Re: PEX tool
Bob -- The tool cost about $400 when I used it a few years ago. I was lucky enough to have a friend who had already bought one, but like I said our local heating and plumbing service rents them out pretty reasonably.
I only kept a few short copper lines: a short run of 1/2" from the basement sink to the washer (that was the run that froze but never burst when the window broke), another from the basement to the shower fixture, and a pair of 3/4" lines the last foot or so to and from the hot water heater. I was worried about the heat but it turned out to be a non-issue.
The manifolds were made from 1" copper line with Tees leading to 1/2 or 3/4" ball valves depending on where the line was going. Wirsbo offers pre-made manifolds that are MUCH more compact than what I made, but I'm basically cheap and needed to impress the wife with my manly skills. Also, ball valves are easy to rebuild if that ever becomes necessary. The manifolds are mounted well away from the cold outer wall, and waste heat from the water heater provides additional protection from freezing.
We have a 1" PVC pipe running from the springhouse 1/4 mile up the hill into a 400 gallon cistern in the basement. From there a shallow well pump leads to a pressure tank, and from there to the cold manifold. I have a 1" line from the cold to the water heater, and another coming back from the heater to the hot manifold. If we lose power, I close a ball valve to isolate the cistern, another to isolate the pressure tank, and open a third to allow spring water to go directly into the cold manifold. Not as much pressure as the tank gives, but slow water is better than no water. Also, at the end of a long drought when the spring has gone dry, I can use these valves to let the pressure tank push water from the cistern back up the water line far enough to get the siphon effect going again.
Pretty slick!
Pete
