[Shop-talk] PEX plumbing

[Paul Parkanzky]

I recently finished my basement, adding a bathroom and wet bar in the
process.  I did all of the plumbing with PEX (and used copper stub-outs at
the wall to finish it out.

I love PEX plumbing.  My father-in-law has the crimper, which he bought when
they built his other daughter's house.  That house is completely plumbed in
PEX, including the in-floor radiant heating and the 300' underground run of
1" PEX that goes to the outdoor wood furnace.  I believe that his is the
Zurn brand.  It is basically just a pair of bolt cutters with a fancy jaw
(and a >$100 price tag!).  It was great to be able to borrow that for the
project since I don't need to have one around all the time.  

If it's just a few fittings, I'd recommend the Watt's connectors that Eric
linked.  That's what I used on the few things that I had to install after
I'd returned his crimper and they are extremely easy to use.  I would have
been tempted to use them for everything if I'd found them as cheap as Eric
linked.  I paid at least twice that for the stuff I bought at the big box
store.

One warning.  You say it's for a water line in a shop.  If it's at all
exposed, you'll need to do something to ensure that it doesn't see any
sunlight.  Polyethylenes will continue to cross-link under UV exposure and
get brittle, eventually leading to failures.

-Paul P.

-----Original Message-----
From: shop-talk-bounces at autox.team.net
[mailto:shop-talk-bounces at autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Wayne
Sent: Friday, May 27, 2011 12:04 PM
To: Shop Talk List
Subject: [Shop-talk] PEX plumbing

I need to replace some freeze-burst water lines (in my shop) and am
considering going to PEX plumbing.  Anyone have suggestions on crimp tools
and other necessary equipment to procure?  Looks like crimpers are still
stupid expensive, but it's an investment I'm considering.

Are crimpers, bands, and fittings generally compatible between
manufacturers?

And of course... can you use PEX for compressed air?  :)  I understand it's
elastic enough to usually survive water freezing.  So it seems like you
could safely use it for air, without concerns of it shattering like PVC.
And it's gotta be a helluva lot easier to work with than Eric's iron pipe
woes!

-Wayne
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