Anyone have some photos of their pex connections to sinks and showers?
Most sweat up copper T’s and elbows and use the copper flatbar or what?
Thanks
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I didn't find a sink variation that I liked. I ended up using a corner brace to 90 it through the wall (and anchor it) and covered that with an estruceon -sp- and just clamped on a shutoff. I'd be open to a better variation for coming through the wall for sinks.
Both the MBA shower stall and BA tub had the same hookup (pics). Ignore the orange foam, I was playing around.
I guess I don't have a pic of the connection to the shower stem. It was a PEX drop ear. Worked fine.
There is only one sweated connection in the whole project house... where the copper line comes in from the street there is a sweated adapter to convert it to PEX.
jt8
lotsa worse things happen to better people than me every day. --Snort
Is the red pex that's for hot water manufactured differently for heat as opposed to blue or white?
Anyone using SharkBites?
Edited 3/6/2009 7:58 pm ET by rez
Rez,
The pex I use is not colored. Its made by Uponor, Wirsbo.
This alows me to carry a roll of 1/2" and a roll of 3/4" and have the job covered, rather than four rolls of pipe.
The red and blue pipe is a gimic to sell more pipe.
I have started using sharkbite fittings on some pex apps. but only when there not going to be hidden by DW.
Thanks for that. I just finished running both hot and cold with the neutral white and then got to thinking after the fact. Was not looking forward to a swap out.
Yes, no hidden Sharkbites in the event. Keep it all easily accessible.
Might you have any other pics of say a shower or sink?
Thanks again.
Here's sink, the customer wanted to buy his own pipe for this house.
This pex is made by WATTS and came from Carter Lumber.
To me it's harder to use.
The RO filter makes it thight underneath.
Ok, thanks for the photo.
What's that T type cone fitting on the left bowl? What is draining into that?
Edited 3/6/2009 9:58 pm ET by rez
The RO filter uses alot more water than it makes, this is the drain connection for the excess water.
I see.
What do you use for cutting the pex tubing? I see special shears available as well as a wheel for replacement in a tubing cutter.
Might careful cutting with a utility knife be good enough.
I ask only because I see on their info page that the tolerances fitting into the fitting are pretty tight.
The cut should be square with the sidewall of the pipe, in a pinch a razor knife could work, I have shaved a little off to square up a cut.
I have whats called a tube or hose cutter, similar to pliers or anvil pruners.
oh well, another specialty tool to buy and hold.
Thanks for letting me pepper you with questions.
Cheers
What do you use for cutting the pex tubing? I see special shears available as well as a wheel for replacement in a tubing cutter.
I got the cutter from Menards or Lowes. I think it was $2-3. Lasted me the whole house and still going strong.
jt8
lotsa worse things happen to better people than me every day. --Snort
The RO filter makes it thight underneath.
A friend had their RO filter setup to run the 'bad' water back down through the floor to the basement, where it filled a 5-gallon bucket. It was rigged so that the bucket had an overflow to the basement floor drain. They used the 'bad' water for plants and such. Waste not, want not ;)
jt8
lotsa worse things happen to better people than me every day. --Snort
This is on a well system in an area with a very stable water table.
The drain connection was what the manufacter recomended.
I don't like it all that well, but it did pass inspection.
don't mean to hijack or to be ignorant but the d/w line doesn't look as if it has a vent loop.
sully
To the rear of the cabinet, under the right bowl of the sink, the little bit of white is the bottom of the Air Admittance Valve.
This job was inspected and passed without any problems.
To the rear of the cabinet, under the right bowl of the sink, the little bit of white is the bottom of the Air Admittance Valve.
This job was inspected and passed without any problems.
Not to thread hijack, but quickly: Do you have a preference of valve or loop, and why?
I've used both, and they both seem to work...but the right way is the right way.
Cost of materials and labor is less with an AAV, Localy an AAV adds $50 to the cost of the permit.
On a job bid an AAV could help keep cost down.
True. I was thinking more about whether you think it's worth it -in some cases to run a loop at all -and sell the $$ and the "better method", or just do AAVs and drop it.
Stories abound for stinky base cabs. I haven't had one leak yet, but I have only used them twice.
Haven't read most of this thread, but the laundry box picture you posted, the venting is way less than kosher.
whats wrong with the vent?
The vent is lower than the trap, you have an S trap now.
Might work, but it won't or shouldn't pass an inspection.
Don't know ALL the appropriate terms, and maybe way off base, but...
In the past I have run into this - the vent is supposed to intersect the drainline at or above the waste arm.( maybe the correct reference is above the trap?) Having the intersection lower, as it is, runs a chance of the trap evacuating due to syphon .
It's sumpin' like that, or at least how it was explained to me...Remodeling Contractor just on the other side of the Glass City
ahhh I see .
This wasn't inspected.
There is also a walk in shower in this bathroom, odds are the water will run out on the floor before it ever backs up enough to leave any deposits in horizontal vent run.
Keep in mind its impossible for the code to cover every possible situation. So it comes down to choosing the best option that will work properly.
An inspector with practical knowledge will understand this.
In addition to the tubing cutters (which Lowes carrys for about $10) if you look at the black handled thing resting on the 2x4 on which the top manifold is mounted to in my pic, that is a reamer. It adds a nice bevel to the inside of various sizes of pex as so not to nick any o-rings that might be present in say, a Sharkbite fitting. I got it from my local plumbing supply store Locke, I think, for like $4, I think.
You want the bevel on the outside for sharkbites. And in practice, I've never beveled pex yet.
Oh yes that is right. I remember seeing the outside bevel tool on the Sharkbite charts. I always ask for it but nobody ever carries it. I guess I just use a razor to trim the outside bevel.
I can't seem to find a pic of after I connected the PEX to the washer box. But the two pex lines just came straight up and crimped onto the box. No special fittings.jt8
lotsa worse things happen to better people than me every day. --Snort
Is the red pex that's for hot water manufactured differently for heat as opposed to blue or white?
No, they're all the same. I've got red, white and blue. Very patriotic. I used red and blue for the same reason that my shoes had "L" and "R" on them when I was a small child.
So red is hot, blue is cold, and white for the main line prior to hitting the manifolds (because that was the only color my Lowes had in 3/4").
I had ponied up the $$ for the 1/2" and 3/4" Zurn crimpers (you can actually get them fairly cheap on eBay if you're patient). Pretty hard to screw it up and a bag of crimp rings costs very little. About the only issue I ever had was that a couple spots were hard to get the crimpers into.
Anyone using SharkBites?
I've used Qest fittings in the past but they tend to get kinda pricey if you're doing a whole house.jt8
lotsa worse things happen to better people than me every day. --Snort
Looks like real clean installation. I like the way you bolted the valve and the tub spud is attached with brass.
I've have a lot of loose spuds because of poor installations. It's difficult or near impossible to get them strong after the fact.
they won't let us run the pex from the valve to the shower... we have to do that in copper... don't ask me why...
p
geeze, that was slicker than snot to do in pex. Cut a section of tube. Crimp the fitting on the bottom and teflon it and screw it in. guesstimate where you'd like the shower arm to go through, trim the tube to that guess, crimp the drop ear on, hold it up to see where you need to drill the hole. Drill the hole. Screw or lock wash it on. Sure beats the heck out of the song and dance that I have to do when I have to sweat a joint on either end and try to get everything lined up.
You can get the PEX drop ear with the screw hole flaps or the one with the locking washer.
Shame they won't let you do it the easy way. jt8
lotsa worse things happen to better people than me every day. --Snort
I was the first they allowed to even use pex... the first factory trained certified installer here... (i hounded the rep)... turns out we knew him... he came to my jobsite... i was there with the plumber.... we spent about an hour.... next thing i know.. in the mail i get a cert... "factory trained" <g>
they now have the manifolds and all the valves manufactured with the shark-bite type fitting made to them... which is the way i see the whole system going... all shark-bite...
my guess is... you'll list all your drops... all your fixtures.... and you'll go online and someone will ship you a complete package for your home... plug & play...
I can't see plumbers love'n it... becasue as you know... it really is "that simple"
P
I teach building construction at the local vocational school and managed to get Zurn to donate a pallet worth of stuff for the student's project house.
No special connection to anyone working there, I simply asked and got several houses worth of PEX including a manifold and 1200 ft. of pipe.
Their new crimping system/tool is pretty sweet. One tool for different sizes of pipe up to 1". It crimps from the side so you can get it into tight places. The crimp rings have a lip that prevent you from sliding them down the pipe too far which would prevent them from engaging the barbs correctly.
Zurn's manifold is plastic, which I like. The shutoff valves that attach to it are "screw on", which I don't like. The guys used screw on pex adapters for the ice maker box, washer box, and mixing valves. Had the school known that pex was going to be donated, boxes with built in pex barbs would have been purchased. Because we are a new program it simply wasn't practical to buy new and because of our accounting it's nearly impossible to take stuff back for store credit, etc.
I'm just of the mind set that a screw on adapter, though convenient, will eventually leak because it contains a rubber washer.
Here's a few pics of their setup. No copper except the 18" between the water heater and pex...a requirement. With a home run system only 36 fittings were required for the entire house...all in heated space and only the ice maker box, washer box, and shower mixing/showerhead attachments are behind sheetrock.
Anybody know how I can get my pictures to post smaller next time?
Sorry about that.
Post 24441.75 is a summary of different posts discussing how to post pictures, resizing, and the Irfanview download.
Cheers
Much better.
