Posted: 12/13/2007 6:52:53 PM EDT
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Is PEX plumbing any good? The contractor is installing it in my garage remodel and I'm wondering if I should make hime use copper. Thanks |
| I have it in my house. The nice thing is the big manifold that can individually shut off water to each line. The crappy thing is that I can't find a pex fitting crimp tool anywhere! You can buy them, but they are impossible to rent. I'm told they run about $130. |
I hate the shit, but I have the older gray shit. I've had to do repairs twice and as you said, you can't rent the crimper. Its against my morals, but I bought the tool, used it and then returned it the next day to HD. Gotta do what you gotta do. |
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Awesome stuff! I remodeled a bathroom in my first house and used copper. After trying to eliminate leaks, avoiding burning the house down, and getting solder everywhere, I knew there had to be a better way. I bought a turn of the century victorian home that had cast iron, copper, pvc, and lead pipe that had sat through 2 Iowa winters with no heat. I pulled every single inch of the old stuff out and replumbed the entire 4-bedroom, 2 bath home with PEX. The plumbing contractor swore by the stuff and wanted to charge me $22,000 to do the entire house. I went online and bought everything for under $1000. I still have over 100' of 3/8" and 1/2" line left over. I had zero leaks in the entire project and it was amazingly easy to run the lines and install the fittings. When I sold the house 2 years later, I had encountered zero problems. The house even sat through part of an Iowa winter with no heat and I had no leaks for the new owners. One thing you need to ensure, though, is that if you are getting in-floor heat installed, make sure the contractor blows the water out of the lines if it is cold where you are. A friend of mine is a contractor and installed PEX in-floor heat throughout an 8000 sq. ft. mansion here in Arizona last winter. They had to run water through the lines when the concrete was being poured and forgot to blow it out when they were done. It got down to 10 degrees or so in the unheated house and the PEX expanded so much when it froze that it actually broke the concrete out. He about lost his business after the cost of replacing all that concrete  .
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2 thumbs up. I prefer the poly ring clamps for a full 360 crimp. Slide um on the end, stretch um and place on fitting. They return to their original size and grip tighter that the crimp clamps. Pick up a scrap of PEX and fold it back and forth to fatigue it, then heat it with a torch or heat gun. |
Where in LA are you? ETA: Pex is wonderful stuff...just keep sunlight and squirrels away from it and you'll be fine. |
Actually, I have moved to UT, but forgot to change my bio. Thanks for the reminder. 
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Probably easier to ensure a positive leak free seal on larger pipes with copper and solder. The copper tube coming into my house and to the meter are about 1" diameter. (maybe only 3/4) I've never seen pex tubing that big. |
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There is also a PEX/Aluminum/PEX tube on the market. Fittings have multiple o-ring sealing elements and can be had in polymer or brass. It uses crimp rings like PEX/PB but should be more reliable as the aluminum gives it greater strength. It handles like copper tube, much easier to fish through spaces but is lighter in weight and much cheaper. Should last longer than either copper or PEX alone. |
Let me know if you need to borrow a PEX crimper let me know. I'm sure I can find one you can borrow here at the shop. |
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The thing about PEX is that there is no standard method of making connections. Each PEX maker has their own method/fittings. What I learned from professional plumbers on plbg.com: The type sold is big box stores is crap (QEST, Zurn, etc) I researched the fittings, etc and I found that professional plumbers prefer Wirsbo/Uponor, Viega, or Rehau. I bought a Wirsbo/Uponor Propex expander tool online. It was expensive (about $300). |
I have 1" plastic comming from the water main in the street. Then to a brass valve then a bunch of coper lines going everywhere. Then PEX before any of it leaves the room. |
Wirsbo is the best way to go...less bore restriction than the crimp fittings...but the tool is pricey. If you have to crimp it the stainless rings are better than the copper. They make pex in larger sizes...but for manifolds and mains copper or galvanized are much firmer...and you're not supposed to use less than a 6" piece of pex to allow for freeze expansion. It's good shit though...coonass |