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What should a PEX pipe quote include?

PEX pipe, in a domestic job, is plastic pipe a plumber runs for water or heating, and the quote should say where it goes and what it joins onto. This page does not print a jointing method, and gas pipework is a Gas Safe job.

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By the QuoteZila editorial team. Editorial policy.

What are you actually asking for?

Householders say "PEX" when they want plastic pipe instead of, or as well as, copper. It is used on cold outlets, hot outlets and some heating runs. This page does not print a pressure, a temperature limit or a bending radius, because those figures belong on the pipe the plumber will buy, not in a general note. The useful question is what the quote names: the rooms, the route, the joints, and what the new pipe connects to.

Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach are the first towns in this wording. Anyone in the UK can post or register.

A trickle you can hear is not a pipe material. That symptom is on a trickling sound. The cistern in the loft is on a header tank. Garden water that will not soak away is on garden drainage.

Why is gas a different visit?

If the pipe you are replacing carries gas, stop and treat it as gas work. This page does not give a method for gas pipe, and it does not say that a water-pipe plastic is acceptable on gas. Check the engineer on the Gas Safe Register. Gas Safe Register. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.

A heating system that is fed from a gas boiler can still have a water pipe that a plumber runs, and a gas connection that an engineer must do. Ask the quote to say which of those it includes. A price for "the pipes" that quietly includes the boiler connection is not the same price as a water-only run.

What should the quote spell out?

Ask for these lines in writing:

  • Hot, cold, heating, or more than one of those.
  • Which rooms, and whether a new outlet is included or only the pipe to an existing one.
  • Surface-run, or hidden in a floor or a wall. Hidden pipe means opening and making good. Say who does the making good.
  • What the new pipe joins: copper, an existing plastic run, a manifold, a tap. The joint type should be named by the plumber, not guessed here.
  • Whether the water has to be off, and for how long they expect that to last. This page does not tell you to turn anything off yourself.

WaterSafe Register describes itself as a free online directory of plumbers and water supply pipe installers that can be searched [S1]. Use it yourself before you hire. Plumbers are the usual trade. Heating engineers are the ones to ask when the run is part of a heating circuit and you want that written on the quote.

How do you compare two PEX prices?

Citizens Advice says some traders charge for quotes, so ask first, and to try to get written quotes from at least 3 traders [S2]. A quote is a fixed price. An estimate is a rough guess [S2]. The quote should break down the work and the materials [S2]. For this job the material line is the pipe and the fittings, not a single word "PEX".

A short surface run to one new outside tap is not a whole-house re-pipe. If you want the whole house, say so, and expect the quote to list floors that will be opened. If you only want one bathroom, say that, so you are not comparing a bathroom price with a house price.

If a firm offers a daily rate instead of a fixed total, Citizens Advice says to get the days and the hours written down [S2]. A pipe route that is longer than the plumber hoped should have been a risk in the quote, not an open-ended day.

A business registers for VAT when taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000 [S3]. Ask whether VAT is in the figure.

What should you leave untouched?

Do not cut out a section "to show the plumber the size". Do not glue or push a fitting on to see if it holds. This page is not a fitting guide. If a pipe is already leaking, say where the wet patch is and post the job. If the leak is at a gas appliance, use Gas Safe, not a water-pipe quote.

GOV.UK lists "install or replace a heating system" and "add extra radiators to a heating system" among alteration projects that might need building regulations approval [S4]. A new plastic run to an extra radiator can be that kind of project. Ask the plumber whether building control is part of their price. You do not need to get approval yourself if you use someone registered with a competent person scheme [S4]. You might need both building regulations approval and planning permission for some projects; they are different [S4]. Do not assume a pipe in an existing house needs planning permission, or that it does not. Ask.

Building regulations approval on GOV.UK is the page that list comes from. GOV.UK: building regulations approval. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.

Jobs you might post

These are examples, not taken from real job posts.

  • "New basin in a downstairs cloakroom. Please quote to run hot and cold in plastic pipe from the existing bathroom above. Name the joint type. Making good the ceiling is included or excluded: say which."
  • "One extra radiator on an existing heating system. Please quote the pipe only if an engineer is already doing the boiler. Say whether building control is in your price."
  • "Burst plastic pipe under a kitchen sink, water is off at the stop tap already. Please quote the repair. Gas cooker is not part of the job."

What does a comparable reply contain?

The product is named only as far as the plumber will stand behind it, the rooms match your list, and gas is either excluded in words or given to a named Gas Safe engineer. A reply that says "we use PEX on everything" has not answered the route.

Up to five matched local businesses can send a quote [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1]. How a plumbing visit is scoped more widely is on the plumber cost guide.

Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.

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Does this page show how to join PEX?

No. It does not name a fitting, a tool or a sequence. Ask the plumber to write the joint type in the quote. Two prices that both say PEX can still be different jobs if one includes opening floors and the other assumes the route is already clear.

Can this page be used for a gas pipe?

No. Gas pipework is not a water-pipe question. Use an engineer on the Gas Safe Register for gas, and keep that visit separate from a quote to run plastic pipe for water or heating. This page does not say which plastics a gas engineer may use.

Is PEX the same as a blocked sink?

No. A blocked sink is waste water that will not leave the basin. PEX is supply pipe, the pipe that brings water to a tap or a radiator. If the basin will not empty, post that problem. If you want new pipe to a new tap, post this one.

What should you tell the plumber about the route?

Say which rooms the pipe must serve, whether it can be surface-run or must be hidden, and whether floors or ceilings are already open. Do not lift boards to trace a pipe. If you do not know the route, say you do not know.

Does QuoteZila check the plumber?

No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.

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Sources

  1. QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila pricing line.
  2. QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila FAQ How does getting quotes work.
  3. S1: WaterSafe Register, WaterSafe. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.watersafe.org.uk/
  4. S2: Before you get work done on your home, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/
  5. S3: Register for VAT, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat
  6. S4: Building regulations approval, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.gov.uk/building-regulations-approval