Any suggestions for a Pex crimper tool .

[jake98]

I'll take your words for it, I'm no plumber. Yous air-test without any problem?

 

[SpringHollow]

I will see a couple of pounds difference initially (air cooling) but then it stays.

Ken

 

[Raspy]

Well, I don't know, the test went from 20lbs to 8 overnight, twice, but it didn't leak water. It was about 150' of 3/4 for a heat loop. It's been there for 2 yrs. now, still no leaks. Could'a been a fluke I suppose. I checked the schrader valve too.

As dstig1 said, oxygen permeation is not the same thing as a leak. It simply means that molecular oxygen can enter the system through the tube wall and cause corrosion with ferrous metals. ALL non metallic tubing has this problem to a certain degree. And it is addressed with an "oxygen Barrier" of one type or another in PEX.

A leak is a hole where air can escape under pressure. Sometime they are hard to find and it can even be through a cast brass or steel fitting that has some porosity. But, once they are tight they will hold pressure for years with no loss at a gauge.

Temperature has a large affect on the pressure too. And, of course, sometimes, air will leak where water won't.

Just don't confuse oxygen permeation with leaking.

I address the corrosion problem with iron, in my closed loop systems that have non metallic tubing, with a corrosion inhibitor. It's a single does for a lifetime, non toxic material that allows the use of iron boilers, pumps, air scoops, flanges, etc with no problems.

PEX is clearly the way of the future and for good reason, even though it is not perfect in every way. There will always be naysayers with any new product or system, but PEX is here to stay and fills a very important niche. But we should never make the mistake of picking the cheapest fittings. Pick the ones that are the best design and know you can rely on them. Copper crimp rings and brass inserts are my favorite, for a number of reasons, and I have used thousands of them with no failures.