Ever since it was first introduced in Europe in 1960, PEX continues to be the most favored choice of plumbers and homeowners alike. Many countries and hotels use this material only for water supply systems. That makes it all the more important that people continue to get a regular supply of PEX.
The ever-increasing patronage extended to PEX for being used for plumbing has prompted many manufacturers of PEX to diversify their product range. The diversified use of PEX plumbing has encouraged manufacturers to develop a number of PEX products.
The increasing number of manufacturers of PEX products, while making it very competitive for the marketers, has certainly helped the consumers by keeping the prices at a reasonable level. This is motivating a large number of householders to consider installation of PEX products in their homes. PEX is the abbreviated form of cross-linked polyethylene. The material has some unique characteristics, which impart it a better strength and safety than the conventional metallic pipes that have hitherto continued to be in use.
GTGlobe Industries is one of the most recognized and organized companies that supply PEX for different applications. There are other manufacturers too, in Europe and America that are making life easier for people of those countries. Some of these companies are; Ningbo Amico Plastic Co., Ltd., Sure Union International Limited and Tubomart Trading Co., Ltd.,
Many American house owners have replaced their old plumbing systems with PEX plumbing. That improves the quality of drinking water. Many of the Asian countries are also trying to enter PEX manufacturing market and China is also among such countries. It has certainly been impressed by the advantages of using PEX as experienced by people in Europe and America.
The present constriction styles and designs rely heavily on the use of PEX plumbing. Should you be in the process of building a new home or renovating your existing one, you would do well to seriously consider having PEX plumbing for the benefits it offers.
A very helpful feature of PEX plumbing is that it has fewer joints and that facilitates its installation. Its installation needs a few cutting tools, “GO/NO GO” gauges of steel and tools for crimp ring removal.
You should surely avoid getting burrs while cutting a measured tube. Using a copper crimp ring, fasten it to the pipe with the help of a crimping tool. Make sure that it is well positioned. For best results it should be 1/8” to 1/4 ‘ away from the end of the tube. And, make sure that the ring is completely closed.
Just try it once and see how simple it is. In any case you could always seek the help of a professional.
Wednesday
Monday
What Is PEX And How To Use It?
Since a lot of hobbyists and DIY enthusiasts are unaware of the meaning of PEX, let’s first talk about that. PEX is a commercial slang for XLPE, which stands for Cross-Linked Polyethylene, a kind of plastic, you could say. XLPE can be molded to form tubes that are most often used as a means of carrying hot or cold fluids.
Apart from being used for domestic piping, it is used as an insulating material for insulation of high voltage cables. Besides that it finds applications in handling of natural gas and offshore oil projects. It is being widely used for transportation of chemicals, sewage and slurries.
The circuitry of heating or cooling system that transfers heat by circulating a fluid thru a closed system of pipes is termed as hydronic.
Pex Tubing
Of late, XLPE is being used to replace PVC, polyvinyl chloride and chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) too. On the domestic front it is being used as an alternative for copper tubing used for carrying of hot or cold water. Pex tubing is specified by its diameter. It’s available in most common sizes from ¼ inch to 4 inches. However, for domestic applications one wouldn’t require a size of above an inch, and generally smaller sizes of ½ or ¾ inch suffice.
Obviously you would be wondering why it is being used as a substitute for the materials that has been in use since long. Here are the reasons:
* PEX can be employed for carrying of hot or cold water. Its fittings are so designed to make them compatible with copper or PVC tubing.
* PEX is exceptionally flexible. This characteristic makes it very convenient for being used even by a non-professional like an enthusiast hobbyist or an adventurous DIY character. If ever you tried to fix a copper elbow, you would understand it better for, a PEX tubing can easily be bent to any desired angle. For example, you could bend a 3/8″ pipe to a 4″ radius and 1/2″ pipe to a 5″ radius. Unbelievable!
* Now look at the advantage of easy bends: you reduce the number of fittings and the less the number of fittings the lower is the leakage. In effect it reduces loss of fluids and very easy and rare repairs.
* There are very stray chances of PEX tubing getting burst; being flexible it has the characteristic of expansion or contraction.
* If, for any reason it needs to be repaired, easy to use kits are available.
* PEX has all the typical fittings as well, like shutoffs, elbows, etc.
Making the Connection – PEX may be installed in two ways. One is by compression and the other is by insertion. As you might guess, compression is rather tedious while the other process is very convenient for any of the domestic users. It’s available in rolls of 100 feet or you may by it in shorter lengths of ten feet, depending on your requirements and convenience. Another helpful feature is its availability in different colors. You may use red tubing for transmission of hot fluids or a blue colored tubing to indicate carrying of cold liquids. Of course, white is always there for any conventional use. It’s absolutely safe to use it for interiors and can be used for underground applications equally well. It would be desirable to consult the manufacturer or an expert for any exterior application.
PEX piping has the ability to expand and contract as water freezes or thaws within the tubing, thus making it almost foolproof of bursts. The usual insulating material used for other plumbing jobs can be used for this piping too, as no tubing material is cent percent free of being damaged by a frozen fluid.
Working with PEX is very fast and that’s the reason for its gaining popularity. As always, it is desirable to have a dry run on any piping to assess your requirements of connectors, if any.
Isn’t all this information motivating enough for you to carry your new project with PEX tubing and be envied by the neighbors?
Apart from being used for domestic piping, it is used as an insulating material for insulation of high voltage cables. Besides that it finds applications in handling of natural gas and offshore oil projects. It is being widely used for transportation of chemicals, sewage and slurries.
The circuitry of heating or cooling system that transfers heat by circulating a fluid thru a closed system of pipes is termed as hydronic.
Pex Tubing
Of late, XLPE is being used to replace PVC, polyvinyl chloride and chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) too. On the domestic front it is being used as an alternative for copper tubing used for carrying of hot or cold water. Pex tubing is specified by its diameter. It’s available in most common sizes from ¼ inch to 4 inches. However, for domestic applications one wouldn’t require a size of above an inch, and generally smaller sizes of ½ or ¾ inch suffice.
Obviously you would be wondering why it is being used as a substitute for the materials that has been in use since long. Here are the reasons:
* PEX can be employed for carrying of hot or cold water. Its fittings are so designed to make them compatible with copper or PVC tubing.
* PEX is exceptionally flexible. This characteristic makes it very convenient for being used even by a non-professional like an enthusiast hobbyist or an adventurous DIY character. If ever you tried to fix a copper elbow, you would understand it better for, a PEX tubing can easily be bent to any desired angle. For example, you could bend a 3/8″ pipe to a 4″ radius and 1/2″ pipe to a 5″ radius. Unbelievable!
* Now look at the advantage of easy bends: you reduce the number of fittings and the less the number of fittings the lower is the leakage. In effect it reduces loss of fluids and very easy and rare repairs.
* There are very stray chances of PEX tubing getting burst; being flexible it has the characteristic of expansion or contraction.
* If, for any reason it needs to be repaired, easy to use kits are available.
* PEX has all the typical fittings as well, like shutoffs, elbows, etc.
Making the Connection – PEX may be installed in two ways. One is by compression and the other is by insertion. As you might guess, compression is rather tedious while the other process is very convenient for any of the domestic users. It’s available in rolls of 100 feet or you may by it in shorter lengths of ten feet, depending on your requirements and convenience. Another helpful feature is its availability in different colors. You may use red tubing for transmission of hot fluids or a blue colored tubing to indicate carrying of cold liquids. Of course, white is always there for any conventional use. It’s absolutely safe to use it for interiors and can be used for underground applications equally well. It would be desirable to consult the manufacturer or an expert for any exterior application.
PEX piping has the ability to expand and contract as water freezes or thaws within the tubing, thus making it almost foolproof of bursts. The usual insulating material used for other plumbing jobs can be used for this piping too, as no tubing material is cent percent free of being damaged by a frozen fluid.
