hello and thank you in advance…. like the title says i want to replace the copper in my basement with pex .. any tips or anything i should know about? can i use pex straight from the water heater or does it need to be hard piping first ? or can i use a hose with a shutoff valve ? if so how and where would i put my expansion tank ?

 

I would not recommend connecting PEX directly to a water heater. I'd use copper pipe as an in-between. I see many installs using the braided/rubber hose. That would not be my choice as there is a rubber hose inside the braid that will bake and harden with age. I like to have the pressure tank fastened to the wall. You could use the bendable copper pipes off the water heater to the PEX.
Flex copper supply lines

I like this picture as it shows an excellent pressure tank mounting.

 

should i use the clamps? i was going to use all push fittings would that be ok?

 

Clamps ?
You mean crimps on the PEX fittings.
You're planning to use sharkbite fittings ?

 

And why would you want to remove a superior product?

 

yes crimps… and idk i was asking which one would you recommend between the 2 for me to use…. i know the sharkbite fittings are alot more expensive…… and as far why i would want to remove the superior product… its hard to explain because im not a plumber lol but the way they have it ran is very wierd they have alot of lines that go nowhere and just capped off

 

Yes, PEX may be plumbed directly to the water heater. Leave some slack in the tubing so it forms an S to allow for expansion and contraction. Plus, the extra tubing comes in handy when replacing the heater.

I would NOT use "bite" type fittings and instead use crimp or cinch rings. Bite fittings are expensive and they only have one O ring inside for sealing while traditional crimped fittings provide three rings for sealing that don't rely on rubber.

 

I would not replace the copper pipes. Copper can last 80 years – and in some cases even longer. I’m not a plumber but it just seems to me many people want to switch to PEX because it is modern. But if you look at the touted advantages of PEX I think you will find there are always just two: that it’s easier to install and it’s cheaper. I don’t see how that makes it better.

PEX has an expected lifespan of 25 to 40 years.

If you are worried about health maybe you could consider just removing those dead legs in your plumbing. Maybe you don’t really need a big plumbing change.

Just a thought.