Hi everyone. I am ready to plumb my little house. I am going to use 1/2 pex. Now I have been reading and I guess routing water lines through an exterior wall is not ideal. With these smaller houses, all the walls are exterior walls. I was going to notch the 2x6 stud about 1.5" by 7/8" deep for the hot and the cold pex to run. This gives me pretty much full insulation between the outside and the pex. Does this sound like a good idea? I would even consider running it outside the drywall. It is all behind the stove, cupboards and fridge, so it wouldnt be seen. Looking forward to the responses.
The following info is based on the IRC used in the USA. Canadian rules are likely similar.
Holes through studs for wiring or plumbing should be set back from the stud edge 1-1/4 inches and no larger than 25% of the stud width in a bearing wall. If not set back the 1-1/4 inches nailing plates may be used to protect the wire/pipe from being penetrated by a fastener. Notches should not be any deeper than 25% of the depth of the stud. That would require a nailer plate over each notch if used for plumbing or electrical.
For our cabin, the plumbing was concentrated in one corner, one exterior and 2 short interior walls. I ran some pex through a shallow chase behind the range and fridge as well as some through short sections of the interior walls. That part did not undergo an inspection. If it had the pex should be encased in something nail resistant. A metallic conduit of some kind would probably be okay.
Pex should also be protected from exposure to UV light, so at least painted if exposed.
Most PEX if frozen, just stops water pressure. It returns when melted. :P
Is it too late to look at plumbing through the floor? That's how my house is plumbed. Nothing in the exterior walls.
Thank you for the responses. I am leaning toward the notching, keeping all the insulation between the water lines and exterior of the house. @ ChugiakTinkerer, I would love to run them under, but I built on piers, I would be afraid they would freeze. I could insulate the skirting, then I would probably house all the mice in the area, making for a rattlesnake rich environment. Plus I would have to wait till it got colder before crawling under the house. There are rattlesnakes around right now.
The walls are fine with PEX even in cold country. Be sure and use steel plates over the notch to keep from hitting the line later. This is really important above the electrical wiring where someone might hang a picture or cabinet. Rattlers here to now >:(