Questions tagged [pex]
PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) is a flexible plastic pipe that has gained popularity due it being cheaper (and often easier) than copper or PVC. Use for questions about working with the pipe, and use with the [plumbing] tag
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Pex bend supports keep breaking
I've used PEX bend supports in the ½" size before which worked great, but trying to use them for ¾" has been difficult. Regardless of the method I've tried, the plastic ones keep snapping.
Using the ...
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Estimating plex tubing purchase
I am in the planning stages of building a new 4300 sqft home for my family. I am working to build out how much it will cost to run all the supply lines for my plumbing (contracting out the drains). ...
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Do pex fittings need to be replaced when installing a new water heater?
I have purchased a new water heater to replace the original 11 year unit. I am concerned in attaching the existing fittings to the new unit. I believe the builder used pex directly to the original ...
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Can anyone identify/name this plumbing component?
Located under all the "AM/PM Kitchen" (bedroom) sinks in the house:
It adapts the 3/8 PEX output from the mixer valve to 1/4 PEX to the spigot. The thing that looks like a valve does not appear to do ...
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What's up with the PEX on this shower valve?
I've been using PEX for a couple years now. I came across a few shower valves recently, but the 1/2 PEX lines for the hot/cold are not what I'm used to seeing. Please compare my photo (top) with a ...
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Sleeve for below grade pipe penetration
I need to run a hot and cold water supply line to an outside structure 13' away through my basement block wall. This is in the Northeast US, where the frost line is 42" and the penetration will ...
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Copper to PEX connection
I am swapping out an old pedestal sink for a conventional vanity. Currently in place are some 1/4 pex lines that are run through the pedestal.
I want to swap the small pex for 1/2” and am fairly ...
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Concealing PEX indoors with a metal hat channel
I'm replacing the galvanized incoming cold line with PEX. The incoming line runs into the exterior wall of the home about a foot from the ground, then goes down the wall, through the sill plate into ...
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Is copper piping required within a certain distance from a water heater?
I have read that National Code requires you to use copper for 18 inches from your water heater. How can I do this when everything existing is PEX?
I need to replace my existing low boy water heater ...
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Can negative pressure in a PEX plumbing system cause or contribute to leaks?
Generally, when draining one's plumbing system all the faucets (or at least the ones at the ends of the manifolds or loop) should be opened so that all the water drains from the system and as the ...
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What kind of plumbing should I use to replace PB tubing?
I am looking for insight. I am the 3rd owner of a single-story home built in the late 80s. It has 3/4" polybutylene (PB) plumbing running through the attic with 1/2" PB branching off. We have 2 full ...
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Do I expand or crimp pex water line, and why?
New construction water lines, should I use expansion on the fittings or should I crimp them?? And why- pros and cons of each. I have another question posted about proper sewer venting diagrams and ...
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Using PEX as wire conduit
I have some 1/2" PEX-AL-PEX left over and thinking about using it as conduit for ~20' ethernet or phone cable. Pipe is appropriately orange.
Will the aluminium layer provide RF shielding? (assuming I ...
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Do I need a regular Tee or a Slip Tee to add new line (pex) to existing line (copper)?
I'd like to cut into an existing hot water (copper) line to add a Tee and run a new hot water line to somewhere else in the house.
Do I need a regular Tee or a Slip Tee? I'll be using Sharkbite ...
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Chemical Smell After Tankless Water Heater Install
I recently had a plumbing company install a tankless water heater in my crawlspace. Everything with the install works and looks great, but we are experiencing a very strong chemical smell (like nail-...
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What size manifold for 1" pipe from meter? [closed]
I am running all new water supply in an old house (c 1884). The incoming line from the meter is 1" galvanized (no idea how much mineral buildup is inside).
Will it be sufficient to replace all of ...
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Should I replace my trunk-and-branch setup with a PEX manifold?
My house is plumbed using PEX trunk-and-branch, with the main 3/4 line coming in, splitting off to 3/4" to the hot water tank, and then a 1/2" trunk that all the other branch supplies tee off from. ...
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What is the correct material to sheath pex pipe under a slab?
It's recommended in my area (due to rocky soil) to install a sheath or channel under the slab for the pour, then slide the PEX into the sheathes afterwards during the rough. This also allows the PEX ...
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What brand are these pex threaded T connectors?
Has anyone ever seen these type of PEX connections? I can't find them anywhere online or otherwise.
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Can polyalloy (plastic) pex fittings be used with both styles of attachment rings?
Some pex fittings are made of a type of durable plastic known as polyalloy. Examples:
These fittings appear to be plastic equivalents of their brass counterparts.
In general is it permissible to ...
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How do water piping sizes compare?
Comparing different types of water piping is confusing. It seems that a 1/2" copper pipe is not the same size as a 1/2" PEX tube. I've read different things in different places (e.g. forums).
Which ...
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Pex Connections As Unions?
I've noticed that in a properly (I assume) crimped Pex connection the tubing will rotate around the fitting it is crimped to - so that you have, in effect, a union.
So, I'm wondering:
Is that how it ...
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What Pex system and re-design would you use for this small bungalow update - Floor Plans Attached?
There is a small Bungalow in the Midwest that I have attached two new design drawings for. Its a smaller 740sqft home with a 1st floor and current unfinished basement. I wanted to see if the group ...
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Can I use pex for this connection between the shower and the tub faucet?
Can I use pex from my shower valve to my tub drop ear elbow?
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What type of plastic water supply pipe do I have in my crawlspace?
The hot water line under my crawl space cracked so I am trying to replace myself. The existing pipe is grey, has CTS 3/4" 7/8 O.D. print and connected with brass ring clamps and fittings. So I ...
