plumbing replacement

[Tin Tortuga]

I am going to replace all plumbing in 73 sovreign. Need to hear a little about "pex" plumbing . Cost ,where to get, special tool needs , Otherwise I will be forced to go with copper,pvc. or combo , what is best ,

[kl8ton]

I am in the same boat. I sprung 3 leaks on my last trip. Keep us posted on cost, tools, etc. Good luck. Post pics. Hopefully someone who has done this will chime in.

[Janet H]

Use the search tool and search "Pex" You'll find a lot of info as many of us have replaced leaky lines with pex.

[bryanl]

You can get pex at Lowe's but color coded might need an online source. Check these sites for information and resources.
http://www.plumbingworld.com/polyb.html
http://www.ppfahome.org/pex/historypex.html
http://www.ppfahome.org/pex/faqpex.html
http://www.flairitwest.com/
http://www.pexconnection.com/

Fittings seem to be what bugs most as compression fittings are what original manufacturers use and that requires special crimping tools. The Quest and Flair-it fittings don't need any special tools and work very well for the one-of handyman type fixups. I suggest using 3/8 inch tubing because the fittings for that are standard half inch IPT which don't need adapters for faucets or water heaters and such things.

When you redo your plumbing, try to avoid sharp bends and extra elbow fittings and such. On mine I was able to get a good drop from all appliances to a rear manifold that makes draining for winterizing easy.

[blnfuse]

Good day,
I think that your thoughts about using pex for replacing your plumbing is right on. I have used pex in houses, log cabins floors (for wirzbo heat) and now i am going to use it in the renovation of my 63 A/S.
Its really easy to work with, and the best part is it is freeze proof.
I mentioned the log cabin..... well it is in the BWCA in MN. it gets really cold up there (50 below) and youknow that no matter how hard you trey to dry up a system for winter there si always some left. pex is flexible enough to withstand the freezing.
the stuff is marketed at all home repair stores and they have all the tools and fittings youll need.
great idea. great minds. John

[uwe]

Originally Posted by sardine

I am going to replace all plumbing in 73 sovreign. Need to hear a little about "pex" plumbing . Cost ,where to get, special tool needs , Otherwise I will be forced to go with copper,pvc. or combo , what is best ,

Sardine,

I bought all my Pex and the Flair-It fittings from www.rvpartsoutlet.com
I spoke with Don.
The Flair-It fitting do not require special crimping tools, and can be disassembled easily if you make a mistake somewhere. There is a cheap tensioner wrench available for the fittings, which I bought, seemed like a good idea. The wrench fits on the compression nut perfectly, eliminating slippage and ugly scars on the nuts.
My pex is milky-clear material. I could not find it in SoCal home centers, btw.

[Darol Ingalls]

Sardine, I've used the "PEX" tubing and fittings in at least 8 Airstreams so far and have had great success- no leaks! You should be able to find it at a good marine supplier since it is also used in boats. If possible, get the blue/red color-coded. Much easier to keep hot and cold straight when you cannot see both ends of the tubing! Use a little vasaline on the fittings and nut and heat the tubing with a hair dryer before making the connections - makes it easier. Be sure to note the direction arrow in the shut-of valves. If installed backwards, they will leak back. The cost seems high, but when you consider all the trouble cutting, flaring, or soldering copper tubing, it's not. You can also route the tubing around obstructions without adding fittings since it is quite flexible, even more so if heated. Try to establish one "low point" in the system and make that your drain point. Run tubing uphill to all faucets from the low point. That way, you can drain the system by opening the faucets, drain valvles (one for hot side, one for cold side) without having to use air to blow out the lines. Spend some time "mapping" you system before you buy materials. Darol

[wahoonc]

Pex is good stuff, but I hate having to try and crimp a fitting while standing on my head under a counter Some one told me about SharkBite Fittings What is really neat about them, you can fit Pex to copper, or PVC or... they are a little pricey but save alot of time, and you can take them back apart very easily. You may have to hunt down a plumbing supply house...the average Home Center doesn't carry them.

Aaron

[Janet H]

You can rent a crimping tool at most tool rental centers - cheap!

