decorative plastic channel for pex tube, kinda like the flat wiremold raceway they make for electrical wires?
The reason is a friend has 2 OLD houses that were unfortunately re-piped with that awful grey polybutalene back in the 70's and now they are sprouting pin hole leaks every few months. It is time for a re-pipe, for sure, but I have to wonder if it's possible to just abandon the old pipe buried behind all that sheetrock and snaked through all the floor joists, etc, and leave it in place, then run new pex along the ceiling and punch it up or down the walls to new stops? Provided the it might look a little strange, but outside of the aesthetic concerns, it seems like it would save a TON of labor and sheetrock work on an old house total re-pipe. Thanks, everyone.

Why not use 3/4 pvc yes just abandon the old crap in fact if you only have some small exposed area run pex hidden and transfer to copper where exposed Yes there ate transition fittings from pex to copper even shark bites

You can get chrome covers that are designed to cover stub outs, or you could make your own. Some 1*2's, wood paneling and possibly some paint could get you custom boxes that hide the hole and the tubing. If you are good it may even match the back of the existing vanities. Even if you do this though, you will have connections to the washing machine and shower that you can't get to without tearing up some walls. If it was done right during the last repipe, it is all secured in the walls and you will have to get in there for some of the fixtures.

Yep, the old poly-b was properly done and clamped to the nines. It would be a real job to rip it all out. I figured an access panel on the back wall of the shower and possibly a small one for the washer box to tie in to. Old house has little or poor wall cavity insulation, so I could send down fish tape and pull some Pex up the verticals and use large trim bezels to cover the holes at the stops; use 90's to make it stub out and sneak a screw clamp in the stud.

I love that wide plastic wiremold. Just wish they made it bigger. The H/O just wants me to patch the patches for now; I'll post a pic tomorrow. She had another guy out to fix another leak a few inches away. It's a real mess. 3rd repair in the last year.

P.S. Hot diggety! I went to the wiremold website and they DO make large capacity (6" x 1-3/4" non-metalic raceway. Perfect for hiding up to two 3/4" pex lines. Heh heh.

Now if I use this product do I call an electrical or plumbing inspector? Or just pretend my cell phone died and I speaka no englais and wave Buenos Dios as I vamose to de la casa?



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I recommend using Vinyl gutter for a raceway.

Sheetrock repair is not that difficult or expensive. You're not re-wiring the house.An electrician at work, just had some sheetrock hung at a house he just bought. He purchased the sheetrock, and the guy charged him $1000 for 1100 sq/ft hung and taped. How much could it cost for 100 sq/ft of repairs? I reallize prices vary by area, and this is for reference only.My brother had a construction co. years ago, and when he found out how much the sheetrockers would charge him, he sold his screw guns.

quote; Why not use 3/4 pvc

One reason is that PVC is NOT an approved material for inside a buidling.

Crown molding along the edges of the ceiling will conceal it.

Like I said, it's a mess. The new pinhole leak is where the poly-B is curved into the joist. And yes, it's bent around a live electrical feed for the upstairs 100 amp subpanel, and yes, that's a live natural gas line in there too. Makes it all more fun, huh?

Quote: "Sheetrock repair is not that difficult or expensive"... not if you are a pro rock hanger/finisher, which I am neither. But you are right, now that I've slept on my little pipe dream... No matter how the repipe is routed in each room, a certain amount of sheetrock surgery will be necessary to access and route the new pipe thru the main load bearing joists and wall headers. Dang. Another theory bites the dust.

Being bent around an electrical feed or gas line is completely immaterial other than making it more difficult to work on it.

It is actually easier to do large drywall repairs rather than small ones. The tapered edges of drywall sheets are better for finishing than making butt joints.

KC........Take a look at a full sheet of drywall.

What about it?

Two ends are butt joints.

that's why they go into a corner. Even with 2 sheets butting into one another it is a better finish than trying to patch a square hole with 4 butt joints. you end up with a big spot that sticks out of the wall from all the extra mud required to smooth it. If you texture the walls you can hide it easier.