Thanks for the UV tip Mongo. I actually knew that but forgot for some reason. If it's behind the toilet and not in direct line with the window then is UV still a problem? i.e. can it bounce off the side of the vanity and then breakdown the Kitec? Believe it or not, thats a serious question. I assume some sort of tape or sleeve (chrome) would help against the UV? If I can't find chrome anywhere, how bad will the foil HVAC tape look? Better than light blue? Horrible? And what about nice flange/escutcheon plates? Anyone?

Although there are exceptions that prove the rule, in general all "PLUMBING" requires a permit but "Maintenance Plumbing" does not. The question then becomes, what constitutes "Plumbing" versus "Maintenance"? Maintenance is defined as maintaining an existing system in its original design and configuration therefore if you are replacing the original piping with the same size of lines and maintaining the same physical layout of the piping system you generally would not be required to pull a permit, however we must use a bit of caution here. In some jurisdictions if we are replacing pipe, valves or fixtures with exact like kind replacements it is defined as maintenance and no permit is required, but if we are switching to a different type of pipe, valves or fixtures such as replacing copper pipe with PEX they may require a permit. If we are adding additional fixtures or altering the physical location of the fixtures which would require altering the original layout of the supply and DWV lines that would technically be defined as Plumbing and generally would require both a permit and inspection. In general PEX is much easier to handle than copper but PEX requires a much greater attention to detail than copper or CPVC. By example, copper or CPVC requires a hanger within one foot of any major change in direction and one hanger for each 48" of linear run, but PEX requires a hanger for every 38" of linear run. (some jurisdictions require hangers every 36"). When installing hangers for PEX the hangers must allow fo ra greater physical movement of the pipe and the codes define a specified percentage of slack to compensate for thermal expansion and contraction, PEX must be afforded protection from both direct and indirect exposure to UV light. In some jurisdictions they require that when PEX is run through a stud bay, the underside of the stud bay must be covered with black plastic sheeting or other suitable means to prevent indirect UV light exposure. Color coding the hot and cold water lines is often done as a matter of convenience but i am not familiar with any specific code requirement to do so. Having said all of that, we must go back to what was mentioned in the previous reply. All jurisdictions have differing rules on permits. By example, in our municipal jurisdiction we are required to pull a permit for all water heater installations whether it is new or a replacement. On the other hand, in the county outside of our municipal district you can build an entire house from the foundation to finish and the only permits required are to drill a well, install a septic tank or attach the driveway to the public roadway.

