Until fairly recently, whenever I had a plumbing job to do, it was done with copper. Period. I was aware of the newfangled stuff called PEX, of course, and had heard others tout how easy it is to work with, and how reliable it is. But despite the all-American look of the red, white and blue tubing, it never looked very durable to me. It’s just so…plastic-y. After helping out on a couple of recent jobs where all the plumbing was done with PEX, I was impressed with how easy it is to maneuver into awkward spaces, and how quickly the installations went. With the recent arrival of the Ryobi PEX Pinch Clamp Tool to make the clamping connections, I may be listing my MAP gas torch on eBay. Read More
Plumbing
Corrugated vs PVC Pipe for Exterior and French Drains
I recently tackled installing some french drains and exterior landscape drains to help direct the many pints of water that sometimes fall from the sky here in San Diego. One section of french drain was by a retaining wall, and another by a spot on our home that catches a lot of runoff. One question I grappled with was whether to use corrugated vs solid pipe. The black corrugated pipe seemed like a cheaper and easier option, but something told me I shouldn’t dismiss using schedule 40 solid, 4″ pvc pipe. I did a lot of research before diving into my project, and hopefully the insights I gained will help you with your landscape drainage or french drain project. Read More
