Pex or copper on shell off resto?

[TG Twinkie]

The grey tubing is NOT PEX.


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[mnmhays]

As I had stated previously, I am going with PEX. I abandoned the manifold idea as being too bulky. I am using the crimp rings and brass fittings. I was discussing this all with a client of mine who is a plumber the other day. He suggested the Shark-Bite fittings due to the fact they should take vibration and flexing a bit better than crimp connections. He said to stick with the crimps since I started that way but to watch it closely...time will tell.

[HiJoeSilver]

Originally Posted by JBBeaubeaux

Does anyone know if a 2001 Excella 30 footer came from the factory using PEX. What I see is grey tubing

It's PBX, poly butylene crossly linked. It becomes brittle with time and has a bad habbit of cracking and leaking. Was used in houses in the 80s extensively, there was a major class action lawsuit and recall on home installations. If you can get around to it I'd recommend replacing with pex when you can. Keep an eye on it for now.

[Skater]

Originally Posted by mnmhays

As I had stated previously, I am going with PEX. I abandoned the manifold idea as being too bulky. I am using the crimp rings and brass fittings. I was discussing this all with a client of mine who is a plumber the other day. He suggested the Shark-Bite fittings due to the fact they should take vibration and flexing a bit better than crimp connections. He said to stick with the crimps since I started that way but to watch it closely...time will tell.

I don't think the crimp connections are a problem. As bad as the polybutelene horror is, even after 20 years, the only reason my water system developed a leak was because the rubber washer in the fitting at the water pump failed. The crimp connections, even on that PB, haven't leaked yet. And we regularly tow on miserable roads. It's always a bit of a game to find where our dinette chairs are going to be when we open the door.

I think the argument against the Sharkbite is that they add weight, which could stress the pipe.

There are plenty of theoretical arguments both ways, but I haven't seen anyone mention an actual, water-to-clean-up problem. I tend to watch these threads because I know someday I'm going to have to redo ours completely, and I want to make the right decision.

[Zil]

this is a long thread, I quit 1/2 way. The only advantage to copper over pex is you cant thaw frozen pex lines with a flame or electric.

[youngpeck]

I had a Sharkbite fitting in my house fail about a year ago. The plastic part of the fitting developed or had a preexisting crack that opened up. Luckily it was in the laundry room and all the water went down the floor drain. I called the corporate office and discussed it with them. They said it's rare, but they do fail on occasion. Ever since then I've been a little nervous about using them. And I'm getting ready to re-plumb my trailer with pex. I may go with a manifold and have all connections exposed and serviceable. Probably crimp fittings with the professional grade tool.