1.00 or 1.25 PEX line from Well

[Pettrix]

I have about a 50' run from the well to the house. The drop pipe in the well is 1.25" and I am going to run a PEX line from the 1.25" pitless adapter to the house.

The Uponor Type A pex costs:
1" at 100' roll = $160
1.25" at 100' roll = $415

A noticeable price difference. I can run a 1.25" to 1.00" reducer from the pitless and just run the 1.00" line to the house.

Will I experience any flow loss due to the smaller diameter pipe?

Or should I just pay the $255 difference and get the 1.25" pex?

 

[4570Man]

If your pressure is good 3/4 is adequate for 50 ft and 1” is plenty.

 

[Roadworthy]

Generally the line plumbed at the house is 3/4". If you're running pressure tanks their opening is usually 1 1/4". I run 3/4" PVC from the pressure tanks to the house.

 

[duffer]

I'm gonna take the other side of previous posts. I'd go 1½" PVC (not Pex) all the way to your pressure tank (assuming it's inside the house or at least near the foundation outside). This will reduce water friction between your well head and the house, giving you more pressure and volume. And it's likely to be less $$ than 1¼" pex.

If you're going to install irrigation, I'd bump it up to 2". Also, if irrigation get a cycle stop valve. This will keep your well running during irrigation, rather than cycling off and on all the time, thus adding a lot of stress to your pump motor. Since you're in the desert you probably won't have irrigation, but just in case....

If you're using pex inside the house (yet to be plumbed) use at least a 1" main and T off of that with ½" runs to fixtures. ¾" to tubs, showers. Actually the right way to plumb the house with pex is to install a manifold and run home runs to each fixture, but plumbers don't do that, because they don't understand why pex is engineered that way. I have a manifold and home runs, with proper sized pex to each fixture, and I get hot water in under 15 seconds, anywhere in the house. If you run a ¾" or 1" main and T off of it, you're looking at 3-5 minutes to get hot water, because you have to flush out all the cold water in the main and subsequent T's. May not be an issue for you, but it was to me.

 

[4570Man]

I'm gonna take the other side of previous posts. I'd go 1½" PVC (not Pex) all the way to your pressure tank (assuming it's inside the house or at least near the foundation outside). This will reduce water friction between your well head and the house, giving you more pressure and volume. And it's likely to be less $$ than 1¼" pex.

If you're going to install irrigation, I'd bump it up to 2". Also, if irrigation get a cycle stop valve. This will keep your well running during irrigation, rather than cycling off and on all the time, thus adding a lot of stress to your pump motor. Since you're in the desert you probably won't have irrigation, but just in case....

If you're using pex inside the house (yet to be plumbed) use at least a 1" main and T off of that with ½" runs to fixtures. ¾" to tubs, showers. Actually the right way to plumb the house with pex is to install a manifold and run home runs to each fixture, but plumbers don't do that, because they don't understand why pex is engineered that way. I have a manifold and home runs, with proper sized pex to each fixture, and I get hot water in under 15 seconds, anywhere in the house. If you run a ¾" or 1" main and T off of it, you're looking at 3-5 minutes to get hot water, because you have to flush out all the cold water in the main and subsequent T's. May not be an issue for you, but it was to me.

3-5 minutes to get a hot water is a ridiculously long time. There’s recirculating systems available to circulate the trunk line back through the water heater so the trunk line stays hot. It waste some energy to do that but it offers nearly instantly hot water.

 

[Boss 302]

Yup, 1 inch is certainly adequate no need to go larger.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

I’d go with 1-1/2 pvc. If it develops a leak you then push a snake through, and pull back a 1-inch pex. By only digging one hole at the pitless adapter.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

100 yards of 3/4" has been doing fine here for 25 years.

 

[ponytug]

I don't think that there is a huge difference. Pay now, or pay later. The 1 1/4" PEX has 56% more area than 1" and has less resistance to flow, so you will pay less on the electricity to get the water to the house. Both forms of PEX will have lower resistance compared to PVC pipe of the same size which has couplings.

Couplings are often the weak link, due to gluing imperfections and pipe stresses; how much is it worth to you not to have that worry?

You might also shop around to see if you can get better pricing elsewhere; just make sure that you get drinking water PEX.

All the best,

Peter

 

[4570Man]

I don't think that there is a huge difference. Pay now, or pay later. The 1 1/4" PEX has 56% more area than 1" and has less resistance to flow, so you will pay less on the electricity to get the water to the house. Both forms of PEX will have lower resistance compared to PVC pipe of the same size which has couplings.

Couplings are often the weak link, due to gluing imperfections and pipe stresses; how much is it worth to you not to have that worry?

You might also shop around to see if you can get better pricing elsewhere; just make sure that you get drinking water PEX.

All the best,

Peter

Belled end pvc is far superior to using couplers. Pvc is also far superior to pex for burial. Maybe if you take adequate precautions covering the pex it would be fine but pvc is a lot more resistant to rocks rubbing through it.