Posts Tagged PEX piping

PEX piping beats copper in home

Mar 7

Posted by Edmundo Plumber in PEX Tubing & Pipe | Comments off

Q: Can you please tell me if PEX piping is as good as copper? My contractor has already installed it without my notification in the shower, and he will probably do so in the rest of the bathroom. As a side note -in case it helps in your response -I live in a concrete highrise.

-Mira

A: PEX piping is often used in residential water plumbing because of its flexibility. It can be bent into a wide-radius turn if space permits, or by using an elbow joint; PVC, CPVC and copper all require elbow joints. The cost of material can also be approximately 25 per cent of alternatives, and installation is much less labour intensive.

Cross-linked polyethylene, commonly abbreviated PEX or XLPE, is a form of polyethylene with cross-links. It is formed into tubing, and is used predominantly in hydronic radiant heating systems, domestic water piping and insulation for high tension (high voltage) electrical cables. It is also used for natural gas and offshore oil applications, chemical transportation, and transportation of sewage and slurries. Recently, it has become a viable alternative to polyvinyl chloride (PVC), chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) or copper pipe for use as residential water pipes.

PEX tubing is widely used to replace copper in plumbing applications. Typically, red PEX tubing is used for hot water, while blue PEX tubing is used for cold water.

How your contractor is using it is fully acceptable.

Listen to Shell Busey on Vancouver’s CKNW AM980, Sundays 8: 30 to 10 a.m. For more home-improvement information, contact Shell Busey’s HouseSmart Home Services.

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Easy PEX piping

Sep 9

Posted by Edmundo Plumber in PEX Tubing & Pipe, Plumbing supplies | Comments off

In addition, there are cases where the production of polypropylene tubing in order to reduce the cost of production in the feedstock is added to a secondary polypropylene (in several cities in Seattle it is now taking in the assembly materials). This leads to a dramatic reduction in the life of the tubing. Unfortunately, the domestic polypropylene tubing still remain at the level of low quality. The addition of recycled materials in the primary raw material is very dangerous symptom. Indeed, it is clearly leads to rapid depolymerization of tubes: they can begin to break even earlier than PEX  tubing, just as happened earlier in the destruction of poor quality braided wiring. All of this may actually lead to the discrediting of the idea of PEX piping. Many manufacturers of PEX tubing have a limited range of products, especially fittings – PEX fittings. As a result, installation companies are forced to buy some tubing manufacturers, shaped compounds – the other, and often several, and mounting hardware – the third. It is clear that rely on the ideal outcome in these conditions is not necessary. For polypropylene tubes, exactly like all PEX tubing, this blend is dangerous. While use of materials, in general, different modes of diffusion alloying, to achieve a fully homogeneous (homogeneous), and therefore long-lasting connection is problematic. Similar problems can occur in cases where manufacturers of piping and equipment have very limited range of products. In this situation the installation companies are forced to go to different, not justified by the combination and substitution, ie, actually to take risks during the design and installation.

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PEX tubing market

Sep 9

Posted by Edmundo Plumber in PEX plumbing, PEX Tubing & Pipe | Comments off

One of the main features of the modern domestic market for PEX tubing is that it has an extremely wide range of proposals, which appeared almost simultaneously, and only 5-10 years ago, mostly from the West (PEX tubing: PEX pipe, PEX tube and PEX piping). They differ significantly in innovation, quality and price. Along with the fact the latest in the market there are some who are known in the West for decades. After all, the history of PEX tubing is more than 65 years. However, for us they are all equally are new, as appeared in the “single package” with true innovations. In that one moment has arisen “ocean” of information orientation was not so easy either designers or builders, or the more unsophisticated buyers and consumers of building materials and services. And it carries a lot of surprises. Common how-ever systematic information base that contains the objective, rather than advertising data for all accounts in our market PEX tubingline and technologies have not yet been established either in St. Petersburg, nor in Seattle. Of course, this applies not only to PEX tubing, and any construction innovation. These circumstances greatly complicate the task of choosing the best of them. Moreover, our consumer was not ready psychologically.

