I’m not really an expert in plumbing, but has anyone ever come across an instance when PEX tubing sagged over long horizontal runs? I mean, in between the braces placed every 6′ the tubing sags in the middle – not a lot, but enough to be noticeable.
I’ve come across it in a home I was working in where the span was probably 30′ across the basement ceiling before it turned vertical into a wall. Have no idea how it looks inside the wall and, so far, the homeowner has not wanted to open it up to find out.
What does this tell us? We have to brace every 4′? or every 2′? Where went the economy of installation?
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I support my PEX every two feet at the most. If you were using copper I think that you would support it every 2 or 3 feet. I can never remember spanning 6 feet.
First remember that PEX is a completely different material and sagging is not necessarily a bad thing. The main thing is to find out what brand it is and what the manufacturer says the span can be. Most is 32" but PEX-AL-PEX can be 6'.
Thanks WHW. I stopped by a plumbing supply house on my way in to the job the next morning and picked up some devices to clamp the tubing onto the joist. Before I started work on the addition I was hired to work on, I went into the basement and put the extra braces on - I used 24" as the magic number. The tubing must have stretched a bit because it still sags a bit in between several of the braces. But the homeowner is happier and I figured the good will can't hurt. Still wonder what the tubing looks like vertically in the wall. I imagine its stretched out and coiled round and round at the bottom of the run - gives me the chills to think about.
Not if it's properly installed.