When building a bathroom, what kind of pipe should be used? PVC or copper? And why?
It depends on the water quality. If the water is acidic or alkaline, I would use PEX for the domestic water. If not, I'd use copper. For drains I like cast-iron as it's much quieter than plastic (ABS or PVC and you can hear every flush throughout the house). I would debate the 'obsolescence' of cast-iron drains. It /is/ a little heavier, but you can loosen a coupling and tweak things a little - not so with a glued fitting. I personally prefer the additional weight of cast to the glue-stink of plastic pipe.
Copper tubing is far superior to PVC. PVC has a life expectancy of 10/12 years before it starts to deteriate. Copper lasts a life time. It makes a neater job of pipework than PVC, and is pliable enough to be easily bent. into any shape and sti;ll look good.
Pex is the best because it is easy to work with, it is extremely durable and does well in north walls (in areas where there is cold climate. It can expand 2 or 3 times its size and then contract back to normal.) My second choice would be copper type L ( thicker pipe.) I would stay away from cpvc because it gets brittle overtime. And would stay away from PVC for the same reason.
