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Introduction to PEX
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- Опубліковано 18 сер 2024
- This video shows how and why PEX is used for domestic water systems. I show the construction of a cold water manifold and how to make a connection using a copper compression ring. I also show a few of the tools used to work with PEX.
I'm getting ready to re-plumb my entire house (build in 40's). This video was very helpful. Thanks.
Yeeee
Me too
Your video is still providing much help.. 8 years later! Thank you for this.
Watched this video months ago, even replayed it for my wife. We now have a working PEX manifold in our cabin, thanks to you sir. Of all the manufactured manifolds on the market yours is by far superior. I'll send pictures if I can figure out how.
+Tommie Poe I'm glad it worked out.
Thanks for taking the time and effort to make this video and offering it to the public FREE of charge! Can't understand the dislikes..
Saw your article in Fine Home Building Sept issue ...bought the mag just for the pex manifold story ... plus this vid is a bonus... installing all pex in my new cottage construction... (teared down old one but kept foundation and added extension) Got rid of all the old CPVC piping in the old section ... hey that was the in thing over copper when I ran this 25 years ago .... lol
Cool vid, Thanks! Real good idea on the diagnostic port! I am looking at changing out my 1960s copper for Pex. Was looking a buying a manifold but like your idea better. I did home renovations for most of the 90s so some plumbing experience but before Pex was used much. This vid will help a lot! Thanks again.
one of the most articulate guys on youtube. Thanks
Nice video, thanks. We have a leek in our slab and are looking at re-piping the house, just got an estimate of over $9,000 to do a two bath home so began looking into doing the job myself. Your Video gave me good basics.
Thats peanuts compared to having your house flood out from improperly installed piping or having a unhappy wife because when you flush the toilet she loses water pressure while doing the dishes. A company will give you a warranty and your insurance company wont laugh at you when they show up for their flood insurance claim investigation.
I love the idea of this manifold, and to save money instead of buying the pre-made versions that only come with too little or too many ports, at times. Thanks for the video
You bet. This one for this tiny home cost about $50 and for most homes it'll run $75 to $100 per manifold for all 3/4" fittings (and more ball valves to more fixtures).
This was so GOOD, I am doing my house renovation and want to run Pex throughout my house and this has been a must see vidoe to understand the manifold system and also to know that you can make your own for the faction of the cost compared to buying, EXCELLENT
Susan Knight :
Thanks alot man, quite neat set up, I really like your manifold and ring system, especially the diagnostic port
GREAT JOB! It really gave me a lot of ideas on how I can use PEX at my home in Chesterfield , Virginia and the family farm in Buckingham,Virginia. Thanks again.
i am new to this pex thing, i love your video, this video is giving me an idea to change all the water system in the house, becoz one day i had a shower & somebody on the other side yank up the cold water, including flushing the toilet all together i had a severe burn,.. you're a genius.
Install a pressure balanced shower valve and it will solve your problem.
I also like your idea of adding a pressure testing port on the manifold.
Good video. This is the CORRECT way to utilize the benefits of PEX.
Excellent video. Simple, to the point, and well-explained.
Very well done, even after six years or so. Thanks.
This is an awesome idea James..... I was SO CLOSE into purchasing a $300.00 manufactured manifold from a local home center when I happened to stumble upon your video... By building my own I am going to save a ton of money! The manufactured manifolds seem low quality and very expensive. Thanks for the awesome video!
Welton Ave here! Redoing my entire house too. Thanks for the tips from the star city
Love the video! I'll be switching my house over to PEX in stages and this looks like a great way to start. I have a combination of old Cu and CPVC. After the claw foot tub dropped a foot and busted the CPVC hot line, I figured now may be as good a time as any.
Great video. I wasn't aware that PEX had become such a good product. Thanks for the info.
Great Video. I am about to replace all the "in ground" copper piping in my house because the copper they used at the time is corroding. I am going to hang it all inside the house because I am on a slab and don't feel like jackhammering my house in half. Already had the city inspector come in and bless the project.... Thanks again...
In the middle of building mine....doing all 3/4" runs to each room then dropping to 1/2" to the fixtures. Costs for 3/4" parts from an Orange big box store here in SC are quite a bitter higher than yours. Doing 8 ports at $10.50 per valve. Fittings are about $2.50 each, and cinch rings are 10 for $6. The pex is the cheapest part lol. However if this keeps me from ripping out sheet rock and and shower fixtures for three baths to add anti-scald fixtures it will be well worth it in the end. Will keep you posted.
I vary the size based on expected demand, but yes that's a good average. I also like tiny houses, so you can just run everything 1/2 if all you have is one bath and one kitchen. You can even use 3/8 in the interest of water conservation for 1-2 people. The PEX flows so great with such little resistance. I love it. In this case it was 3/4" inlet and then 1/2" for everything including water heater. It's a small house with low demand.
Hi Steve-tool adjustment/replacement is occasionally needed and a gauge is included in most kits. You can use a crimper with replaceable heads that are adjustable. The gauge is called a GO-NO GO gauge. This was mounted to TP 3/4" plywood using PEX approved (kind of loose) clamps. Glad you liked it!
Thanks James, really nice video for a begginer like me, very useful. Exactly what I was looking for planing and executing on my hidraulic remodeling.
Oh, man, I've come back years later to places where I've added that port and it's the bomb! So much faster and cleaner than chopping everything up to get a simple pressure reading. I wish it was code to install them.
I know I have found some of your old videos..but I have really enjoyed them.
Paul Douglas Thanks!
I'm studying to become a home inspector and your videos are informative and very helpful. As well as in this particular video makes me want to PEX my own home when I find it.
Great video and very good presentation of the information. I am in the middle of total upstairs reno where we are installing a new bathroom. I plan on going all PEX to the upstairs but I wanted to also be able to easily retrofit the rest of the home down the road and a manifold like this looks like the perfect starting point where I can have capped connection points ready to go when I'm ready. Definitely subscribing to your channel.
Excellent video my friend.. I just recently started buying rentals and flip properties. My first 2 properties, one built in the 80's has all copper plumbing and the other built in the 50's has old galvanized steel piping. I've gone through some growing pains with regard to finding quality skilled labor and with all that is required repairing/replacing old plumbing & electrical. I was afraid of messing with electrical or plumbing on my own. I found an excellent Electrician willing to teach me the basics. Then I was at a local REIA group and one of the guys there told me about PEX piping and the systems and explained how easy plumbing has become with the invent of this new technology. I had no clue this existed until last night. WOW! This will save me boatloads of money and UA-cam makes learning to do most things pretty simple. Thanks for the educational video! Kudos and well done! Do you have any videos on how to actually tap into the line that comes into the home from well or city water.. like a "how to" on that? Thanks again!
Thank you. Not sure how practical manifold system is. However if pressure is a concern one should run the main feeder under the house using one-inch PEX. This is because PEX is undersized compared to copper, PVC, and iron. One-inch PEX is really three-quarter inch ID, three-quarter inch PEX is one-half ID, and half-inch PEX is three-eighths ID. It is especially small in the fittings. Checking water pressure is simpler than this video suggests. You can get the static water pressure by just putting a gauge on an outside faucet, or on the hot water tank drain.
Zurn sells a starter crimp kit with 3/8 to 3/4 dyes, a ring cutter, an go-nogo gauge in a nice case for around $80 at box stores. I'm not sure what you mean by #1 or #2 line, but it's half inch on the manifold and 1/2 throughout the house. I do use 3/4 for supply from the meter (or well) to the main. Thanks!
Fantastic video. Very helpful information for an upcoming project I'm getting into.
I don't have any data on that. I use copper because of familiarity and function. I don't have enough experience with expansion to offer any good opinion. I can say I've had no leakage problems with copper rings that are properly clamped. I also run lines so that little to no joints exist inside walls--that's the great thing about PEX over any rigid pipe.
Thanks James! Great sharing of info. Much appreciated.
This guy was really informative and really good!
Brilliant! Good work! Great video! Thank you James Glass! U R GRRR8!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice manifold, i like the idea of
Equal pressures....nice vids....
If I was running one line to each room (bath, kitchen, etc), then I would have run 3/4" to the bath and then spit it to each fixture with 1/2" PEX to help avoid any pressure problems. But it looks like you believe that is overkill. I'd rather do it your way as it would save me time and money. You seem detail-oriented and experienced and I'd be very interested in any input you have. Thanks and have fun!
thank you sir very professional love it from San Antonio Texas
James, have you run a PEX 'main' line from the meter?" Would you recommend it? I have a small apartment building that I will be upgrading the plumbing- galvanized drain lines and main (1") , with copper hot & cold that runs through the concrete floor. Built in 1955 and in need of a total retrofit. My plan is to run PEX throughout and abandon the current hot & cold from the concrete. I have the ability to run the main line the entire back side of the building and then tap off of it for kitchens and bathrooms (all on the same wall). By tapping off the main line would I be losing pressure to each successive apartment down-the-line? Great video, BTW.
Neat stuff and cool video. I think I will become a plumber in my second life!
Good stuff, thanks for your time and tips!
Great video, just what I needed.
The best way to do it is the way you're doing it with dedicated lines to each fixture--there is zero drop that way. In a larger home with a lot of people, I'd say it's pretty mandatory. In a small home like this, each use group gets a line, so the one cold water supply to a bath, for example, would only be affected by someone flushing in that bathroom, which is unlikely. So, while not as good, it's a reasonable alternative and it a lot simpler!
Under very heavy use, there is a small pressure drop. I've done some casual testing by installing T fittings and hooking up a pressure gauge. It's not the hardcore testing you'd see in a lab, but I've never gotten a drop > 10% (and often less) given that I installed all new plumbing from the main shut off
onward.
FREAKING AWESOME!!! Clear, concise, hit the high-points, great intro!!! THANKS. maga...
Great Video, very well done: I was wondering if it matters how long the pex pipe is between each elbow or fitting, they look to be about 5" on your manifold?
Thanks again and have a great weekend!
Regards
Pete Bauer
It depends on the what's needed, but generally no. The manifolds (for hot and cold) go near the shut off and then I'll run dedicated lines to each fixture or common branches to each shared group (a bath or a kitchen). Dedicated lines for each fixture is awesome, but isn't always practical, so what I commonly do is run one cold and one hot to group (like the bath) and then use a mini-manifold made from brass to divide to each fixture.
yea pex is officially the most amazing thing ever i just used this stuff in my basement to replace leaking copper pipes took me 30 minutes to do and if i called a plumber it would probably cost me over 300$
nice setup. much better than what I call obsolete cpvc
There are a lot of good ideas with this, not sure I'm sold on those cutoff valves on the manifold. I mean I hope they are "Full Port Valves" where they don't restrict flow, but also, they can in themselves become a leaky maintenance headache. I would think that PEX should last your lifetime, and that you already have cutoffs at each fixture in the bathroom, so why muddy the water with a cutoff on the manifold? The only reason you might want that would be if you plan on some shootout in your house where you might rupture a line in the wall and want to just shut that area off vs the whole house. Between the expense, maintenance and complexity ... not so sure it is that useful. 12 years later, what say you? Worth it?
Very informative nicely presented thank you very much
Very informative video. Thank you
Rehabbers doing rental homes in high-crime areas like using Pex too because the copper scrappers leave it alone
You have a 3/4 line coming in but only 1/2 going to the water heater. So your hot water line is only 1/2 inch line.
MANABLOC
Before I "steal" your manifold idea how well did it work pressure drop wise and would you have done if differently if you had to do another one?
Excellent description!
No worries. I think this was 3/4" inlet only and then 1/2 all the way around. For a small home this is great. PEX has few 90 degree turns and resistance is lower than copper so 1/2 PEX offers a little better volume and pressure than Cu. I guess if you really need more water you could run everything 3/4, but for most residential applications, that seems like a waste of domestic water.
3/4" inlet and then 1/2" around the manifold and also to each branch. I've ordered tools from pexsupplycom and and I liked them. I buy the pex locally since there no price advantage ordering it. A, B, and C refer to methods of manufacture and won't have impact for your application. (see wiki for details on this) Be sure you check the rings with the no-go gauge and use copper flex lines on water heater.
One criticism... you should probably have 3/4 going to the hot water heater. Remember, an entire other manifold will be fed by 1/2 pipe with your current setup and will likely undergo huge pressure drops if multiple hot water lines are turned on at a time.
You are wrong.
Nathan Scott m
@@christopherpino2948 you are
I like the idea of a custom, home built manifold, but.... Would it be better to make one out of copper so there’s less chance of fitting failure? Makes me wonder if we’ll see crimp/clamp/expansion ring failures 40 years (or whenever) from now.
Great video! I learned a lot.
Extremely useful good video
One more question: How do you feel about PEX-a and the expansion fittings? I know the tool is expensive, but the connections and fittings seem really neat and simple.
+Mike Junot All the ways to connect PEX seem decent and they are all approved by building code, so they must be safe and long lasting.I use the copper crimp rings. They're rated to 200 psi (which is triple the typical line pressure) and are easy to use with low cost tools. I don't know much about the expansion fittings other that what I've watched off UA-cam. Also, where I live, I get easily get my hands on crimp fittings, but there's only one place that sells expansion and it's 40 miles away. I don't know enough to really answer your questions other than I have never had a problem with the crimp fittings over the last 10 years.
You could have used a brushing and put a $10 pressure gauge on the diagnostic port... check pressure at a glance!
(why is he heating hot water?)
always feed your hwt with 3/4'' its good practice. Diagnostic port?? When i build a manifold I always include a pressure gauge on it, why waste a valve?
The port is also a system drain--why waste a gauge that costs more than a ball valve? I always have a gauge with me. This house was teeny tiny with gas fired on demand so 1/2" was OK. Virtually all other houses do get 3/4" for the manifolds and branch lines.
you like the compression ring fittings even though it reduces 1/2 inch pipe to 3/8? just saying I'm a big fan of expandable pex A. done 20+ full repipes with it.
James would your manifold work if it was shortened by using a tee only at the corners rather than 3 more inches of pipe and an elbow?
I am building one right now and space is an issue.. Thanks for a great video.
Yes.
Ok, so I came up with this same idea before I viewed your great video. What do you think about running a dedicated 1/2" line (via a closed loop, 1" manifold similar to your 3/4" manifold) to each vanity, sink, and laundry, while running dedicated 3/4" a 3/4" line to each shower. Would this additionally allow maximum flow and pressure to the showers (3 bathrooms) where it's more critical for comfort? Also, I'm considering re-plumbing the entire house. I recently had a leak in the slab from copper cold water line to the kitchen. Would extremely hot temperatures in the attic here in south Louisiana be a problem for PEX?Thanks for the video. Extremely neatly constructed manifold...great work!
+Mike Junot On the heat issue, the PEX shown in this video (the stuff that is common to box stores like Lowes) is rated to at least 180 F, and if that's not enough there is a version of PEX for boiler and radiant floor heating rated even higher.
Yes, you can have any size manifold you'd like and run dedicated 1/2" lines to each fixture. In fact, that's even nicer that the set up I used in this video. It does allow for greater volume to each fixture and smoother operation. The question is demand vs. set up cost. If a house has family that uses a lot of water by many different people at one time, running dedicated lines is probably worth the set up cost. If it's a small house with few people or people that aren't all demanding water at the same time, running one line to a room (like a bathroom) and then using a mini-brass manifold is more than fine.
James,, Great video! Is your manifold made from pex A tubing? or a rigid pex pipe?
A, but any pex would work including the orange radiant floor per. You could even make the whole thing out of copper if you wanted to sweat joints if that look was the anesthetic you're looking for. I did that once where the manifold was exposed in the living environment and it was kinda steam punk.
My manifold is a straight line with a stub at the end could I get away with just taking that stub and going back into the line would that work I have a manifold for both hot and cold?
You are running 1/2" lines to the bathroom and then branching off from that to each bathroom fixture. What if the shower and the toilet were running at the same time? Would you then have a drop noticable drop in pressure causing the "hot shower" effect? I have been running "home runs" to each fixture to avoid that, but it would be a lot more conventient to run my houses the way you are doing it. Most of my houses are 1 kitch, 1 bath, and 1 laundry set-up in the basement. Some have 2 baths.
damn i wish i had seen this about 4 hours ago before i bought a premade manifold. although it does have two inputs, one for hot and one for cold.
I like this loop system. Can outlets be all on one side? (6 on one side 0 on the other,instead of 3 on each side the way you did it) thanks.
Yes.
AWESOME TUTORIAL! THANKS!
Well, I guess it would depend on water use and your world view. Part of my motivation is to get people to use less water (less energy) so I like the idea of restricting water flow. This won't work for people who think they should massive pressure and volume at every fixture! So, if the goal is getting the most resource to the fixture, then 3/4" is fine, but 1/2 is fine for small families or folks that simply realize they waste most of the water down the drain. Bad answer from me, I guess!
Hello James. I buy houses, and then fix them up to rent them in Western PA. I found this video informative. I've been buying pre-made mainfolds but I like your loop manifold idea and it would be easy to make. My store-bought manifolds use a 1" body, where you are only using 3/4". If you had a toilet, shower and kitchen sink running all at the same time, would you get a noticable drop in pressure?
Do you make a separate manifold for each room? I'm installing pex throughout my home which includes a kitchen, bathroom, laundry room and outside spicket. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and knowledge.
Excellent video.
Good video! Question for you. Should the water main branch T off to the fresh manifold and hot water heater, or does it matter if the hot water IN is fed from the freshwater manifold to the hot water heater, then to a hot water manifold. I see you test pressure have you tested the out on the hot water manifold to see if its consistent? I'm remodeling my house and trying to learn. Assuming pressure drops over distance. Or could I be over thinking this
Thank you
They'd be so close it wouldn't matter, no worries. Depending on space limitations, feeding to water heater off main line after shut off or or cold manifold would be equally OK.
Great video! I am upgrading my plumbing and one concern was the pressure drop issue so this really helps. I do have a concern about the hot water coming off of the manifold. Is it necessary to supply the hot water tank from the cold water manifold? Would it be better to have the main supply line branch off with one feeding the hot water tank and one feeding the cold water manifold? So the hot water tank and the cold water manifold both have a dedicated feed.
You don't have to run the hot water supply from the cold manifold. I often don't, but this house was tiny. For average homes you can do like you mentioned and just run two lines right after the main shut off to each manifold.
I am curious. With your PEX manifold would it work as well if you used 'T' connections at the corners to run a circuit off the corners
Yes--so long as you have a ring by which flow is equalized from either direction. Sometimes I'll use a T in one corner to the hot water manifold depending on space.
Great alternate to a commercial manifold. Would you mind sharing the pex size you made the manifold out of? Safe to assume 1/2" to normal loads and 3/4" to H2O heater?
I already have my house plumbed but was wondering if i attached an extra line of pex from my mains entering the house to my furthest tape would that be the same principle of creating a loop for stopping pressure drops?
James, do you have any other vidoes that shows the installation of your Pex in your home or can you recommend a good video that I should watch, thanks
For the Manifold are you using 3/4" for the main ring and 1/2'' branches and how far apart are your branches
I would love to see the end product with both hot water and cold water manifolds.
Each shut off is $6 retail and the ring and pipe are almost pennies. So, 8 valves is around $48 and there might be $4 of misc. for a total cost around $52 for the manifold you see in this video.
James Glass you double that price
because you need a hot and cold manifold . Thanks
James, Great Video. I'm one of the slow guys. Is the manifold inlet 3/4 and is the pex 3/4 all around. So..... the tees are 3/4 going in and 1/2 going out to each of the shut out valve. In your manifold you have eight connections. Thanks....... from the slow guy
What's with the huge pipe cutter? Why didn't you go with Uponor PEX-A instead? no need for checking space on the ring and the "go and no-go" system
this is probably a dumb question but.... Do you also put a shut off valve at the other end of all the lines even though you have the Manifold shut off valve at the start of the water line?
I love shut off valves, and I use them a lot. Code here doesn't require shut off valves at the fixture, but I think that's bunk, so I use a shut off valve for hot and cold at every fixture.
Hi... Would you say using a curved 90 is better for end pressure, as opposed to a fitting 90?... Thanks...
It doesn't matter.
One thing...with the mini manifolds in the ' grouped' areas...are they looped like the main manifold?....or are they in a straight line?
Your feedback would be appreciated
You can just run one hot and one cold to each area and then use the mini manifolds to branch off those two trunks. For example: run your hot and cold to your bathroom and then use a 3 outlet mini (3/4" inlet with 3 1/2" outlets) from the cold line to supply the toilet, sink and tub. Use a 2 outlet one for the sink and tub aupplies.
Or in the kitchen: bring a hot and cold off your main manifold to a mini that supplies hot water to the DW and sink and a cold line to the sink and fridge.
@@JamesGlassJamesGlass thank you for your prompt response James, much appreciated
Can't go wrong with PEX
excellent video . my galvanized pipes are all rusted ...should i break down all my walls and put PEX or hire someone to 'reline' the rusted iron pipes ? Any Advice ?
***** Thanks . Obviously I can leave the old pipes there but it is very difficult to insert new pipes in many areas without breaking the drywalls and ceilings ..
***** thanks and I will try it next time my renter is out . About 2 more years..I will have to remove a good section of drywall under the sinks i guess .
Is there water storage tank feeding this manifold or is it being feed by the incoming mains from the road
I don't know anything about them. I only use brass. I wasn't aware that there were plastic fitting for PEX, but there are for Quest which is polybutelene. That's that grey pipe you see in trailers a lot. Do you have a link for plastic PEX fittings? I'm curious about that.
Hi James
Stupid question but just being careful: Does it matter which side of the manifold the water intake is located? I doubt it does but again, just being careful.
Thanks and have a great weekend.
Pete Bauer
Nope--the goal is to just have water coming in from both directions to each outlet and whether the incoming water comes from the left or right (or it could be top or bottom) doesn't matter--just make sure that you take two branches from the point of intake and make the loop for all your water lines.
James Glass Thanks again and I am trying to learn all I can about using brass on private wells, if you would be interested I would be happy to forward you the conclusion when available.
Cheers Pete Bauer
Can this type of manifold be made with 1/2” inlet and 1/2” outlets? Also, can I use sharkbite tees and valves?
Yes on all counts.