Af, 1. The typical system has 1" piping from the source through the valve manifold to the first laterals. Pipe intersection evenly divides the flow into those laterals. Example main flow is 15 gpm, the intersection has three laterals, each lateral will have 5 gpm. Therefore the laterals do not need to be as large as the main. The 3/4" pipe are usually used for the laterals after the flow has been divided. There is nothing wrong with using the larger pipe as far as you want. It is just slightly cheaper (not by much). Larger pipe equates to slower flow and less noise when operating the system. 1 1/2" main through valve manifold to 1" pipe for laterals is okay just slightly more expensive but less noisy if the system is under normal (50-60 psi) pressure. 2. Which ever has the thicker wall, if they both cost the same, is best. JMHO Aloha

regarding the recirc, think of it this way. If you dont have a recirc and your water in the pipes is room temp, it needs to travel first from the hot water heater through the pex to the manifold and then from the manifold to the specific faucet. In a large house, it can be 80-100 feet easy. The tubing from the heater to the manifold is not 1/2 inch either. I dont know the exact size, but I am thinking 1 inch (I havent gotten that far with my plumber, since I have not started construction yet). That thicker tubing holds much more water per linear foot, so you need to move A LOT of water in order to get hot water to your faucet, so can actaully take longer to get hot water compared to a traditional setup. If you use a recirc, the manifolds will all be on one big loop with a recirc pump, rather than homeruns from the hot water heater. This way the hot water is always at the manifold and only needs to move from the manifold, which is close by and through 1/2"(or 3/8") tubing, so you get hot water quick. Without anti scald devices, you can scald yourself with or without a recirc, it will just scald you faster :-) I havent gotten to the brands and pex type yet. I only know that I will be using PAP in my radiant system. Be sure to let your plumber give you prices too. They can get some good deals from their supply house and better to give him some profit than some faceless website if the pricing is close.

Please understand that I was the guy who has had to look at the leak in the ceiling and deduce where it is leaking. Mind you, not where it is showing, but where it is leaking. I had one lady who was really PO'd that I didn't magically know this. How dare I inconvenience her. On my second visit I brought the kids Ouija board. It can happen to you! As you will be spending a lot of time in that area, I would suggest a radon test prior to doing the re-model. rweigand, how different we are;) Someone shows me sparkling compound, tape and sandpaper and I'm heading for the door. Your post makes it sound joyful. Even sheet rockers don't like it. Matching a finish on a ceiling after a repair is exceedingly...touchy! If you do go with the rock make sure that they install some 1x3 strapping across the joist prior to the rock. A good electrical can fish from there. The difference between the basement and the first floor is that the entire distribution system is in the basement. That is where all the mains are for all services, electric, water, gas, heat, phone, etc. From the basement, the first and second floor are served with risers off of those systems. I can assure you that the plumber didn't anticipate covering the whole shebang. It is your house. Certainly decorate as you choose, Just be aware of what you are covering. Take detailed photos and measurements and SAVE them where they are accessible. That means not on your current PC. By the time you need it you may be 3 machines on. What that means to me is print the photos and do a scaled drawing and put the drawings in the 81/2x11 plastic sleeves and into a 3ring binder. Put that in the boiler room and tie it to something.

Oh dear... So softening water removes hardness ions and replaces them with sodium ions. It does not add salt to the water. The amount of sodium ions in softened water is dependent on the amount of hardness in the water initially. In most cases that amount is very small. In your case your water isn't very hard - and so the amount of sodium is also very small. Here is what they Mayo Clinic has to say: In some cases where people are on a strict sodium restricted diet they may elect not to drink water that has softened. Also, some people do not like the taste of softened water. For this reason people often provide a non-softened water tap in the kitchen. This can either be by excluding the cold water supply in the kitchen or it can be a separate drinking water faucet. The drinking water faucet is the better route because you have less hard water residue in the sink and around your main faucets that way. Either way you do it, you put the carbon filter on the unsoftened drinking water or the cold water line in the kitchen. Also, you do not soften outdoor hose faucets.