TurnThePage
North ID
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My new trailer is a hodgepodge of different plumbing. It's obvious that incorrect materials are mated together in various places. I would like to consolidate and make it all pex so I don't have to worry about leaks, but I have zero experience with pex fittings and tools.
Just looking for enlightenment and suggestions. Some areas are going to be pretty difficult to access and I don't want big bulky tools borking it all up.
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RLS7201
Beautyful Downtown Gladstone, MO
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Flair It would be my choice for Pex.
You can hand tighten the fitting on pex, so you can get into those tight spots.
I carry a supply of Flair It in my MH.
Richard
P.S. And you can unscrew Flair It and take it apart by hand and then put it back together with out any cutting.
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wa8yxm
Davison Michigan (East of Flint)
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Rather than crimpers I used Shark Bite.. Flair works well too (used one of those)
When the shark bites
Into pex dear
Water leaks
Dissapear
When the shark bites
Into pex dear
It does leak
if it's done right.
(TTT of Mack the Knife)
Only thing you need to knwo is to make sure the fitting goes on FULLY.
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Fizz
Ottawa, Canada
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Joined: 07/28/2003
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Look on You Tube for Pex
Dozens of 'how to'
EXAMPLE
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SuperBus
Michigan
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I use an Apollo crimper with Apollo clamps and fittings. I keep an assortment of fittings, a few bags of clamps, and of course a crimper on my coach. It's a great tool and even has a small LED that lights up when the clamp has been crimped to the right amount. I have had zero issues with this arrangement, save the 90-degree barbed to 1/2" FIP swivel fittings. The pipe side will almost always need tape to seal properly.
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time2roll
Southern California
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Flair-it works fine with no tools. I also have some sharkbite/gatorbite that have held up perfectly.
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TurnThePage
North ID
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Great info here. Thanks!
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jkwilson
Indiana
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There are downsides to 100% Pex.
First, it couples noise much better than flex. This is important with the pump connections.
Second, it can be very difficult to get fittings on Pex to align with the fittings on a faucet in the tight space behind a sink.
Finally, Pex can result in stresses on fixed fittings and valves since it is stiffer. Not as stiff as pipe, but you don’t want a horizontal run bouncing and applying forces to a fixed fitting.
My 2 cents is to leave the flex on the pump and faucets, and possibly some places on the control panel, while using proper fittings and adapters. Also to anchor Pex near fixed connections and be sure it approaches the connection as close to 90 degrees as possible to minimize torque.
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Bobbo
Wherever I park
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jkwilson wrote:There are downsides to 100% Pex.
First, it couples noise much better than flex. This is important with the pump connections.
Second, it can be very difficult to get fittings on Pex to align with the fittings on a faucet in the tight space behind a sink.
Finally, Pex can result in stresses on fixed fittings and valves since it is stiffer. Not as stiff as pipe, but you don’t want a horizontal run bouncing and applying forces to a fixed fitting.
My 2 cents is to leave the flex on the pump and faucets, and possibly some places on the control panel, while using proper fittings and adapters. Also to anchor Pex near fixed connections and be sure it approaches the connection as close to 90 degrees as possible to minimize torque.
You do know that PEX is also available in a flexible roll, don't you?
Bobbo and Lin
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StirCrazy
Kamloops, BC, Canada
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I plan on re doing all the plumbing in the camper if we decide to keep it and not upgrade it. What I am doing is also the same and getting rid of the hodgepodge of plastic fittings and useless 1/4" lines and unreliable cone seals and switch to pure pex with proper brass connectors. this also involves changing things like taps and such out to proper residential ones but the benefit of that is you won't have as many issues with freezing in the winter and proper pex will handle the freezing but it's usually the plastic connectors in rv's that die. Im not saying I won't have to winterize but it would let me just use air and if a tiny bit of water is left in a line somewhere it shouldn't cause an issue
Your best bet is to try to build it in sections and pull it into place so you're making final connections where you have more space but that's only if your layout allows that. Otherwise look for the smallest crimper you can find. you will only need a 1/2" one so look for something like
THIS
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