# New plumbing using PEX



## Guest (May 26, 2004)

I would like to get feed back from any body that has had thier home pulmbing done with PEX tubing for hot and cold water.

Thanks,


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2004)

*Pex Q&A, can I tap into Aquapex with Qest/Zurn?*

My house if about one year old now and was plumbed with Aquapex Pex type products. I think it is great, it is quiet and clean and apparently the most freeze resistant type of supply line of any. We have had no problems with it. There's my answer, here's my question if anyone out there knows.

As indicated above my house is plumbed in Aquapex. I had the rough plumbing for a bathroom put in the basement and am going to finish that this fall. I am an avid do it yourselfer and feel that I will also be successful at running my own plumbing for this bathroom. I cannot justify spending the huge amounts of money that the Aquapex tools and supplies will cost, I may as well hire it out at that point. I would like to use the Qest/Zurn Pex products as I have read the 28 page manual and feel it is very similar to the Aquapex. Plus it is much cheaper for the tools and my local Lowe's carries it, therefore it is easily accessible. Can I tap into the 1/2" Aquapex with the Qest/Zurn product and be safe? 

Thanks in advance to anyone that can help me out on this.


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## wingam00 (Apr 18, 2005)

*Renting??*

How you looked at renting the needed tool?


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## housedocs (Mar 14, 2005)

Renting tools is a good way to go for alot of things for the diyer. Look under rental yards in your local yellow pages. Can't say whether or not theyll have what you're looking for or not. And I pretty much sub all the plumbing & elec on my jobs for insurance & licensing reasons. Personaly, I like copper plumbing, but that's strictly my .02¢

Welcome to you both BTW!


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## housedocs (Mar 14, 2005)

Renting tools is a good way to go for alot of things for the diyer. Look under rental yards in your local yellow pages. Can't say whether or not theyll have what you're looking for or not. And I pretty much sub all the plumbing & elec on my jobs for insurance & licensing reasons. Personaly, I like copper plumbing, but that's strictly my .02¢

Welcome to you both BTW! 

One other note on your basement bath project, you should check with your local bldg inspector's office, it may be that you need to have a licensed plumber & electrician to do that work. Otherwise down the road should you decide to sell unlicensed work can come back to bite you in the butt. Definitely should check it out before you jump in head first.


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 7, 2004)

I'm sorry that I have to be a little more vocal than housedoc but I think that I may have been a bit more involved than he.
I remember the class action suit against Qest and numerous long term problems with polyethelyne tubuing when exposed to certain chemicals. The chemicals were never traced, to the best of my knowledge. The effects, which I can no longer document due to deaths and expiration of company documents, caused polyethelyne tubing to harden and later crumble, post failure.
In essence, you could crush the tubing with your fingers.
Copper has been around for many decades and is the only way to fly, in my book. When plastic tubing has been around for another 30 yrs, you can discuss it with my kids.


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## 747 (Feb 11, 2005)

Richard T. on this old house uses pex all the time for water lines and radiant floor heat. He is very paticular in the manufacturer of the pex he uses. Meaning he only goes with one kind. Unfortunately I don't know what manufacturer that is. As far as teetor coment i have never heard that but i have heard Richard T. on this old house say that the pex he goes with has been under lab testing for a substancial period of time meaning in the excess of 20 years he said on one project. I will see if i can find what pex tubing he prefers on there website and come back. Here you go...Wirsbo Pex Tubing manufacturer Uponor Wirsbo.www.wirsbo.com


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## orangewhip (Apr 18, 2006)

To also add my 2cents... PEX has been around for over 30 years in both Europe and the US. So it is time tested.

I am about to redo all the plumbing in my old house as well and during my research I also found a new product that may be the best of both worlds. It is called IPEX. It is esentially PEX piping with a sandwiched layer of aluminum in between. What this does is allows the ease of installation like PEX, but also allow the rigidity of copper if need be which allows the pipe to be bent.


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## Oldman (Apr 18, 2006)

If I may here, I once had to repair some Quest pipe and the owner asked about the Shell Oil lawsuit. Well I did some research and found that in order for the lawsuit to apply to you, a plumber would have to remove drywall to make the repairs. If the leak was acessable, then no lawsuit could insue. Pex (Polly Crosslink) has been around for quite some time, the reason for the Quest problems to my understanding (And visual sightings) is that the aluminum rings used were affected by chlorine in the water were as the copper rings were not. Still, I try to avoid pex all together, I prefer CPVC or copper. I seem to get better water flow through these on extremly long runs. (Especialy if home owner wants a hot water re circulator)


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## crecore (Nov 2, 2005)

My house is completely AquaPex and HeatPex, 3-1/2 years old no problems. Material and tool costs more, but you make it up in reduced labor.

CR


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## orangewhip (Apr 18, 2006)

Actually, in my neck of the woods, PEX plumbing supplies (the pipe etc...) is actually a lot cheaper than copper. The tools, are more expensive, but you can rent at your local home reno warehouse.


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