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+--- Thread: pex fittings, grrr (/Thread-pex-fittings-grrr)
pex fittings, grrr - tommag - 05-04-2025
I have a nineteen year old fifth wheel trailer that has pex plumbing. I like pex because of it's resistance to freeze breakage.
The fittings are hose barb type with nuts that are similar to flare nuts and made out of the pex plastic. Looking for new fittings all I find locally and online are sharkbite and another brand that require a crimping tool to install. The crimper is a problem in tight spaces as well as the idea of paying $40 or a tool I'd use very infrequently. I wanted a 90° elbow with a 1/4 turn shut-off so I could still have water elsewhere while I'm working on it. The only one I could find is brass. That provides a weak link for freeze damage (although the ability of pex to expand to 3x normal size might give a relief to the brass in case of freeze up?)
After installing new toilet seals I discovered that the foot lever valve leaks when I deperess it so I'll be replacing that on Monday. I wish I would've been that before I replaced the seals. There are cheaper valves but reviews on many of them mention longevity so I'll pay $42 for one from thetford. Before I do that I'll drive to an RV salvage yard and see if they're still in business and maybe pick up a nicer toilet and kitchen sink from a late model wreck.
Back to my original rant, not every improvement is an improvement in all applications.
RE: pex fittings, grrr - olfart - 05-04-2025
I've had pretty good luck with the Shark Bite fittings, but you have to find the ones made for PEX. They even make them for transitioning from PVC or Polypropylene to PEX.
RE: pex fittings, grrr - olfart - 05-04-2025
I've had pretty good luck with the Shark Bite fittings, but you have to find the ones made for PEX. They even make them for transitioning from PVC or Polypropylene to PEX.
Our house (doublewide) is 35 years old, and Polypropylene was the rock star at the time, so that's what's in our house. It did fine for 20 years or so, but now everywhere the pipe was kinked during installation, it springs a leak. Pain in the butt!
RE: pex fittings, grrr - MontanaLon - 05-04-2025
(05-04-2025, 11:16 AM)tommag Wrote: The only one I could find is brass. That provides a weak link for freeze damage (although the ability of pex to expand to 3x normal size might give a relief to the brass in case of freeze up?)
The pex won't protect the brass. At the greenhouse the water entrance is next to an exterior wall. This winter we had a serious cold snap and that entrance froze. There is pex on either side of a brass spud at the meter. That froze and split. Then because we had no water the boss put a heater on the entrance and it defrosted after she left the shop. I arrived to find a fire hose like stream spraying across the shop. Got soaked with freezing cold water on a -20 day. They had to shut off the water at the main which took about an hour because the ground was frozen all the way down to the shutoff access cover. They had to jackhammer down to the cover. Was a whole process.
Point being, the pex didn't protect the brass entrance spud on the meter. You have to remember there are 2 types of pex as well. Homeowner kind and commercial kind. The homeowner is the crimp type and the commercial is the expansion type that you have to get an expander tool for. You expand the end of the pipe or fitting and then allow it to shrink back to seal. They aren't interchangeable and create problems because you can't fix one with the other. Pipes are different sizes and fittings for one won't fit the other.
RE: pex fittings, grrr - tommag - 05-04-2025
(05-04-2025, 02:55 PM)olfart Wrote: I've had pretty good luck with the Shark Bite fittings, but you have to find the ones made for PEX. They even make them for transitioning from PVC or Polypropylene to PEX.I have no problem with the sharkbite fittings except for buying a crimper and then using it in very confined spaces. Iirc, there's also another tool required to cut the crimping collar.
RE: pex fittings, grrr - tommag - 05-04-2025
(05-04-2025, 03:25 PM)MontanaLon Wrote:Looking at the sharkbite fittings in the store it said for pex b only. Great, another thing to keep track of!(05-04-2025, 11:16 AM)tommag Wrote: The only one I could find is brass. That provides a weak link for freeze damage (although the ability of pex to expand to 3x normal size might give a relief to the brass in case of freeze up?)
The pex won't protect the brass. At the greenhouse the water entrance is next to an exterior wall. This winter we had a serious cold snap and that entrance froze. There is pex on either side of a brass spud at the meter. That froze and split. Then because we had no water the boss put a heater on the entrance and it defrosted after she left the shop. I arrived to find a fire hose like stream spraying across the shop. Got soaked with freezing cold water on a -20 day. They had to shut off the water at the main which took about an hour because the ground was frozen all the way down to the shutoff access cover. They had to jackhammer down to the cover. Was a whole process.
Point being, the pex didn't protect the brass entrance spud on the meter. You have to remember there are 2 types of pex as well. Homeowner kind and commercial kind. The homeowner is the crimp type and the commercial is the expansion type that you have to get an expander tool for. You expand the end of the pipe or fitting and then allow it to shrink back to seal. They aren't interchangeable and create problems because you can't fix one with the other. Pipes are different sizes and fittings for one won't fit the other.
RE: pex fittings, grrr - olfart - 05-04-2025
(05-04-2025, 03:42 PM)tommag Wrote:(05-04-2025, 02:55 PM)olfart Wrote: I've had pretty good luck with the Shark Bite fittings, but you have to find the ones made for PEX. They even make them for transitioning from PVC or Polypropylene to PEX.I have no problem with the sharkbite fittings except for buying a crimper and then using it in very confined spaces. Iirc, there's also another tool required to cut the crimping collar.
No crimper required for Shark Bite fittings. Just cut the pipe square and slip it into the fitting. They also have simple tool for removing a fitting if needed.
RE: pex fittings, grrr - olfart - 05-05-2025
Here are pics of what I'm using.
![[Image: Shark-Bite.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/TL067n1Y/Shark-Bite.jpg)
RE: pex fittings, grrr - MontanaLon - 05-06-2025
(05-04-2025, 03:46 PM)tommag Wrote:(05-04-2025, 03:25 PM)MontanaLon Wrote:Looking at the sharkbite fittings in the store it said for pex b only. Great, another thing to keep track of!(05-04-2025, 11:16 AM)tommag Wrote: The only one I could find is brass. That provides a weak link for freeze damage (although the ability of pex to expand to 3x normal size might give a relief to the brass in case of freeze up?)
The pex won't protect the brass. At the greenhouse the water entrance is next to an exterior wall. This winter we had a serious cold snap and that entrance froze. There is pex on either side of a brass spud at the meter. That froze and split. Then because we had no water the boss put a heater on the entrance and it defrosted after she left the shop. I arrived to find a fire hose like stream spraying across the shop. Got soaked with freezing cold water on a -20 day. They had to shut off the water at the main which took about an hour because the ground was frozen all the way down to the shutoff access cover. They had to jackhammer down to the cover. Was a whole process.
Point being, the pex didn't protect the brass entrance spud on the meter. You have to remember there are 2 types of pex as well. Homeowner kind and commercial kind. The homeowner is the crimp type and the commercial is the expansion type that you have to get an expander tool for. You expand the end of the pipe or fitting and then allow it to shrink back to seal. They aren't interchangeable and create problems because you can't fix one with the other. Pipes are different sizes and fittings for one won't fit the other.
Yeah, leave it to the manufacturers to come up with a great idea and then screw it all up by creating 2 different things with the same name.