16
The stainless steel Cinch Clamps are stronger than the copper Crimp Rings. I know this from personal experience after working with frozen water lines. When the fitted connection freezes with water in the line it will cause the copper Crimp Ring to expand just enough to cause a leak when it thaws. The stronger stainless steel did not expand in a recent test. ...
9
A huge disadvantage with PEX is that it is semi-transparent. If your water supply has nutrients in it and the PEX is installed so that light will get to it, you will find that algae (green), bacteria (black, orange or yellow) will grow inside it. It sloughs off in long, stringy goop similar to the biofilm that grows in diesel tanks that haven't been treated ...
9
How often does your heating system spring a leak? It's not particularly often in my (long) experience with closed-crcuit hot water heating systems - less than once per 20 years, I'd say, and usually with some outside cause. In general, it is a waste of money to remove/replace a system that's working. To address one of your "benefits" - where do you suppose ...
8
I just did a remodel, and ended up using PEX clamps. Got the clamps and what-nots at Home Depot. The clamp tool can be a bit of a challenge to use between floor joists, and I did indeed have to do just this in a rather awkward angle, but it worked great. Due to other issues, I had to undo a connection at one point, and peeling the clamp apart wasn't too ...
8
First you need to cut the PEX tubing at the access spot. That can be done with a PEX tubing cutter.
Then you acquire the correct type fitting (your size requirement may differ from picture) to rejoin the cut PEX with "T" fitting and a branch connection for an added PEX tubing to go off toward the ice maker. It is also necessary to install an inline valve to ...
8
Try pushing the pipe in a bit, before pulling it out. Sometimes the barbs dig into the pipe, so the release ring can't disengage them. Pushing the pipe in, may allow the release to completely disengage the barbs.
Use the tool to compress the release ring.
Push the tubing deeper into the fitting, while keeping pressure on the release tool.
Pull the tubing ...
7
You need a pex stub-out bracket that attaches to the studs:
And a 90 pex support that attaches to the bracket:
It would be nice to have a sleeve and a escutcheon:
Your PEX will still be a little wobbly, but connecting it directly to the toilet valve is considered by many to a better solution than using a copper stub-out, because there is no fitting behind ...
7
Is the manifold 3/4? If you have easy access to do it, then you are correct that now is the time to do it.
7
TLDR: Yes, either type of attachment ring can be used. At least in the USA, these products have to conform to standards which make this so. Additionally, some manufacturers specifically state this is the case.
Details:
Primarily, this seems to come down to manufacturing standards.
In the USA, "PolyAlloy" fittings are governed by standard ASTM F2159 ...
7
PEX pipe does not corrode or otherwise interact with copper or other materials the way dissimilar metals do. It's essentially an inert substance under normal circumstances.
The bulges and darkened areas, however, do appear to be signs of a problem and I agree with your assessment that these were caused by heat, probably from the torch used to sweat the ...
6
There are two issues to the time needed for hot water; one: the home run from the manifold to the faucet and two: the feed line from the hot water heater through the manifold. The key is to know how much cold water is sitting in the lines and the flow rate of your faucet. You can do a search for "PEX specifications" to get the volume of water in the lines. ...
6
These are actualy "Qest" (pronounced "quest") brand fittings that were more popular 10-15 years ago (maybe further back). I remember in the early 2000's these were sold at Home Depot and Lowes back before they had very much PEX plumbing supplies. They were common in mobile homes.
Here is a sample at a plumbing supply retailer:
https://www.ferguson.com/...
6
Although copper may not be required, it is possible that PEX is prohibited.
One reason for this would be building codes / regulations. For instance, the UPC states:
604.11.2 Water Heater Connections. PEX shall not be installed within the first 18 inches (457 mm) of piping connected to a water heater.
The specifics of what your local regulations state ...
6
You can do it a bit at a time.
Of course, any bits that are leaking that you don't replace will continue to leak until you replace them.
You can (or could when I was shopping, it was some years back) beat the price of a manifold with a handful of Tees and Valves. Pex does not require the use of a manifold, though the idea of using individual home runs of ...
5
The color is just for convenience. Making it easy to identify hot and cold pipes under a house for instance. The chemical makeup and temperature ratings are identical besides the actual dye used to color it.
5
I have been plumbing for 14 years,and I switched to using stainless rings almost exclusively about 5 years ago. Being able to use just one tool from 3/8" up to 1" was too much of an advantage to ignore. I have never had an issue, or leak, that could be attributed to the ring/tool. I wouldn't advise getting rid of the standard set of copper ring crimpers ...
5
I have worked with Sharkbites 100s of times as I often use these for quick jobs, especially in houses that are a copper and pex hybrid. Here are the easy tips for dealing with this:
To get the connector out you must press on the release collar. The tool picture above works but I have also used needle nose pliers when I didn't have the official tool handy. ...
4
There are many examples of building products that claimed to be "the wave of the future" and turned out to be utter failures, sometimes dangerous. (polybutylene plumbing, aluminum wiring, and asbestos building products to name a few.) Despite the manufacturer's glowing claims, the actual long-term characteristics and behavior of PEX tubing cannot yet be ...
4
I have been in the plumbing trade most of my life, around 28 years. I can tell you that when it comes to tools, you get what you pay for. Cheap tools will perform poorly, and doesn't always do the job. I use both clamps and rings with my professional grade tools, and never had a call back for a leak. I have friends in the trade who have purchased cheap ...
4
The circular loop would only be for the hot water side. It is called a recirculating line and it is in place so when you turn the hot water on the line will not have to purge the cold water first, the hot water will be there at the ready in seconds. It is more expensive in energy costs since the hot water is always moving through the pipes and loosing a ...
4
A circular manifold is not a hot water recirculating loop, though a hot water recirculating loop could conceivably be set up as a sort of large ring manifold. It is simply a manifold arranged as a ring, typically only a few feet in diameter and located near the water supply, and it provides a couple of advantages, depending on exactly how it's built. The ...
4
I did this very thing (replaced copper with PEX for baseboard heating). But I did this because my copper had frozen and split in about 200 places.
So, if your copper is shot, I'd replace with PEX. But if the copper is fine, save the hassle!
But if you do decide to do it, some tips:
Sharkbite connectors are great and make it super easy to connect copper ...
4
The average fixture has no need for 3/4" inch, particularly with homerun piping from a manifold. 3/4" is really only needed for tub fillers with larger tubs, or showers with multiple shower heads.
Running 3/4" hot water lines to fixtures will significantly increase hot water wait times, and should be avoided when not necessary (and for lavatory sinks, I'd ...
4
Yes. There is no code preventing this. Also this makes sense because all of your leak issues are in the same place.
One other bit of advice - before you close up the wall get rid of the the metal and cast iron venting/drains. It will cost you $20 and the pvc will have less problems and last longer (and won't be flagged on future home inspection).
[...
4
The minimum bending radius for 1" Pex (the larger of your sizes) is listed as 9 inches. A typical 3" PVC sweep ell will have somewhere between 24 and 36" of radius. The only issue, then, is whether you can pull it. That will depend on the number of bends, number of tubes, and length of the run.
4
According to IRC, for supply system testing. You have to test using the maximum working pressure (80 psi) of water, or 50 psi of air. And you have to maintain the pressure for 15 minutes.
For air testing drain-waste-vent (DWV) systems, you have to maintain 5 psi for 15 minutes.
Contact your local government, to find out what they require.
International ...
4
40-50 years is a fair lifespan. I've seen plenty of houses with galvi that was 60+ years old without it failing, the real issue to me is if you want to wait until it fails to replace it.
Not greatly accelerated the process, no.
Yes.
Potentially and at decent expense. It depends on the size of the water service, condition of the piping, and access point.
If ...
4
implicit is also the fact that using the manifold results in less hidden fittings. That is, it's a straight run ("homerun") from the manifold to the point of use - no hidden tees, etc. There are advantages and disadvantages. The following document is a great overview of options for installing pex:
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/pex_design_guide....
4
Why is PEX not able to be installed in a three story house
The Building Codes require different electrical and plumbing beginning with 3 stories above grade. Many multifamily dwellings in the past decades skirted this code by building the first story half in the ground and two stories after that. There are not very many three story residences but ...
4
I say that the installation is well within the capabilities of shark-bite fittings.
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