Hey guys…not a lot of posting lately, been busy building a kitchen. I’ll toss some pics in the picture section in a week when it’s done..
I need some advice. I’m doing some work to my house, a Victorian thats about 100 yrs old. I’m raising and dormering the attic/roof to create a livable third floor, which includes a new bath.
Sadly I can do moderate plumbing, but I’m not fully equipped. So far, I’ve spotted the drains and modified the existing stack etc for the new toilet, shower and sink. I rented a cast iron pipe cutter…all is good there.
But, I need to get water UP there. I can drag some copper up there, as I’ve got a chase of sorts, but it won’t be easy. So, I’m thinking pex. I prefer the pex actually, but, I have no experience working with it.
So. what is a good setup for a guy who isn’t really a plumber,? LOL. I’m thinking I’ll never need more than 1/2 or 3/4 inch tools..am I right?
I also have considered radiant for the heating, as many of the walls are under roof pitches, and will be getting built-ins, so having pex tools can’t hurt there either.
I went to the plumbing supply earlier this year, and they were having a special- a basic kit for about $200. Sadly I missed the deadline.
What says the Breaktime experts? (other than hire a plumber..they seem too busy to return my calls)
TIA
Replies
Some hardware stores here rent the crimping tool. All the ones we saw at Lowes were used (brought back after the job!). I think we paid $100 for new one. If u got any buds in same line and arent full time plumbers mite work out a share.
Question is will u ever go back to copper and why?
I got a Zurn 1/2" and a 3/4" crimper brand new on eBay for $99 plus a few dollars shipping. If you buy crimpers from anywhere other than where you will be purchasing the PEX, make sure they will work on the brand that you will be using. Not all brands of of crimps and tools are compatible.
I do a bit of plumbing, always a copper guy. Choked on the cost of a Uponor expanding tool , for a sizable radiant job, but since I bought it, copper has what?.. trippled in cost, that tool has paid for itself many times over.
I'm going to post this in the "what tool made u money" thread.
Edited 12/27/2007 9:03 pm ET by jayzog
At Lowes and at Home Depot - they sell a Zurn setup that has a the crimper tool that accepts 3/8, 1/2, 5/8 and 3/4 (I think) die inserts and also includes a tube cutter and a crimp ring cutter/remover - all in a blow molded case.The kit sells for $175 at one of the boxes and I found it at another for $100 I think.The single size crimper tools are nicer looking, but this multi crimper works pretty good and the kit offered a great value for the money.The kit boxes contents say that the crimp ring cutter tool is optional, but the kit's I looked at had it included. Just the ring cutter alone costs $37.Julian
Check what's available locally as far as fittings and go with what you can get. I personally prefer Uponor/Wirsbo, but it's a bit harder to find around here. (I think expanding system is a bit more foolproof than the crimped systems, but I don't really have personal experience with crimp systems.)
I recently installed a three-zone radiant heat system, a laundry room and bath using the Wirsbo system. I think the manual expander was around a hundred, hundred fifty, bucks, and I bought a cheap plastic tubing cutter at HD. That's pretty much all you need, tool-wise. And with the cost of copper vs. PEX, I ended up saving a ton even with the added tool and fitting expense. I think it took me about 1/10th the time to rough in the LR and bath than it would have in copper.
After doing this, I'll never willingly pick up a torch again. PEX rules!
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
I have to vote for Uponor Wirsbo.
I recently finished a whole house rough using another brand, the home owner wanted to buy his own materials, to avoid the dreaded " markup". After it was all done the money he had in the tools and left over pipe he really didn't save dime.
Normaly I just bill by the footage used, since I carry the pipe on the truck all the time.
Because the Wirsbo is expanded to fit over the fittings, the internal diameter of the fitting is larger than the crimp on type.
Expanding the pipe and putting it on a fitting in a tite place is far easier than trying to get a crimper in there and in just the wright position to make a good connection.
The red and blue pipe offered by others is a marketing gimmick, if your doing 1/2 and 3/4 you buy four rolls of pipe. I only carry two rolls on the truck 1/2 and 3/4 all the same color. Wirsbo does offer color coded expansion rings for the fittings if you want to go that route. Copper was never color coded, so you just payed attention to what you where doing.
All in all I think it is a better system because it seems to be well thought out.
Funny you should ask, I just did something like you're thinking of doing. Rented tools to install pex for radiant slab, never worked with it before. Thought the whole system was so cool, decided it was a good opportunity to tool up. I like "kits" , no room for everything on trailer, but if I know I'm gonna need it, they can come in and out easy. Here's approximate breakdown.
Tool Box.... closeout @ Fred Meyer $7,
Cutters....already owned, purchased long time ago from Snap-On, probably paid too much. PVC cutter would work.
1/2 & 3/4 pex crimpers by Mil 3. Offset head gets into tighter spaces. Don't know if this is true of all ring crimpers, but you "load" a ring in this, slide over pex, position and squeeze, easy. Both used on ebay.... about $110.
Go/no go gauge... Ebay $5
Decrimper, clever device. You'll want one if you go crimp rings. new on ebay $30
BTW, I have a bunch of 1/2" Wirsbo pex (long story) I'll make a swinging deal on, holler if you're interested.
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PJ
Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.
Thanks for the great advice guys. I'll dbl check teh local supplier and go from there.Peter, where are you located?Further question for you plumbers or plumbing brainiacs. My house is served on an old 1/2 service pipe, which goes into two meters. I was presuming that I'd run one 3/4" up to my third floor and keep the water heater up there...and do 1/2" runs from there to the fixtures.I had planned to do a sub box up there as well for electrical.Is that dumb? Should I leave the hot water heater 3 stories down in the basement? As it is, I need to wait about 3 minutes or more in the morning for hot water for a shower on the second floor. (At this point theres no way to put a recirc. system in)Thoughts from the plumbing gurus?Jake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT
Wirsbo expander. The 1/2 - 3/4" kit wasn't cheap, but well worth the investment.
As far as the WH is concerned. If it is only for the upstairs bathrooms, I'd put it as close to the main points of usage to minimize hot water transit time. Water pressure loses .4-.5 psi per foot, so for a pressure-loss point of view, I don't think it matters much if it's down or up, the water has to get upthere anyway, regardless. The big drawback there is square footage loss occupied by the heater in the building envelope.
If this HW will supply other house loads (on other floors) you might be robbing Peter to pay Paul by having it upstairs.
If I could rebuild my house, I would have two HW heaters; one upstairs near the two bathrooms, one in the basement for the kitchen/half bath/laundry. But then, I'd move the laundry upstairs, too. (I'm not a fan of recirc systems.)
Have fun.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
Boise, ID., freight might be the spoiler.PJ
Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.