Diy Pex Installation in Small Single Family House

[Nathan Bahr]

Hi all

I've very recently purchased my first rental property.  It is a small 5 bedroom single family house located in Minnesota.  The house was actually built in 1870, but is in very good condition.  

One thing I'm worried about, however is the plumbing system.  It is currently PVC piping.  A large majority of the piping is located in the basement under the kitchen.  The furnace and water heater are also located down there. The previous owners have reported when it gets very cold (0-10 degrees Fahrenheit) they will put a space heater in the basement to hopefully prevent the pipes from freezing. They had one issue many years ago where the main line froze and it cost them a lot of money to fix.  I'm leery about continuing to use a space heater due to the fire risk, the cost of the electricity to run it, and having to depend on the tenants to turn it on whenever it gets cold. The current pipes also do not have any insulation on them at all.  

I'm trying to decide what I want to do. One thing I'm considering doing is installing new pipes that will resist the elements a little more.  Does anyone have any experience installing PEX piping?  Doing some research I understand PEX-A with expansion connections would be the way to go.  I feel moderately comfortable but a little apprehensive about doing it myself after watching some youtube videos and reading some guides..  I would also consider paying a professional plumber if people think thats a better idea.  

One other thing I am considering is install heat tape onto either the current PVC pipes or the future PEX pipes and then wrapping it in fiberglass pipe insulation.

Does anyone have any recommendations in this situation.  Thanks!