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Ground Wire (or Wires) after PEX Installation
I recently had my galvanized pipes professionally replaced and now think I have an issue. Previously, The ground wire that ran from my electrical panel used the galvanized pipe as the "conduit" to ...
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Installing a dedicated hot water recirc line and pump
I'm going to re-plumb my house. It's a 3 bed, 2 bath house. All the plumbing is on the main level, and the basement is partially finished. I'm renovating down in the basement and decided while I was ...
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Are there ball-check valves available for pex? [closed]
After some searching the web I am failing to find any available ball-check valves (described on: https://www.archtoolbox.com/materials-systems/plumbing/plumbingvalvetypes.html) that I can use with my ...
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Can Zurn oxygen barrier pex radiant heating pipe be used for potable water?
Is it safe to use some oxygen barrier Zurn hydronic heating pipe for potable water?
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Water Softener Drain Line with Loop - Flexible PVC to Sharkbite?
So, I bought a Genesis Revolution upflow water softener to install in my first house in Laveen AZ. We have a water softener loop already plumbed into the house. The airgap is in the laundry room ...
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Is PEX water piping allowed in San Francisco?
I’m sorry if this is inappropriate to ask so specifically for San Francisco dwellers, but I couldn’t find the answer this online. Does anyone know if PEX plumbing is allowed for water piping ...
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Is this too much strain on a PEX joint?
I have some PEX with Sharkbite connectors routed around a joist. There is some tension where the PEX joins the copper plumbing. Is it too much?
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preventing pipes on an outside wall from freezing
I remodeled my cabin to a four season home. My pipes have frozen twice. I removed casing because I was planning to install heat tape. I noticed my builder had not put any installation behind the pipes....
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Making valve "easy" to remove
I'm currently installing a double check backflow preventer and code says that it needs to be able to be "spun/turned out" for maintenance if required - this is the valve in question.
Now the pipe ...
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CPVC vs PEX in new home
My old house built in the 70s had galvanized pipe which developed small leaks and we replaced it with PEX pipe. It was a two story house. The new house we are buying is three story and has CPVC. I ...
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Can I swap out cinch clamps on a piece of PEX pipe?
I used a cinch clamp to fit a PEX pipe with a valve. Turns out the valve is too small, so I would like to replace it.
Is it OK to just remove the old clamp, put in the new valve, and put a new cinch ...
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A proper tool for removing a PEX pipe from a fitting barb
When a pinch crimp has to be removed and re-done, what is the proper tool to remove the PEX pipe from a barb after removing the clamp and cutting of the pipe?
I thought of using the PEX pipe cutter'...
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Would it make sense to put 2 pinch clamps on every PEX fitting as an insurance against leaks?
When installing PEX tubing would there be any benefit in putting 2 pinch clamps over each nipple instead of 1 to prevent leaks? I am not concerned about the cost, as I bought more than 2x the clamps I ...
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Replumbing a Four Family with PEX
Glad I found this site, happy to be on here and I look forward to learning from the crew and sharing.
In any case, I'm in the process of buying a four family. I have it under contract, am buying at a ...
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Plumbing Manifold Use With a Tankless Hot Water Heater
Due to the nature of a tankless hot water heater only heating water when it needs to (as opposed to having hot water on reserve), does a tankless water heater still work in a manifold system?
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Pex Pipe Freezing & Tankless Hot Water Heater Too
I have Pex pipes. My issue is freezing pipes and tankless hot water heater on the north side of my house (built in 2009) where my master bath is (the tankless is on the outside of the house on that ...
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Usefulness of PEX Manifold
I am redoing the plumbing for a small studio that only needs (currently) 5 hot and cold lines to go to faucets and fixtures.
I am thinking of a manifold that looks like the following diagram:
This ...
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Protecting PEX Outdoors
I am installing a tankless water heater, which is an outdoor model. We are likely to use PEX when redoing the plumbing, but because the heater is outdoors, we will need to have a short, outdoor PEX ...
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How can I insulate pex pipes that have supports at every joist?
I set out to insulate the hot water pipes in my basement today and discovered that the plumber had installed these brackets every foot or so, making it difficult and impractical to wrap the pipes. Is ...
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Pipe Size from well to house
I'm new to owning a house with a well and am looking to clean up piping and well equipment as it is all from the 70's and I'm experiencing strong sulfur smells in my water.
From the specs I've ...
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Replace section of copper heating-loop w/ pex
I need to replace a short (less than 5 feet) of a 3/4" hydronic copper piping loop. Can I substitute 3/4" PEX for the copper? Is there a flow-volume or any other issue?
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How to attach PEX pipe to plaster walls in laundry room?
I replaced the iron pipes serving my clothes washer with PEX. PEX was chosen to allow flexibility in the placement of the pipes during demolition of cabinets, etc. I had been thinking I'd build new ...
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Why is my clear pex tubing turning red/brown?
I am noticing that the pex tubing in my home ( at the supply line) is turning to a brownish/reddish color. The color fades as it spans out ( after 8ft or so) Is this normal or is this something that ...
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How to clean gray paint from copper pipe for push-in fitting?
I currently have old radiators and connected 1/2" copper pipes that were painted in grey color long time ago (assuming when heating was put in place). One pipe has developed a leak and need to replace ...
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Is this a 3/4 in. regulator, or a 1-in. regulator?
The image shows my home water pressure regulator and the 3/4 in. PEX coming out the low pressure side. I think (hope) it might be a 1-in regulator using a threaded adapter reducing to 3/4 in. Both ...
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