I have to agree with Jake on this one, that first response sounds like a bunch of hype to me. Let us review the facts: Both PEX and Copper provide an very good system however the aforementioned statement that a PEX homerun system saves water, Maybe it does, but then maybe just the opposite is true, depending upon the layout. Consider this, if you have a Main and Branch layout the lead time to get the hot water from the tank to the fixture will remain equal. On the other hand, if you have a manifold and home run system it is true that the smaller lines contain less water, but consider this. You go in the bathroom and turn on a faucet at the lavatory. The hot water must then travel from the water heater to the manifold and through a dedicated line to your lav, then you step to the shower and wait again as the hot water leaves the tank, travels to the manifold then up the dedicated line to your shower, and if you happen to have two lavatories and the wife turns the water on at her lav once again you wait for the water to travel from the water heater to the manifold, then through a dedicated line to her lav. If we were to realistically compute all those losses in most instances the end result would be nearly the same, if not less in a main and branch layout. On the other hand, there is absolutely nothing in the code that would prevent us from installing a manifold and home run system with copper. If reducing water consumption is the main concern, then the best method would be to install a Main & Branch recirculating system, which provides nearly instantaneous hot water at the fixture. Taking this to the next level, if your desire to conserve water is based upon environmental concerns then here again a recirculating system wastes much less water however, if your concerns on saving water is based upon savings on the water bill, it is highly unlikely that either system will have any major effect because even though most municipal water suppliers do measure the exact number of cubic feet of consumption, generally they bill in blocks of 100cu.ft. One hundred cubic feet of water is approximately 600gallons and it is highly unlikely that you would waste 600gal in a month even with a long lead time to the fixtures.(Typically a 3br residential structure will average 300gal per day total consumption.) Many will argue that PEX is cheaper than copper, but here again, that is not always true. If we install PEX in a main and branch layout then PEX defintely has the price advantage but if we install a PEX manifold and home run system we must then install a both a hot and cold dedicated line to all lavatories and the shower plus and additional dedicated cold water line to the water closet. Thus at a minimum we have 5 lines from the manifold to the bathroom whereas with a main and branch we only have i hot and 1 cold line from the main to the bathroom. Now when you consider that one PEX fixture stubout will cost nearly as much as a bag of 20 copper elbows in the end the material cost for a PEX manifold system is almost the same as a copper system. In can be argued that the labor cost to install PEX is much less, but here again, this is not true. While it is much easier to run the PEX tubing, if the PEX is properly installed per code and manufacturers requirements PEX can ultimately involve more labor time, by example, the manufacturers installation specs state that PEX must be protected from UV light, both direct and indirect. Technically speaking, if you run PEX through an open stud bay in a basement, and if that basement has windows the you are required to cover the underside of that stud bay with a light proof material. When the manifold is wall mounted it must either be in a windowless utility room, enclosed in a cabinet or provided with a light proof membrane curtain. Copper requires an hanger within one foot of every major change of direction and one hanger for every 48". PEX is required a hanger for every 38" and the hangers must allow movement of the tubing. In addition, all PEX runs must have an additional 10% overall length to allow for expansion and contraction. (Now ask yourself, when was the last time you saw a PEX installation that was done by the book? In my jurisdiction we have a plumbing inspector who is hell bent on insuring all PEX is by the book, in fact, he brags that he has yet to see a PEX installation that would pass on first inspection.) For re-work PEX has the distinct advantage that it can easily be fished through walls, but then, the same can be done with roll copper. For new construction if PEX is run in a main and branch configuration like copper the overall cost advantage certainly goes to PEX but when we consider how much more tubing is used in a manifold and home run system most plumbers will offer a PEX maifold system or a copper main and branch system for the same price. Now in regards to angle stops at the fixtures. The codes require that all fixtures with the exception of tubs & showers must have an individual shutoff valve, which in most instances is the angle stop, however with the advent of the manifold system the valve on the manifold meets the requirement in most jurisdictions. On the other hand, some jurisdictions such as mine have ruled that the manifold valve is a Zone valve, and they still require the individual angle stops at the fixture. IMHO i would not have a fixture that does not have angle stops. Consider this, you have a minor drip from the lavatory faucet. If you have an angle stop you can easily reach under the sink and turn the water off, make the repair, then easily turn the water on again. On the other hand, if you have a manifold and no angle stop you must go to the manifold to turn the water off, and with my luck, your in an upstairs bath and the manifold is in the basement, no doubt at the opposite end of the house, so you go down two flights of stairs across the house and probably have to move bicycles, lawnmowers and who knows what to get to the manifold, then up two flights of stairs to make a simple repair, followed by another trip down the stairs to turn the water on, back up to check your work and pick up your tools. Personally I am getting too old to be running up and down the stairs all day, oh, but it does have its compensation because I am billing additional labor time for all those stairs..LOL. It is also argued that PEX will tolerate freezing and thawing without bursting a pipe, which is truc, but on the other hand what they don't tell you is that rodents of all varieties, mice, rats, rabbits, and opossums seem to have a sweet tooth for PEX. In fact, in the last five year we have made more service calls to repair rodent damage to PEX than to repair frozen copper lines.

I don't know about code in your area. In central Indiana where winter temps can get -25 or colder it's possible to insulate the wall cavity with the pipes on the warm side of that. When it's done well, it's very effective. Not putting pipes in an exterior wall is always the first choice though. That said... it's important to think these design ideas all the way through. Exposed pipes on a floating vanity really defeats the point. Exposed PEX isn't up to code (it has to be protected from sunlight) and is about as classy as a car on blocks in your driveway. Doing this right would require removing the baseboard, opening the wall, etc. and that's a lot of added expense and work to get it to look right. If hiding the plumbing is not an option then maybe re-think the floating vanity.