I’m working on a 53 year old 1100 sq. foot, one-bathroom house and am planning on re-plumbing shortly. I’m in Humboldt County CA and most local plumbers have been using pex almost exclusively for several years. My guy, who has many years of experience and who I’ll be assisting, suggests that using T connections instead of a manifold will result in no significant performance change. My understanding is that the manifold eliminates a lot of inefficiency inherent in using more angled connections. This will be in 1/2″ pex if we go manifold, and a combination of 3/4″ and 1/2″ using T connections. Thoughts? I’m thinking manifold….. Thanks.
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Replies
I'm no plumber but in the small bathroom I did I just used T's but that was just for a sink, shower and toilet. Had it been for a lot more I'd have used a manifold being i could control the different areas.
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While using Tees will be a bit less efficient from a rate of flow standpoint, it may well be that the resulting minimally lower flow rates will not affect your use. With modern fixtures being pretty much all low-flow, and showers being pressure balanced, a Tee system should be able to deliver all you need (unless you are planning on one of those super-showers that require about 5 gpm.) So, if your Tee system can deliver more than your fixture can put out, why worry that your could get more from the piping if you use a home run? Even with Tees, you'll have far fewer sharp bends than you would have with a typical copper system, so you'll still be better off. Your decision to tap into a manifold vs. into a Tee can instead be based on whether there's a need for an independent shut-off. Assuming you are not using a circulating system, you may also want to consider how a Tee vs. a home run system will affect hot water use. You may find a Tee system can be more efficient in that regard since you don't have to flush more than one line to get hot water to all fixtures. Every system will have different considerations, but with proper pipe sizing, I wouldn't worry about using a Tee or two.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA