Replumbing with PEX

[Boondox]

Split this off from the COLD! thread in Related Topics as there was some interest in my use of PEX to replumb my 160 year old house.

Here's a shot of my homemade hot water manifold. I used individual runs of PEX to every fixture in the house, with each controlled by a ball valve.

Pete

 

[Boondox]

Connection with copper line

A shot of a connection between the PEX and one of the few copper lines I didn't replace. I used the red fastener to mark hot lines and blue for cold.

Pete

 

[Boondox]

PEX tool

Sort of a three-jawed expanding chuck. You fit a splice over the end of a run (the red piece), slide the tool inside the PEX, squeeze the jaws together to stretch the PEX to a larger ID. Close the jaws, slide the tool further up the pipe and repeat. Usually three tries does it for me. Then remove the tool and slide the expanded PEX over a fitting and hold it for a couple of minutes while the PEX' memory restores its original size. Heat speeds up the shrinkage.

Pete

 

[Boondox]

Both manifolds

Here's a shot of both hot and cold water manifolds. Each ball valve controls one fixture in the house. In many cases I was able to snake the PEX tubing right thru the walls using the space left by the old copper pipes that were removed.

I also have a couple of valves that allow me to put the house on gravity feed in case we lose electrical power. Between this setup and the woodstove heating, we were very Y2K complaint!

Pete

 

[rancar]

Re: PEX tool

Thanks Pete. Is this that expensive tool that you previously mentioned? How much is this tool if one wanted to purchase it?

I noticed you retained the main portion of the 3/4" copper supply line....any reason why all copper lines couldn't be replaced with PEX? What prevents this main copper line from freezing up and cracking?

Thanks for all the pics....these are very helpful and already generating some ideas on how I want to re-run some of my water lines.

.....Bob

 

[DocHeb]

The "This Old House" show has been using PEX for their last few projects. The plumber just loves it.

 

[looch]

Thanks, Pete.

What kind of arc can you put into that stuff before it kinks? I have a few tight spots to work in.

Paul

 

[Boondox]

I have a couple of 3" radius curves. Got around the kinking concerns by simply running the PEX inside an electrical conduit elbow.

Pete

 

[Boondox]

Re: PEX tool

Bob -- The tool cost about $400 when I used it a few years ago. I was lucky enough to have a friend who had already bought one, but like I said our local heating and plumbing service rents them out pretty reasonably.

I only kept a few short copper lines: a short run of 1/2" from the basement sink to the washer (that was the run that froze but never burst when the window broke), another from the basement to the shower fixture, and a pair of 3/4" lines the last foot or so to and from the hot water heater. I was worried about the heat but it turned out to be a non-issue.

The manifolds were made from 1" copper line with Tees leading to 1/2 or 3/4" ball valves depending on where the line was going. Wirsbo offers pre-made manifolds that are MUCH more compact than what I made, but I'm basically cheap and needed to impress the wife with my manly skills. Also, ball valves are easy to rebuild if that ever becomes necessary. The manifolds are mounted well away from the cold outer wall, and waste heat from the water heater provides additional protection from freezing.

We have a 1" PVC pipe running from the springhouse 1/4 mile up the hill into a 400 gallon cistern in the basement. From there a shallow well pump leads to a pressure tank, and from there to the cold manifold. I have a 1" line from the cold to the water heater, and another coming back from the heater to the hot manifold. If we lose power, I close a ball valve to isolate the cistern, another to isolate the pressure tank, and open a third to allow spring water to go directly into the cold manifold. Not as much pressure as the tank gives, but slow water is better than no water. Also, at the end of a long drought when the spring has gone dry, I can use these valves to let the pressure tank push water from the cistern back up the water line far enough to get the siphon effect going again.

Pretty slick!

Pete

 

[rancar]

Re: PEX tool

Thanks for the clarification Pete. Also, if I might add, this is one of the slickest plumbing jobs I've seen, definitely on par with work from some plumbers I know. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

.....Bob