I have a concrete block home where the slab sits on the ground. I have about 50-foot of trench dug from my water heater shed to the laundry room where I am going to run 1/2" hot and cold. The PEX system I'm using is Uponor ProPex and I've bought the Milwauke expander tool. I live in Florida, more specifically the Tampa Bay region, so we don't really have frost to worry about.

What I am trying to determine is the best way to make entry from the trench on the outside into the laundry room. My primary concern is blocking the PEX from any sunlight and a mower or weedeater hitting the pipe. That brings me to three options:

1) Transition from PEX to Copper Type-K below grade, then come about two feet up from the slab and pop the hot and cold through the wall. Once on the inside just make connections for the washer and laundry sink.

2) Run the PEX inside 3/4" Sched-40 PVC as a line cover/protector from below grade up about two feet, and then pop it through the wall. I'd probably have to drill a 1" hole and then elongate it with a chisel in order to get the 45-degree fitting to hang into the wall. Afterwards I'd patch the wall up around the PVC pipe so it's sealed and not bafugly.

3) Drill two 1" holes from the inside, at about a 45-degree angle, through the slab from the laundry room to the outside, where hopefully I will end up 6" or more below grade. I would then use PVC as a sleeve in the concrete and slide the PEX through it.

Any opinions or suggestions? Thanks

number one is no good because you don't want a joint underground.
I like number 2.
will preformed bend supports help?





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I can probably stop by the electrical supply store and get some UV rated PVC conduit bends.

I thought the Uponor ProPex was OK to have a fitting underground as long as it was brass. Guess I'll have to re-think that hose-bib that I wanted to T off of for the back yard in that 50-foot trench run. It's only about 2-feet away from the trench so maybe I can re-arrange things.

If you use 2 inch instead, you can run your hot and cold in one pipe and insulate the hot line as well. Once you are inside the wall, installing another hose bibb is as easy as adding a Tee to the line and drilling over to the next joist space.

you can put a tee behind the washing machine and run back out for the hose faucet

Sorry, I didn't explain enough. Where I want to put a hose bib is about half-way through that 50' trench, on the back side of the house where the patio is going to go, and eventually a pool. I could just run a second line for the hose bib and encase it in 3/4" PVC up to a drop ear elbow and call it a day. That would certainly work.

I do like the idea of using a single 2" pipe for entry into the laundry room. Only one big hole to make and patch, and probably a hell of a lot easier to fish the PEX through.



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pex tubing is cheap enough. running an extra 20-30 feet is what i would do...

So I took a piece of 1/2" and 3/4" ProPex and expanded it onto some brass fittings. Looks like I can take a drill and essentially ream out the end of PVC with a drill bit and essentially get a press-fit connection with the expansion ring. A pretty good and cheap way to make a PEX sleeve/protector.

Here's the drill sizes you would use:

1/2" Pex - 3/4" PVC with a 7/8" Drill (Nice fit, should hold itself easily)
3/4" Pex - 1" PVC with a 1 1/8" Drill (Extremely tight, but easier to find then a 1 3/16" drill)


Sched 80 will be tighter on the pipe itself but otherwise it doesn't matter on 40 or 80. If the fit seems too tight to get on by hand then just use a heat-gun to soften the PVC pipe a bit and it should slide right over the expansion collar and contract a little giving you a nice custom fit. A little latex paint around the top of the pipe to cover the collar and PEX for UV protection and all should be good. I would imagine if you ever need to re-terminate a connection or it leaks you would just use some ratcheting PVC cutters and cut about an inch or two below the collar. The PVC pipe should then slide right off the PEX.

Thanks for the idea guys. It all clicked with your suggestions. Now if anyone's looking for info like this hopefully google will toss 'em here.



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weed-whackers WILL eventually eat through pvc


the voice of experience

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

#1 WOULD be the preferred way and is the requirement for supply lines from the meter to the house, but all three are acceptable depending on how much work you want to do. If you have a 50' hot water line you may NEVER get any hot water because the ground will "sap" the heat out of the water before it gets to the washer.,

Connections underground are ONLY prohibited under a concrete slab. In the yard they are do all the time.

i did noy say "prohibited". i said i would not do it that way.

I have seen horrible things happen with PEX exposed to UV. I would make sure that the PEX is completely shielded from sunlight. Not just a coat of latex paint. If you can make it happen you should stub out of the PVC with copper.

There is no exposed PEX above ground. I decided to go from PEX to copper about 6" below grade and run that up the wall. I did eliminate the T so that the garden hose bib in the back yard has it's own dedicated run, and am going to encase the long hot-water pipe in armaflex when I bury it to hopefully help with heat loss.