Am replacing a shower valve. The new valve has male fittings whereas the old one had female. Since I don't have the necessary tools to rework the old galvanized pipe, I cannot use them for the shower and faucet connections.

Which is the "recommended" choice, and why, for this application, CPVC or PEX? Seems like on every forum I've visited, the answers are as varied as the number of respondents to this question.

Naturally, I'd like, for whatever materials I use, the completed job to last at least as long as the one I'm replacing, which is around 40 years. Don't know if that's realistic using plastic vs iron, but you get the idea.

Thanks

I would like to see a picture of what you are working with as far as the pipes are concerned. PEX MIGHT be the better choice, but your premise of it being "easier" may be faulty.

Hire a plumber and ask for type L copper. we all be dead before it's leaks.

Thanks for your response. However, I don't think I made any reference in my OP that any aspect of this project is or has been "easy".

Since I took these, the old valve and the assemblies for the shower and faucet have been removed. That has taken the most time, as is usual, when undoing someone else's work.

Old valve


Old shower connection


New Valve (Delta B114900)


Basement wall & upstairs stairwell. Bathroom is on other side. Had to cut hole to be able to free up where old pipe was stuck. At very top right is the hole my wife made through the hole for the shower-funny it was in the exact spot I had measured prior to her making it.




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pex will last for 40 years.. you need special tool to join the pex. you can use sharkbite fittings but not recommended in concealed locations.
i don't like nor use CPVC..

They ARE "recommended and approved" for use inside a closed space.

let me clarify my statement.. i don't recommend using them in concealed locations.

That is different because you are NOT a "code certification" source, but rather a personal preference.

sharkbite fittings are junk, don't trust them because I've had to go back and remove them from a system because they all were leaking... and codes nor certifications had anything to do with it... just watching them drip and spray was reason enough for me.... and just to stay on topic... never use cpvc unless it's going in a camp house on a deerlease, or anywhere you don't have to worry about it ruining a house when it breaks, because it will break... PEX is the only way to go especially in cold areas... cheaper than copper with no worries of it ever bursting.



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After researching it and thinking about it, I took the helpful part of Piperunner's reply and decided to go with Type L copper. So far, so good.

It would be my preference also, but it was NOT one of the options you asked about.

the problem nowadays with copper tubing is that plumbers would rather pro-press than solder. pro-press relies on an "O" ring the same as sharkbites do.

Yep.

I am familiar with working with copper as a DIYer.

If ever I will redo the water supply lines and go with a single manifold and home run lines to each part of the house so I can turn each section off, I would use PEX so I won't have any intermediate joints.

I have used CPVC a few times only to run discharge pipes from a water heater's PRV to the outside.

You're right, of course. I did not offer copper as an option although, in retrospect, I should have. Using copper turned out to be the least troublesome. I'm also *so* glad I chose to complete this project/replacement myself rather than to admit I was over my head, chicken out, & call a plumber

Yes, it took me a lot longer than a pro would have. And, yes, it caused some, ahhh, let's just say "marital friction." But, at the same time, my wife has told me many times that she's never seen anyone who can read (& retain) owner's manuals and technical papers the way I'm able to. So I took my time, planned out, and thoroughly researched every aspect of what I needed to do before I ever started. As a result, there were very few "gotchas".

I also bought extra fittings and used some old copper pipe to practice soldering until I was completely comfortable with it. "Measure twice, cut once" was my mantra and I had no issues taking that axiom to the max. I would even go so far as to measure not just twice but sometimes a half-dozen times, from various angles, then I'd walk away and work on something else just to make sure I hadn't missed something that would have wound up as a mistake had I not completely thought it through.

Though I've never undertaken a home plumbing project like this, I worked as an installer & fabricator for a shop that specialized in high-end competition car audio systems and general custom vehicles. Some of the projects I worked on involved hydraulic suspensions so the concept wasn't completely foreign to me. I know, too, that I took an exceedingly long time to complete this job. But honestly, this is not a simple learning curve, IMHO.

And despite how long it took me, I'm very proud to say that not a single one of my solder joints leaked. Some of them looked like pure hell and make me think my dogs could have done a better job but the main thing is that they are solid and they haven't failed. I'm especially proud of the cuts I made for the shower line. I agonized over that cut before I finally got up the nerve to make it. I must have re-measured and re-checked my math a dozen times. But it could not have been any more exact than I got it.

Ironically, the only connection I made that DID fail was the set screw for the faucet. I accidentally overtightened it after taking it off and putting it back on, which put a dimple in the copper line and caused a leak. Thanks to my arduous practice sessions, though, I was able to un-sweat the joint, prep the pipe and fabricate the faucet line in about a half hour.

The only other down side is that the 40+ year old shutoff valve for the hot water into the tub started leaking around the packing nut so I have to replace that tomorrow.

I guess the moral to my story is: Have some faith in yourself! Thanks to message boards like this one, along with YouTube videos (and those made by the manufacturer, too), you can learn how to do anything you set your mind to do. Don't let *anyone* convince you otherwise!

Now, hopefully you knew enough not to attach the copper directly onto the galvanized.