What materials are used for repiping?

Question

Accepted Answer

We repipe with PEX or copper, and occasionally CPVC. PEX is the right answer for most Albuquerque homes — it is freeze-tolerant, resists the scale buildup our hard water causes, and requires far fewer access holes to install. Copper remains a good choice where its specific advantages matter.

PEX

Advantages: flexible, so it routes around obstacles with fewer wall openings and less drywall repair. Freeze-tolerant — it expands rather than splitting, which matters in New Mexico’s sharp overnight drops. Smooth interior that resists mineral scale. Fewer joints means fewer potential leak points. Faster to install, which lowers labor cost.

Considerations: cannot be exposed to UV, so it must be protected where it runs through unconditioned space with light exposure. Some homeowners prefer copper on principle.

Copper

Advantages: long proven track record, handles high temperatures, naturally resists bacterial growth, and holds up to UV exposure. Many people simply trust it more.

Considerations: higher material cost, more labor, more joints, and more access holes since it does not flex. It can also develop pinhole corrosion depending on water chemistry, and it splits when frozen rather than expanding.

CPVC

Lower cost rigid plastic. It works, but it becomes brittle with age and cracks at fittings, so we use it selectively rather than as a default.

What We Recommend for Albuquerque Homes

PEX, in most cases. Two local factors drive that: hard water, where PEX’s smooth interior resists the scale that narrows other materials over decades; and freeze exposure, where PEX’s ability to expand rather than split genuinely prevents burst pipes in unconditioned runs. The reduced drywall damage is a meaningful practical benefit as well.

What We Never Reuse

Galvanized steel and polybutylene. Both are at end of life wherever they are found, and tying new pipe into either defeats the purpose of the project.