Thanks
Their new crimping system/tool is pretty sweet. One tool for different sizes of pipe up to 1". It crimps from the side so you can get it into tight places. The crimp rings have a lip that prevent you from sliding them down the pipe too far which would prevent them from engaging the barbs correctly.
I hope my two ring-crimpers aren't obsolete now.
I like that purple elbow. Haven't seen that before, but it sure would be handy. Looks like you're running your sinks the same way I've done mine.
View Image
Do you have a shot of this one after the sink was installed?
jt8
lotsa worse things happen to better people than me every day. --Snort
Edited 3/7/2009 10:01 pm by JohnT8
No, that's the stage the house is at right now.
Didn't anyone here notice the hot on the right? Or is that what you are asking?
The students noticed after completing the setup. I let them off the hook and said they could crossover the supply lines at the trim out stage.
I LOVE the purple pipe bends. Believe it or not, the Zurn guy didn't give them to me, I found them at Lowe's. I'm pretty sure they are China made. I'll check out the brand name on Monday and report back here.Whenever government "gives" to one it must first take from another.
Be careful about using PEX to the tub spout - the reduced internal diameter can cause it to run from the shower head as it fills the tub.
Tu stultus esRebuilding my home in Cypress, CAAlso a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
Yesterday I was roughing in a shower valve with pex, so this discussion is extremely relevant. The Kohler valves that I have specific state that PEX or CPVC should NOT be used between the valve and the spouts. I don't know why, but does any one have experience to the contrary?Z
Someone may need to correct me on this, but as I understand it the reason the PEX between the shower valve and the drop ear isn't allowed is that it causes problems for the diverter spout. If you look inside the brass fitting that 1/2" PEX uses, you will discover that it is signifigantly smaller than the inside of a 1/2" piece of copper. Some people have reported that this reduced size causes problems for the tub spout/diverter (it won't engage the shower head fully when you close the tub spout). I hear that you can get around it by using 3/4" PEX for the riser. I don't see how this would affect a shower only valve, though. Maybe it's a case of the manufacturer's/BI just issuing a blanket policy to avoid any problems?
Jamie
I simply soldered some T's and cut lengths of 3/4" tube along with threaded female connectors to attach the pex couplers to. The one (hot side) wrapped in insulation is identical to the one above it.
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Thanks, is the red pex especially formulated for hot water?
mmm I don't think so. I looked at the ratings on the tubes and they are identical ie 80 psi @ 200 F. I think they are just for looks and ease of installation. I am using a blue pex to attach the second inline water heater to the primary HW because I ran out of red.
Also, I got the pex fittings that go into the manifold off of Ebay. It was something like a two bucks apiece after shipping. 3/4" male threaded to 1/2" twist tight pex (using a brass sleeve that snugs the pex up to the fitting as the nut is tightened).
a brass sleeve that snugs the pex up to the fitting as the nut is tightened).
Hadn't heard of those. What might the name brand be.
Thanks
My apologies, they are 1/2" male threaded to 1/2" pex.
Here is an eBay link to them. I think they are generic. http://cgi.ebay.com/1-2-MALE-NPT-brass-fitting-PEX-box40-10041P40_W0QQitemZ260372455547QQihZ016QQcategoryZ63902QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
At the time I bought them they were listed as "10 NEW PEX FITTING Male RADIANT FLOOR Heat 1/2 BRASS". They appear to be the same thing. <!----><!----><!---->
<!----> <!---->Sharkbites would serve the same function, just cost more. <!----><!---->
<!----> <!---->I liked these fittings because no special tool was needed. <!----><!---->
Your setup was a whole lot cheaper than mine (IIRC these Sioux manifords were around $50ea), but my obsessive nature likes the idea of having a shut off on both ends of the line. As well as the zippy nature of just popping a crimp on each connection. Took me longer to mount the manifolds than it did to connect the tubing to them.
This pic was at about the 2/3 done point.
jt8
lotsa worse things happen to better people than me every day. --Snort
Edited 3/7/2009 12:27 am by JohnT8
what the hey is that in the pic?
dang man, what are you building...a modernday Taj Mahal?
what the hey is that in the pic?
Just a home-run for 2 bathrooms, kitchen, 2 hose bibs,and a utility room.
dang man, what are you building...a modernday Taj Mahal?
Overkill is one of my middle names. Doesn't every line need a shut off on both ends?
Remember, I'm the guy who years ago bought a house that two days after closing had a washing machine hook-up line start to drip. Needed to replace the shut off. OK, just need to turn off the main water... hmm no shutoff ANYWHERE! Ended up having to have a water meter guy come out and shut it off at the meter because the ENTIRE HOUSE DIDN'T have a shutoff. Think I put about a dozen shut-offs in that one before I was done. Double or tripled that number for the current project house.
jt8
lotsa worse things happen to better people than me every day. --Snort