Hi All! Got an easy one for the plumbers out there.Still building my house and I’m running a manifold system for the domestic water.The question is,coming off the manifolds in the basement ,how do you (run /secure) the pex?I have been coming off the manifolds with J hooks ,but I’ve been using a ton of them and getting tired of paying 60 cents apiece for the dam things(I probably got $150-200 bucks worth already)and still need more.
Can you just bundle the lines together(say 6-7 of them)Then use like one large J hook with a cable tie
I’m trying to keep an 1 1/2″ from the joist to be able to get some sheetrock in there.
Thank Guys Greg
Replies
Yeah, those horizontal runs are saggy.
Recently saw some run inside PVC electrical conduit, just for the exposed horizontal segments.
Cleverly, the PEX was wrapped in foam pipe insulation, than run through conduit fat enough for the OD of the insulation. Solves many problems at once (UV light, sagging, insulation, physical protection) and conduit is cheap.
I have also seen it run in conduit without insulation, or zip-tied to steel strut.
Thanks for the reply Corey:I figured out I got about 25 runs coming from 1 hot and 2 cold manifolds.The joist are running perpendicular the whole time.I come off the manifolds with copper a few feet then go to pex.The pvc idea sounds pretty good,but I would still need J hooks???? I guess I wouldn't need as much as I'm using now though LOL!
The reading I did on pex said that the pex should slide freely through the clamps ,So I was air filing off a little material of the J hooks. I was buying the special talon clamps from stadler.Turns out they were the same dam ones I was buying for copper.Live And Learn.
I know theres an easier way to do this I just haven't figured it out yet
Stay Safe Greg
The idea is that you need a lot less support with the pvc. You can also use conduit clamps, which are cheap, and there is no issue with allowing for exapansion.
Would this be something that a plumber doing a job would do?Or just bundle the lines together?Hanging J hooks are a pain(when you got a lot to hang)
Thanks Corey
In a homerun situation, bundling seems the most common technique. If you wanted to insulate, this could become tricky though.
I use 1/2" staples (like for wiring) and then zip tie a bunch of them to the staple. If you leave your zipties loose, you can pull through them as a support off the floor if you get me.
Homer:Thanks for the reply.How many lines can you run together?And is there some type of code about it?What the heck is everyone else using.
Thanks Greg
There doesnt seem to be a limit; I ran 8 or so together in different bundles from my boiler (plumbed my radiators with pex) The plumber I use does the same thing with the pex for potable water. I think it makes for a neater job than using the individual plastic clips...and twice as fast.