DeWalt DCE400 20v Cordless Pex A Expansion Tool Review
Вставка
- Опубліковано 24 лип 2023
- Review of the Dewalt DCE400B Pex-A Expansion Tool used for attaching plumbing fittings with pex a pipe. Also a comparison of pex a expansion vs pex b crimp or clamp fittings and the tools to perform those connections.
DeWalt DCE400: amzn.to/3q1xYKH
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
#dewalt #tools #tool #pex #plumbing #plumbingtools #plumber #review
Join us on social media:
Instagram: / someguygarage
Twitter: / someguygarage
Facebook: / someguysgarage
TikTok: / someguygarage - Наука та технологія
Thnx Someguy for making this quick & simple PEX video. Helped a lot
Glad it was helpful :) let me know if you have any questions!
Twenty years ago I purchased a set of PEX crispers. I have used them on many small projects and repairs. The Dewalt expander truly is a game changer even to just finish a basement. Your review was thorough and the two demos were icing on the cake. Well done! Keep up the fine work.
Much appreciated (here and on other videos)...it's incredible how much easier it is!
I recently got the Milwaukee M12 version as an 'early father's day present' and replaced almost all of the copper pipe with Pex-A. I can't imagine using a manual expander or any Pex-B. Definitely made that whole project much easier. It was worth every penny, even if I never use it again. Looks like the DeWalt works equally well and just as worthwhile.
Yup, expansion is the way to go 100%, I can't imagine doing it any other way!
Bought one of these beginning of the year and used it on my cabin plumbing. I paid about $400 for it, not cheap but worth every penny and was simple to use. I saved thousands of dollars doing it myself instead of hiring a plumber. Don't use 2ah batteries they are junk. I used 6ah batteries and it was amazing.
The 2ah works, I might try the powerstacks on it next time I do some work...it doesn't use a lot of ah but needs good high current batteries it would seem.
They definitely are worth every penny though, so simple to do compared to crimp rings.
That is the truth.
Definitely have to use bigger batteries & no way you should do it without a charger & 2 batteries
A couple more benefits to pex a is the pex a doesn't get kinks in the line. If for some reason you need to undo something you can heat the line up with a heat gun or blow dryer and take it apart. Most importantly pex a fittings are a true size like copper. Pex b fittings are smaller and reduce flow. Great video
Great points, I was focusing on the tool but the Pex A system is far superior to Pex B for other reasons as you mentioned :)
Would have never found this channel if it wasn’t for garage journal
Glad to have you here! GJ members are awesome :)
Thanks for the video. I just got one today and will be re Plumbing my house in the future. I did some research and found pex a was better then the other style pex. The previous commenter that said his company flooded 3 houses with it is worrysome. But that was the first i heard of that. Im thinking operator error. Anyway i do plan on checking my work before just turning on the water and leaving. Seems kinda like a no brainer. 😂
No issues here...potentially they used the wrong fittings? You do have to get expansion fittings and would be easy to confuse them with regular fittings. Either way, this is the only way to do PEX install IMO, having used the other systems and spent more time with this one, it's just so much easier! Hope your re-plumbing goes well!
Just got myself one of these for when my wife and I remodel our basement 🙂
They're pretty awesome eh?
Definitely takes the plumbing down to a more diy level if you have the cash for one of these and much cheaper than a plumber. Now I just need to research the plumbing code for when we do the project 😅 Not rocket science I'm sure but will need to research a bit. Thought about doing copper but repiping this way seems way easier and I can use it on our addition when we do that as well 😎
@@videogamenut1289 definitely way easier. There's no reason to sweat copper anymore, use a sharkbite somewhere accessible to connect pex to existing copper and then just pex expansion the rest.
If you haven't seen it, I have an entire series on finishing my basement, you'd probably enjoy it :)
You just gained a sub good sir 😎 awesome content!
@@videogamenut1289 thanks! If you ever have questions or want to see something, let me know, happy to do videos for what people are looking for :)
I find if you use the big fat super dewalt battery, this tool comes alive. it's like in turbo mode! No, bs.....super fast!
Interesting, I haven't tried it with anything but a 2ah....I'll throw a 9ah flexvolt on next time I use it to see what happens :)
Question?
Can i purchase this special grease from like another source or name brand? Does it have to be a dewalt brand grease? Thanks for the knowledge!
It's just a somewhat light food safe grease (since some could get in the water system), any brands pex expander grease should work.
Seems a tad faster the Milwaukee 12v pro-press is best in my opinion on new but this hold’s something on renovation since it’s less constrictive on existing systems. Love the science behind it I just find this system has flooded 3 houses in my company. (As long as your professional and test your stuff right this system should work appropriately)
Thanks for sharing
You're comparing pex to copper. Milwaukee's pipe press is only for copper lines. Most houses use pex nowadays and copper is mainly in industrial. The main benefit to pipe press on copper pipes is you don't need a burn permit in industrial settings. I'm not knocking pipe press technology because it's great but I've seen more failures in it than pex a. A lot of people don't properly ream the pipe and damage the o ring on the pipe press fitting. A paper mill I work at lost close to a million dollars in parent rolls due to a bad pipe press job
I could hear it labor on the 3/4" I wonder how it does on the 1". Does it run the battery down pretty quickly?
I haven't tried it on 1" yet...it does sound laboured a bit, but I think it's just the nature of what it's doing as the torque comes up. I'm also using it on a 2ah battery in the video, it does a little better on a 5ah or powerstack. As for runtime, I plumbed my entire basement and didn't even lose a bar on the 2ah battery lol (around a couple dozen fittings).
@@SomeGuysGarageThanks for the fast response. That sounds good, I think I'll order it. I'm starting a full gut and remodel of a house so it will get some exercise. I'm already bought into the Dewalt system so I'm good with getting a bigger battery if needed. And I don't even plan to use 1" pex anyway so my question was just curiosity.
@@semosancus5506it's a great tool, if you use the link in the description of my video (if you order from amazon anyway) I get a few bucks back...but otherwise, no worries.
I've always previously used the crimp ring pex fittings, they SUCK...the expansion system with the Dewalt tool is so much easier and faster. Just make sure you get pex-a pipe and expansion fittings, they are different and not everywhere stocks them.
I'm also in the middle of doing my basement, fun project (have a couple vids on it)...good luck with your remodel as well!
I bought for the second time a brand new one but it stucked while expanding
did you properly grease it?
I purchased this Dewalt Pex A expansion tool. Doing a total replum of my old house. It worked great for the first day. Late in the second day. The head began to hangup. Switched to the 1/2 inch head and had a similar issue. It doesn't do it everything. But enough to be very inconvenient when you are under the house. Does anyone have any idea what might be going wrong?
Two thoughts, 1) are you using a big enough battery pack (ie not the 1.5ah black ones). And 2) did you properly grease the head?
I had same issue haven't greased it yet tho going to try that
@@zackhines2569 comes with the right grease, must use, otherwise it's dry metal on metal which isn't good
So what’s better the Milwaukee one or the Dewalt ?
Whichever one you already have batteries for :)
You can now use this with newer Zurn pex b with Zurn heads.
Oh cool :)
Is there ever a reason to put a hose clamp or something similar over the PEX-A expander ring to make it tighter? I ask because the plumber doing some work for us added them over the expansion collars. Perhaps he didn’t trust the system? I never saw this in any of the videos I have watched on UA-cam to learn about the PEX-A expansion technology. Thanks in advance!
I came across one hose clamp in my house that the builder did, I assume because of a leaking fitting after install. There is no reason to do them all the time, none of the manufacturers recommend it, and could actually cause problems (uneven/wrong pressure on the joint).
@@SomeGuysGarage~ Thank you for the reply. Perhaps the plumber had experienced a leaking connection in the past? I didn’t ask about it at the time. I just noticed that no one else seems to do this with PEX-A expansion connections. The clamps he installed were called Oetiker hose clamps, as I recall.
@@geloradananrlyeh8495There is a cinch ring style clamp for pex that sorta looks like a hose clamp ... google "pex cinch ring" and you'll see. You can use these with pex-a pipe but it's not the expansion system. Perhaps that's what it was?
@@SomeGuysGarage~ I have seen those used with PEX-B fittings instead of the compression clamps, but in this case, he was definitely using the expansion sleeves with PEX-A and the expansion tool. After the hose settled for about a minute, the plumber slipped the metal clamp up over the expansion sleeve and crimped it down. The clamp looks a little different from the cinch rings you mentioned. These have two places on opposite sides that are crimped or squeezed down. I wish that I could post a photo of them.
@@geloradananrlyeh8495Like two ear pinch rings?
What psi can this handle?
I assume you don't mean the tool but the PEX A type pipe/fittings? Usually they're somewhere in the 100psi area water pressure max, but you really should check the specific ratings of all the pieces you use.
Good to know that you can rotate the fittings
yup, sure can! Makes it easy :)
Can it expand Cooper?
Copper? No, only for pex that is rated for expansion (typically pex-a)
My thumb looks just like yours...lol Did you say Gosh Darnit as well ?
LoL was mostly a "well shoot, that's annoying"...I had gloves on when a bit on an impact driver slipped right into it, knew exactly what it would look like when I pulled the glove off.
Hi, can i ask what happened to your left thumb? Im sorry, bro.
Was driving a screw with an impact driver, pushing hard as it was wobbling, slipped and hit my thumb with the bit lol no biggy, nail mostly fell off and is nearly better.
Thanks though :)
berapa harga bor nya
These are around $500
i hope your thumb is okay
Yup, it has long since recovered lol that one was a doozy
Great video! Just delete the words “actual/actually” from your vocabulary.
Thanks for the feedback, it's hard to get those filler words out...the one that always bugs me is "you know"....but I'll work on it.
@@SomeGuysGarage 😂😂 👍🏼. I'm glad I ran across your video. I started looking at prices on them again and Amazon has a kit (3 heads, grease and plastic case minus the battery and charger) for $300. I think that's a good deal?? I have batteries.