[bcgfdc3]

Let me start by saying I tried the search tool and was not able to get it to work properly so I apologize if this has been addressed prior.


I need to do some plumbing work as I am adding a wash tub. I would like to use PEX because of it's ease in running. I considered Sharkbite type connectors but they are expensive. I would love to buy a tool for the connectors. I have looked at both the expanding tool that uses the PEX collars and also the one that uses the rings.


From the experts in the field, is one any better that the other? I leaning toward the one that just expands the pipe with the PEX collar.


Thanks
Rick

 

[bfrabel]

Yes, the crimp rings and their associated tools are cheaper, but the expansion kind with the collars are a much more secure connection. If you can swing the extra expense of the expansion tool (or if you can rent it) I think it would be worth it.


Don't use shark-bites. I've seen lots of them leak after a while when used with pex.

 

[chandler48]

The only way a sharkbite fitting will fail is if it is installed properly. I don't put much credence in someone seeing a lot of them leak. However, your reasoning for not using them is right. They are expen$ive. I have not used the expander type tools, and they may be the cat's meow, but I have not gone wrong with the ring crimping style, either.

 

[bfrabel]

The only way a sharkbite fitting will fail is if it is installed properly.

Yep. True words.

Actually the ones that I have seen leaking were ones that I installed, and to be fair they were not real Sharkbites. I believe they were made by either Watts or Nibco. I used the proper tool to cut the pex with, I used the plastic insert fitting that these brands require to be used with pex, and I pushed the pex all of the way into the fittings.

There were 2 different boiler system jobs that we used them on. About a year later we were called back to both jobs because several of the fittings had slow drips.

I'm not sure if authentic Sharkbites would have been better vs. the other brand's Push To Connect fittings that I used. Perhaps they are better. To me they look like pretty much the same thing.

All I know is that PEX gets soft when heated up, and boiler piping is known to expand and contract a lot with the temperature changes that it goes through. Sharkbites just grab onto the outside of the pipe and then have to hold on for dear life. All other types of PEX fittings use some type of barbed fitting that gets pushed into the pipe, with something else that squeezes the PEX around it.

Oh, I just remembered another leak, this time with a real Sharkbite. I think it was on 2" copper. We had some pipes to solder and an old ball valve was leaking by a little bit, so we cut the pipe (with a pipe cutter), reamed and sanded the copper, and installed the Sharkbite valve about a foot away from the existing one.

The stupid thing leaked right away as soon as we pressurized it with water. For the amount of money we paid for the thing we were not happy. It certainly didn't make things easier like we were hoping it would. We removed and inspected the Sharkbite and didn't see anything wrong with the O-ring inside.

I'm glad you've had better luck with Sharkbites than I have. For me and my customers I just don't trust them, except for in emergency situations where they are in a place where a leak would be visible and easy to get to in order to make a more proper repair if needed.

 

[SeniorSitizen]

After watching a licensed plumber use the stainless cinch band I really can't see another system being any better nor as easy to use.

 

[ktownskier]

As someone (@jbfan) posted in a different thread, ALL CONNECTIONS are subject to fail. No matter how expertly crafted. With that being said. I have used the stainless crimp ring for several years with the only failures being from from defective installers.

I just felt the stainless crimp ring was the most affordable option compared to the copper ring or the wirsbo expander ring. Plus, it seemed to fit the type of work I did more. Remodeling versus new work.

 

[bcgfdc3]

So after doing some more research, I found it fascinating that the wirsbo is the only one that maintains a true pipe diameter as you are expanding the pipe to fit the fitting instead of reducing the pipe by crimping something around a smaller fitting.



Now I know a lot of you will argue the minor flow loss for such a small length will never be noticed but it just makes me think there is more to it.


Thoughts?

 

[chandler48]

I see no argument. The pipe fits over the fitting. That is the final neck size, regardless of the method used.

 

[Clutchcargo]

Are there any issues using the Wirsbo expander connections in a heating application; 180-190°F?

 

[Ghostmaker]

https://www.pexuniverse.com/pex-tubing-technical-specs

 

[TheEplumber]

Let me start by saying I tried the search tool and was not able to get it to work properly so I apologize if this has been addressed prior.


I need to do some plumbing work as I am adding a wash tub. I would like to use PEX because of it's ease in running. I considered Sharkbite type connectors but they are expensive. I would love to buy a tool for the connectors. I have looked at both the expanding tool that uses the PEX collars and also the one that uses the rings.


From the experts in the field, is one any better that the other? I leaning toward the one that just expands the pipe with the PEX collar.


Thanks
Rick

For tinkering around your DIY project, use the system that is readily available in your area. That will be a big advantage- for instance, if you run out of expansion rings, are you forced to go online to order a bag or does the box store carry them?

Me, I make a living running pex on some projects. I currently use Propex (Uponor) expansion system. I have access to expander tools up to 3" pipe. I am currently doing a restaurant with pex sizes from 1/2"- 2" Imagine putting crimp rings on 2"....:vs_OMG:
IMO, it is the fastest of all pex systems, except maybe pushfit fittings, which few people trust and can't afford more than a handful......:wink2:

Just my opinion, but here are some reasons why I like using Wirsbo expansion. (and I have used all systems over the years)
I do not have to position rings carefully and fear they move in the crimp process.
I do not worry about uncrimped rings causing fittings to blow apart.
I do not have to calibrate or use a go, no-go tool.
Propex rings will not corrode when in contact with soil.
Battery powered tool is a simple 'pull the trigger' operation- no squeezing a giant crimper that sometimes takes two hands to operate.
I have multiple wholesale sources for parts
I also use it occasionally for in-slab heating and snow melt systems