Working with PEX is very fast and that’s the reason for its gaining popularity. As always, it is desirable to have a dry run on any piping to assess your requirements of connectors, if any.
Isn’t all this information motivating enough for you to carry your new project with PEX tubing and be envied by the neighbors?
Thursday
The Differences Between Copper Pipes And PEX Pipes
Plumbing pipes used for domestic applications are either of copper metal or of plastic known as PEX. Either material offers its own plus and minus points, but PEX is a favorite of the plumbing contractors because of the ease with which it can be handled. It has other advantages too. It reduces installation time, and thus the cost of the total project.
PEX FACTS:
Pex pipes
Cost - It is much cheaper than copper tubing. Of course, being metallic, old and used copper tubing has a better resale value even as a scrap, whereas old plastic will hardly be saleable. Copper tubing certainly adds value to your home.
Labor - You save a lot of labor as you are not required to cut copper which is quite time consuming. Besides PEX pipes offer better flexibility and don’t need as many fittings. That contributes to a faster execution of the job and thus saves on the cost of labor. As plastics are lighter than copper it facilitates economical transportation to the advantage of the plumbers.
Outdoor Use – Here’s the limitation. PEX plumbing pipes are not suitable for outdoor applications as UV rays may cause a breakdown of the material and that could be hazardous.
COPPER FACTS:
Copper pipes
Dependable - Since generations copper tubing has been used for domestic applications all over the U.S. Plumbers continue to favor it as they are more experienced with its handling and for its strength and dependability.
Resists Bacteria - Copper pipes being biostatic are able to resist bacterial growth.
Other Benefits:
* Can be used for floor spaces, narrow places, and a range of wall applications.
* Very safe in case of fires.
* Outdoor applications pose no problems.
Ultimately, you decide the best suitable material in consultation with your plumber. Either of the two may be used depending upon your specific requirements and preferences.
PEX FACTS:
Pex pipes
Cost - It is much cheaper than copper tubing. Of course, being metallic, old and used copper tubing has a better resale value even as a scrap, whereas old plastic will hardly be saleable. Copper tubing certainly adds value to your home.
Labor - You save a lot of labor as you are not required to cut copper which is quite time consuming. Besides PEX pipes offer better flexibility and don’t need as many fittings. That contributes to a faster execution of the job and thus saves on the cost of labor. As plastics are lighter than copper it facilitates economical transportation to the advantage of the plumbers.
Outdoor Use – Here’s the limitation. PEX plumbing pipes are not suitable for outdoor applications as UV rays may cause a breakdown of the material and that could be hazardous.
COPPER FACTS:
Copper pipes
Dependable - Since generations copper tubing has been used for domestic applications all over the U.S. Plumbers continue to favor it as they are more experienced with its handling and for its strength and dependability.
Resists Bacteria - Copper pipes being biostatic are able to resist bacterial growth.
Other Benefits:
* Can be used for floor spaces, narrow places, and a range of wall applications.
* Very safe in case of fires.
* Outdoor applications pose no problems.
Ultimately, you decide the best suitable material in consultation with your plumber. Either of the two may be used depending upon your specific requirements and preferences.
Tuesday
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Google uses the Doubleclick DART cookie to serve ads across it's Adsense network and you can get further information regarding the DART cookie at oubleclick as well as opt out options at Google's Privacy Center.
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I respect your privacy and I am committed to safeguarding your privacy while online at this site http://pexpipe.blogspot.com/ The following discloses how I gather and disseminate information for this Blog.
RSS Feeds and Email Updates
If a user wishes to subscribe to my RSS Feeds or Email Updates (powered by Feedburner), I ask for contact information such as name and email address. Users may opt-out of these communications at any time. Your personal information will never be sold or given to a third party. (You will never be spammed by me - ever)
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Like most blogging platforms I use log files, in this case Statcounter. This stores information such as internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), referring, exit and visited pages, platform used, date/time stamp, track user’s movement in the whole, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. IP addresses etc. are not linked to personally identifiable information.
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