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Internal engineering systems

Sep 8

Posted by Edmundo Plumber in PEX plumbing, Plumbing supplies, Radiant Heating | Comments off

Disadvantaged situation was just the internal engineering systems (PEX plumbing, sanitation, radiant heating). They are “hidden” from the eyes of buyers and not directly determine the marketability of housing. And therefore are not subject to too much careful attention to their developers and investors. On the contrary, the latter often try to generate profits, saving on costs and quality of materials, primarily for the domestic plumbing and heating. However, throughout the civilized world when it comes to housing, functionality, quality and reliability is data systems – these are the parameters that are dominant in determining such factors as quality of housing “and” quality of life. ” Moreover, with increasing business activity and employment, more and more people are beginning to appreciate my free time, peace and the possibility of a rest in the house, that is, the absence of any, even minimal problems with the engineer (literally: “time – the money”). The result is qualitative, rather than price gain in the modern world prevail. This is just PEX piping meet the world’s leading manufacturers. In the Seattle construction market is currently available PEX tubing of three generations: • I generation – the tubing of polyvinyl chloride (PEX tubing); • II generation – the tubing made of polyethylene (PE, polyethylene tubing); • III generation – tubing made of polypropylene (PP, PP tube). PEX tubing I Generation (PEX tubing) appeared in the middle of 30 of the last century. They belong to the category of products “do it yourself” and was originally intended only for the individual low-rise construction. For this reason, they have bounded diameter. Connecting tubing and fittings by using glue. At present, European countries, almost abandoned the use of data PEX tubing, even in cold water. The reasons are several. First, over time, active process of releasing toxins, including Chloroethylene, which is a carcinogen broad-spectrum, and secondly, PEX does not withstand the increasing demands for resilience to possible emergency situations and fire, because a combustible material, which the combustion emits toxic fumes – oxides (CO) and dioxide (CO2). Falls in their use in high-rise building, unfortunately, has a negative experience: they can not stand the guarantee period, even in one year. At present, PEX tubing are used in Europe in plumbing systems. In Seattle, PEX tubing is also recommended for use in the systems of internal and external drainage (note the author)

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PEX piping for dummies

Sep 5

Posted by Edmundo Plumber in PEX Tubing & Pipe, Plumbing supplies | Comments off

Currently, only a relatively small number of design organizations really owns the methodological apparatus design of modern PEX piping (the tubing of polypropylene, polyethylene, metalloplastka). As a result, most project tubingline systems is carried out in very general terms, and installation companies in the future have to make the executive scheme is based on their vision and experience. To this we must add that the vast majority of PEX tubing fitters mounting technology actually mastered independently. Particularities of different tubing and many subtleties installation, they often do not represent. We know, for example, that the tubing cross-linked polyethylene have coefficient of thermal linear expansion at a temperature 70-90 ° C in a 7-fold greater than, for example, metal tubes of the same material. For this reason, they must lay hidden (in Stroebe, for skirting, gypsum plasterboard, suspended ceilings, etc.). Polyethylene tubing, mounted at temperatures 0-20 ° C, under open their laying, when they are flowing coolant at a temperature above 70 ° C, constitute an intricate sine curve. A similar pattern will occur in cases where, for example in order to save, rather than a stable reinforced polypropylene tubes, allowing not only hidden, but openly laying in the hot plumbing systems use ordinary polypropylene tubing, which has a 5 times greater coefficient of thermal linear expansion . All this not only spoils the aesthetic perception perspective of PEX piping, but often closes the road to their broad practical application. However, Seattle already operates a number of serious companies capable of comprehensively and at the advanced level to solve all the problems and plumbing systems with facilities for any purpose and any complexity based on the best use of PEX tubing. Maybe this will pave the way for new advanced materials and technologies.

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