Hey Plumbbill or anyone else that knows about PEX.
Just got back from my supply house. All they’d sell were 250′ rolls so for not that much more money I went with a full roll of 3/4″ PEX for heat b/c I’m gonna need to run about 30′ of baseboard after I finish this bathroom. Figured I can use it for my domestic water runs as well as my heat. I know…be sure to mark my hot and cold lines : )~
I’m gonna be running hot and cold home runs from the basement up to the second floor. To the new bathroom I have framed in my bonus room…also where my heat’ll be going.
The salesman at my supply house unfortunatly knew buttin’ about nuttin’…ugh.
My main questions right now are:
1- I’m running the hot and cold lines to a nice sized storage area in a wall adjoining the bathroom so I figure I should run the lines into there and branch out to the toilet. sink and shower.
I asked how much a “manifold” was figuring I “need” that???
He told me it was almost $200…YIKES. Ferget that! Do I really need a manifold to branch out to three fixtures or can I just join two T’s ? One joined set for hot and one joined set for cold?
The salesman had no suggestions so thats what I bought…4- 3/4″ T’s.
Is that idea OK? Figure I’ll put a valve before each set so I can shut off both hot and cold lines from the storage area.
2- How do I transition to my faucets or rather the valves to my faucets?
Can I go directly from my 3/4″ line into a valve fitting using a 1/2″ reducer or do I need to change from 3/4″ pex to 1/2″ in my storage/branch off area?
Don’t say I have to swith to 1/2″….lie to me please : ) otherwise I’ll have to run copper from there cause I ain’t buying another tool and a whole other roll (100′ rolls are the smallest they sell.
OK…thats it for now…I’m sure I’ll be back w/more stupid questions : )~
So far the materials I bought besides tools are the 250′ of 3/4″ PEX for heat (red).
A bag of black plastic 1/2 circle U nail type fastners
Bag of crimp rings
some couplings, T’s, metal corner bend thigamagigies (only one hole in those. One lil’ nails spose’ to hold it up???)
2-female T’s sweat to PEX to tap into my main supply lines in the basement.
2- ball valves for the storage area…whoops..I need four copper unions to PEX for those…damn…unless I buy PEX ball valves,,how expensive are those??? and is there a manifold that has a shut off thats not so damn expensive?
OK…done
Thanks
andy…
PO “I dunno guys. Methinks some people have way too much extra time on their hands”. Jer
HTTP://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Replies
First, let me tell you I'm not a plumber. I'm a kitchen/bath installer that does probably about 90% of our own plumbing,and i've used pex quite extensively. Those are my qualifications. Now to your questions.
With the 3/4" pex, you can certainly use a branch system. The smaller diameter of your fittings will cut your flow down closer to that of 1/2" copper anyway.
You can use the 3/4" all the way to you transitions and just reduce to 1/2" or 3/8". Normally I would go to a 1/2" "lug L" in the wall, install a 1/2" -> 3/8" bushing and then screw in a chrome nipple and a 1/4 turn chrome valve. The problem I see with your situation si that I've never seen a "lug L" with a 3/4" barb. If they are out there, (which they very well may be), then go for it.
Also, if you already have copper shutoffs in your "storage area" with some kind of copper stubs sticking out of them, then jsut use shark-bite fittings to connect the pex to the copper. that way you don't have to solder a sweat -> crimp fitting on, and you won't have to get your crimp tool in there to make the connection. you also won't have to install new valves.
thats how I would approach it judging by what you described. I think I can somewhat visualize your situation, but I could be completely off.
Thanx rn
HEre's a cpl of not so great pictures to give an idea of where I'm working.
"So far" I'm up with one line. I came up from the basement. Up along side that 3" drain i put in the wall and across the top of my where you see that trap and then in between the TJI joists and to the back of where that tolet ring is (blue ring).
At this point I'm figuring forget the manifold. Its not making any sense to me anymore now that I'm up top.
Figure I'll cut te pex and put in a T at the shower trap in that stairwell below the shower and run a branch up into the shower. Then cut the PEX in front of where the toilet is and put in another T and run that to the forground in my picture where the sink will be and the end of my line now is behind my toilt in that storage area. I'll just transition it to a fitting for the toilet.
My shut offs I'll just have in the basement where I connect the PEX to the existing copper supply lines.
NExt I'll try and absorb what you were saying about making the transitions to the fixture valves inside the bathroom.
Thanks mucho bro
andy...
edit: sorry bout' the horrible pic but its all I have right this second...the shower is where the plywood is... propped up against the wall in it with the stairwell below.http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Edited 1/30/2007 1:46 pm ET by andybuildz
I don't have any pictures of what I described for the transition unfortunately. Assuming you know what a "lug l" is, it's pretty straight foreward. You run your pex to it, crimp the lug l onto the pex, and screw the lug l to the framing. This won't work for the shower, only the vanity and toilet. For the shower, I would honestly use copper comming off the valve and either use sweat in shut offs in an access panel, or use a sweat to crimp fitting. I'm sure you could get fittings in pex that attach directly to the valve, but I like to sweat my pipe directly to the valve.
Thats exactly why I just came back here...to say thats what I'm gonna do.
Its the easiest and smartest I think.
Gonna just crimp my PEX ends to a PEX fitting thats other side is a female copper sweat and then go with copper as I usually do right in the framing. WOW...that makes it soooooooooo easy.
PO "I dunno guys. Methinks some people have way too much extra time on their hands". Jer
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
I'm sure you know this, but do all of the sweating first.
Have you looked at Zurn Pex fittings mini manifolds- I've used em in complex shower setups. They run around $10. 3/4 inlets to one, two or three 1/2 outs. T's will work, but this would have less connections...
Thanks hmj but being I'm passing by each fixture within 2-3 feetwith my PEX run seems to make sense to just T to it now that I'm running it and seeing whats shakin'.
PO "I dunno guys. Methinks some people have way too much extra time on their hands". Jer
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Andy - If I understand your questions, it sounds like your supply house is the problem.
I bought everything I needed from Ferguson (they had to order some things) - pex, rings, manifold, copper stub outs (is this the lug L referred to in the other post?) They are perfect for terminations everywhere but the shower, where I ran pex to the valve, then pex to the head (drop ear elbow) and to the tub faucet as well. So my house is 100% pex plumbed, and it was fast and easy.
Then Lowes started carrying pex locally, and now I go there for better prices, they just don't have the full selection.
Google zurn and they have an online catalog that should give you an idea of what to ask for.
Andy - If I understand your questions, it sounds like your supply house is the problem.<<<<<Brian...Well, they weren't the problem...they were just ZERO help!
Really kinda pizzed me off too. They're the biggest supply house on Long Island with several locations which probably is the problem. They mainly do biz with only plumbing contractors which still is no excuse.
Everytime I asked a question the A hole would say to me, "we don't answer questions, we just give you what you ask for". I told him I wasn't gonna hold him responsible...that I just needed a little help...to no avail.
A hole!
Anyway...I DID get just about everything I thought I'd need except those L lugs which I'll go back to get tomorrow.
I don't think I'm gonna need the manifold anyway/ The T's work just fine. Actually they're probably even better being I pass each fixture with my main line anyway. Its only a a 4ish' run from my main line to the sink and one to the shower and the end of the line is my toilet.
Geezzzz just when we bad mouth the box stores for not being capable of helping us I get the private supply house acting way worse.
Guess us little contractor guys don't count. Wish Lowes was closer...oh well.
PO "I dunno guys. Methinks some people have way too much extra time on their hands". Jer
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM