Pex Fittings

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jeff

jeff

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I'm getting ready to dig into a bathroom remodel and I'm going to be running some Pex. Looking for opinions on which fittings to go with. I have decades of experience with copper, but I don't yet have any tooling or experience with Pex.

So, crimp ring, cinch ring, or Viega press crimp?
 
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I do a lot of plumbing repairs for the elderly here in our small town. I try to use "Gater or Shark Bites" or similar fittings. They are expensive. No soldering, sweating. They fit Copper, PEX, and CPVC, so you can transition easily between old and new plumbing. They swivel so you can line up plumbing without problems. And best of all: THEY ARE REUSABLE! So when you goof or want to change your mind, just remove and reuse. Just press together and you're done. Talk about fast! Big box stores and plumbung suppliers usually have them.
 
I'll second on the shark bites. No personal experience with them but we sell a lot of them at the hardware store I work at.
 
For smaller jobs the shark bite style slip on fittings are probably better since you don't have to buy a crimper and rings and stuff. I've used them on several repair projects and they work will connecting PEX to PVC to Copper in about any configuration so it makes transitions from one type of tubing to another very simple and fast. They're more expensive but on a small project I doubt that is a major consideration.

If you want to go the crimper route, I've seen a fairly inexpensive crimping tool that uses a large pair of vice grips to do the crimping and it seems to be a fairly good alternative to buying an expensive crimping tool that may be used for one small project then never used again. I've also seen a set of jaws that replace bolt cutter blades to make a reasonably inexpensive crimping tool as well.

The price of crimping tools may have come down since the last time I looked into them and their prices made the shark bit fittings the alternative I chose for my small project.

I imagine you could probably rent a professional grade crimper at a tool rental place as well, I usually don't rent tools since I like to have the flexibility of completing a project on my own time schedule without worrying about return times and such pushing me along faster than I feel like going.
 
I've used the Sharkbite fittings for a couple repairs, and I like them. But they are about twice the cost of the permanent fittings and I need a lot. Besides, what fun is a project if you can't buy a new tool!
 
jeff said:
I've used the Sharkbite fittings for a couple repairs, and I like them. But they are about twice the cost of the permanent fittings and I need a lot. Besides, what fun is a project if you can't buy a new tool!
Click to expand...
I'm having a blast with this shed.:biggrin::redface:
 
Hi Jeff!

I have been using Wirsbo PEX for years. They have an expander fastening system that I really love. But unless you're using Wirsbo, you probably don't have this option. Most of the crimping systems have been pretty well refined, I'd look at availability and cost in your area, and just go with it. Let me know if you have questions. Good Luck!

Scott.
 
Jeff,
sometimes it is hard to get the crimp ring tool into tight places. The handles need to open pretty wide to allow the jaws to fit over the crimp ring.
The cinch ring tool will work better in tight areas. I have not used the other one you mentioned. Also, I would use the proper tool with the fittings you choose. You don't want to find out they didn't hold good enough the hard way.

Good luck! Send pics!
 
I was at the Borg the other day and they had the crimpers in the plumbing area to match what they sell. About a hundred bucks (Canadian) and rented for twenty a day I think.

Andrew some of the new plastics come coiled and can be snaked like wiring from one end of the house to the other in one piece. No leaks along the way and less likely to burn the house down trying to solder in a tight space. I know real plumbers never scorch the framing but we aren't all plumbers. :rolleyes:
 
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