[Scoundreller]

There’s definitely a “right” way and a “wrong” way to do it.

Having each fixture connection being a “home run” without any fittings between source and destination really reduces a lot of vulnerabilities. Having a central manifold that lets you easily turn off any tap is nice too.

A condo building I lived in did something wrong (I suspect) either a bad batch of PEX, or more likely, a batch that sat in the sun for a while, leading to multiple failures of hot water return lines in few years that were a mystery to pin down.

[frosted-flakes]

Home run plumbing also means a lot of pipes in the walls, so you end up with 20x more pipes in the walls and ceiling than is actually necessary, and 20+ valves, which are often made of plastic instead of brass because otherwise costs would balloon. In any case, the fittings aren't the weak point, the pipe is; a properly crimped joint or expansion joint will never leak. And often it's impossible to have no fittings on a run of pipe anyway.

In my opinion, traditional trunk and branch plumbing is far more flexible and just as reliable. It also allows for a hot water recirculation loop, which is impossible with home-run plumbing.

[iancmceachern]

Also using the compression fittings with a good crimping tool, not the push to connect fittings IMO is more durable and reliable.