If you lived in Houston last winter, you definitely remember the Big Freeze that left us scrambling to keep warm and protect our homes when the power went off. Some of us, not used to such weather, didn’t realize what we needed to do to avoid burst pipes, and we not only lived without heat for much too long, but we also went without water to drink, cook with, or bathe in as water flowed from burst pipes onto our floors, ruining our possessions as well.
Hopefully the state of Texas has come up with a way to keep our power on should such a harsh winter episode be in our future. There are protective things we can do, though, that can make the burst-pipe scenario unlikely. One thing you can do is repipe your house with PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) pipe.
This type of pipe has the advantage of being flexible and can expand when water freezes inside it and then return to its original shape when warm weather comes again. Made of high-density polyethylene, PEX is flexible and durable, making it extremely popular with plumbers who appreciate how easy it is to install. Homeowners also appreciate the fact that PEX is cheaper and requires less time to install, thus saving the plumber time and the customer money.
Paul the Plumber highly recommends PEX pipes and looks forward to discussing your plumbing needs and working with you to update your plumbing.