[BIGED52]

I Understand That Flair-it Type Connectors Make It Easy To Take Apart If A Mistake Is Made During Installation, But Doesn't It Also Follow That At Those Points [over Time] There Would Be A Potential For Leaking To Take Place? I Think Crimp Fittings Make For A More Permanent Fix, And Less Of A Chance For Future Problems. I Agree With Janet That You Can Always Rent The Crimping Tool. Much Cheaper Than The $98.00 They Sell For At Walmart. I Guess It All Depends On If You Are Going To Do Many Re-plumb Jobs, Or Just Fix Your Own Trailer. I Just Want To Get That Bunch Of Green Lawn/garden Hose Out Of My 1967 Safari. I Firmly Believe Doing That Will Make The Water Taste Much Better! Also Many Of The Copper Pipes Seem Very Brittle After 38 Years, And I Think They Might Spring Leaks While Hauling The Trailer Down Some Bumpy Road Sometime. Always Better To Be Safe Than Sorry. Well, Gotta Get Back To My Interior Restoration Work...good Luck On Your Plumbing Project Too! Ed

[uwe]

Originally Posted by BIGED52

I Understand That Flair-it Type Connectors Make It Easy To Take Apart If A Mistake Is Made During Installation, But Doesn't It Also Follow That At Those Points [over Time] There Would Be A Potential For Leaking To Take Place? I Think Crimp Fittings Make For A More Permanent Fix, And Less Of A Chance For Future Problems. I Agree With Janet That You Can Always Rent The Crimping Tool.

A leak with pex would happen by either deformation of the pipe in the fitting, shrinkage of the fitting itself, or outside influence. In the case of the Flair-It fittings, theoretically the flair nut might come loose.
I personally would rather tighten a flair nut than rent or buy a crimping tool to repair a leak, easpecially during a trip. I would not bet that a crimped fitting is more leak proof, but it is definitely more permanent.

[desi arnaz]

the tool is $150 or so, i have one................the fittings are rather cheap,i just went to my local plumbing house for all the parts.

[Buttercup]

I used PEX to replace all of our plumbing. I did not use the crimp tool and rings becuse my local Home Depot would not rent me the tool. So I bought all the compression fittings I neded. I used a lot of valves just because I have a valve fettish.
CLICK HERE to see what we did. I am not suggesting in any way that our way was a good way. Only that we did it that way if you know what I mean....
One good thing is that I had so many fittings left over (because I just bought what I thought I would need) that I could rebuild my system again and not spend a dime.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Buttercup

One good thing is that I had so many fittings left over (because I just bought what I thought I would need) that I could rebuild my system again and not spend a dime.

Which probably means you will never need them, a good thing. For whatever reason, I can't get PEX here easily locally, So I am sticking with the more conventional (PVC, copper, reinforced vinyl) stuff.

[R&SZinser]

I had great luck with the PEX tubing and Flair-It fittings. Very easy to use and no leaks.

The special PEX tools make the job simple.

See my posts
here: http://www.airforums.com/forum...ad.php?t=10998
and here: http://www.airforums.com/forum...ad.php?t=10999

[Anon]

Originally Posted by sardine

I am going to replace all plumbing in 73 sovreign. Need to hear a little about "pex" plumbing . Cost ,where to get, special tool needs , Otherwise I will be forced to go with copper,pvc. or combo , what is best ,

I replaced ALL of the plumbing in my Argosy. I have done this one three other Argosys' as well.
The cost will be based upon a number of things:
Will you use all PEX or some PEX and CPVC?
How many fittings are needed?
Will you use the QEST compression fittings or the crimp fittings?

I can tell you that I used CPVC anywhere I had straight runs. I used stand household glue-type fittings that were readily available at Lowe's.
Lowe's also has the LARGEST selection of PEX compression fittings I have found ANYWHERE! The compression fittings will connect PEX, CPVC and PEX to any of those as well. I actually left my original city water supply line at the back of the trailer. I used a QEST compression fitting to connect to CPVC from the copper.
The compression fittings are pricey. They average $4 each.
The copper fittings require the use of a PEX crimp tool. The fittings are about $1.50 each. The crimping tool can be rented from a good ACE Hardware for about $15/day plus a $50 deposit. If you buy the crimping tool it will run you about $200 for a somewhat decent tool. For one job, it is not worth buying it.
I replaced all of the faucet supply lines with short metal-braided flex lines to make it easier to access the connections when I want to replace the faucet, etc...
The average cost of the job should be right around $100-$200 depending upon the type of fittings you use. My last one ran me right at $100 using a combination of CPVC and PEX for the lines. I used crimp fittings where I could crimp them and compression fittings in places that I could not get the crimp tool into.
If you would like pictures of what I did, let me know. I will gladly take them and post them on the thread or in my photos section.
Good luck with your plumbing! It will be one less thing that you have to worry about.

[uwe]

Originally Posted by pattersontoo

Lowe's also has the LARGEST selection of PEX compression fittings I have found ANYWHERE!

I have 4 Lowe's within 20min driving distance. None of them carry as much as a spec of Pex. Must be a California thing.

[Anon]

Originally Posted by uwe

I have 4 Lowe's within 20min driving distance. None of them carry as much as a spec of Pex. Must be a California thing.

Our Home Depots here stink. They carry half of the stuff you need for any PEX job. Which is good because their employees know half of what someone should know about the department that they work in.
The fact that you have no PEX at Lowe's could be something that is regional. We have hard freezes here. Maybe people replace plumbing more often here.