PEX Size

[ZachO]

I have a 91 Bigfoot. Anyone know what size PEX they used? Or, is there a fairly easy way to measure without taking things apart?

Need to fix a kitchen line leak but would like to be without water for as short a time as possible.

[sokhapkin]

My guess it is 1/2", which is a standard de facto.

[Jim Bennett]

Having a look at it will confirm the size, but it almost certainly is 1/2".

[Eddie Longest]

What color are your water lines? Since your trailer is a 91 and the line failed you may have Quest plumbing which is gray and has issues. Quest was used in trailers quite a few trailers prior to PEX. Quest had a national recall on the pipes and fittings.
Eddie

[Daniel A.]

You could check the size looking at the drain line in the compartment where the trailer stands are kept. Funny I'm going to be working on my kitchen taps this week hoping to just change the O ring on the faucet that is leaking.
The lines could be 3/8 which is standard for faucet connections.

[floyd]

Tangent note... PEX makes reusable fittings which work without special installation tools. You can get them a Menards and other big box stores.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by floyd

Tangent note... PEX makes reusable fittings which work without special installation tools. ..

Yes, they have to be reusable.. because they leak so often.

And btw.. PEX is not a manufacturer. There is no PEX factory making something. PEX is an abbreviation for Cross-linked polyethylene.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by gordon2

Yes, they have to be reusable.. because they leak so often.

And btw.. PEX is not a manufacturer. There is no PEX factory making something. PEX is an abbreviation for Cross-linked polyethylene.

I’ve used a lot of PEX with crimp fittings and haven’t found it is prone to leaks. Perhaps it is at high pressure but not so much at 55-60 psi which is the operating pressure where I have used PEX. Just my experience.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by CPW

I’ve used a lot of PEX with crimp fittings and haven’t found it is prone to leaks. ....

Crimp "fittings" are not reusable, its the reusable ones that were alleged to be leak prone. Crimp rings on fittings work very well. Basically, if you can remove a fitting and reuse it.. dont use it in the first place!

[Raspy]

Crimp rings and cinch rings, with barbed fittings, are absolutely reliable. And in my world, much better than the slip on, Sharkbite style fittings when working with PEX.

It's common to say the tube is 1/2", but you have to clarify if you mean the inside or the outside measurement. 1/2" PEX is 5/8" OD, 3/8" PEX is 1/2" OD. Best to go to Lowes and compare what you have, then get the fittings you need there and the tool to make them up.

Your stuff is probably 3/8" PEX (1/2" OD).

The Sharkbite style fittings that are just pushed onto the the tube are for quick installations, but can never match the quality or longevity of crimp rings, or cinch rings. Your choice.

Next thing is to remember that PEX is flexible. If you are going to use PEX, think in PEX. It's not steel or copper. Bend corners instead of putting a 90 in it every time you change direction. Take advantage of its character, which also reduces cost, reduces restriction to flow and makes installation easier.

Trust PEX. It is a very good material. Just don't leave it exposed to the sun or exposed to heavy concentrations of chlorine.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Raspy

...
Next thing is to remember that PEX is flexible. If you are going to use PEX, think in PEX....
Trust PEX. It is a very good material. Just don't leave it exposed to the sun or exposed to heavy concentrations of chlorine.

Good post. Let me add that there is a limit to how much bend is allowed.
There is plenty of publicly available documentation. It will take some time to study it but its worth the time to it it right. One site to check:
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publi...sign_guide.pdf

[floyd]

Originally Posted by gordon2

Yes, they have to be reusable.. because they leak so often.

And btw.. PEX is not a manufacturer. There is no PEX factory making something. PEX is an abbreviation for Cross-linked polyethylene.

I have used them with good success and no leaks.


You may well be right about the manufacturer.
Some of the "Bandaids" in my first aid kit are Curad.
I doubt if I have a single screwdriver made by Phillips.
Perhaps Pex compatible or some other phrase may have been more accurate.


At any rate they fit, they work without leaking and, full disclosure... I have not personally reused one yet.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by ZachO

I have a 91 Bigfoot. Anyone know what size PEX they used? Or, is there a fairly easy way to measure without taking things apart?

Need to fix a kitchen line leak but would like to be without water for as short a time as possible.

Is your leak at a fitting?

[ZachO]

Yes, it's the T where the city line meets the cold water line. I thought it was where the hot line T's up to the kitchen faucet, right behind the actual leak. But once it changed from a drip to a spray, it was easier to see which line was leaking.


Quest? And I'm guessing, like Raspy mentioned, the 1/2" is the OD?


We don't have Lowe's or Home Depot here, but the local shop apparently carries PEX and will loan the tools for a fully refundable $50 deposit.

[gordon2]

Looks like it might be PB (Polybutylene) and not PEX. If in doubt get a plumber to look at it (or the photos of it). Failed fittings with PB was the subject of a lawsuit sometime ago. PEX is used now. You can get PB to PEX transition fittings so you dont have to replace it all but PEX fittings will not work with the PB pipe. At least one type uses the same PEX crimping tool and rings. But getting the tool into tight spaces might be a problem.

[ZachO]

Alright, thanks. I remember reading a post by trainjunkie about replacing all the plumbing in his Bigfoot with PEX. I remember how much of a pain he said it was.

I'll bring the photo to the home center, and hopefully they'll know what I'm trying to do and have what I need. It means creating a bunch more fittings in my system, but I plan to cut the water line and replace just what's in the compartment under my sink. The lines run all the way to the water heater on one end and bathroom on the other. I'm not going to do the work to replace all that...

Maybe someday, but for now I need get this leak stopped before I have a bigger problem. When it was a drip I could capture it all. Now that it's a spray, it's getting things wet.

[Daniel A.]

I'd put a three way quick connect fitting in there simple easy to use.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by gordon2

Looks like it might be PB (Polybutylene) and not PEX. If in doubt get a plumber to look at it (or the photos of it). Failed fittings with PB was the subject of a lawsuit sometime ago. PEX is used now. You can get PB to PEX transition fittings so you dont have to replace it all but PEX fittings will not work with the PB pipe. At least one type uses the same PEX crimping tool and rings. But getting the tool into tight spaces might be a problem.

Gordon,

Good post. Let me just expand on what you said.

PB, or polybutalene tubing was taken off the market because of a large number of fitting failures and, from what I understand, it was an ozone damaging process to make it. There was a class action suit against it during the 80s or 90s.

The tubing is very good stuff. It's the fittings that failed. I've used a good amount of it with never a problem, and it is actually more UV resistant than PEX. However, it has a different ID, so the PEX fittings are not compatible, as you mentioned. Adapter fittings are available, with barb of one diameter on one end, and another size on the other end. Crimped with the same exterior ring. The rings are interchangeable. Some crimp tools are designed for tight places if needed, but the cinch ring solves that problem by pinching the ring at one point, with a more compact tool. And if you ever make a mistake and have to remove the ring, the cinch ring is much easier to get off.

I would never pull a bunch of polybutalene out just to replace it with PEX.

[Civilguy]

The pipe is labeled "PB2110", so it is polybutylene.

Exposure to chlorine will make the pipe brittle over time. Attempting to replace a fitting might be enough to make something snap.

I would be torn if my options were to replace it all or nurse it along. I'd start with a careful inspection of the interior of the existing pipe while attempting to replace the fitting. Be aware that if the interior is not glassy-smooth, it's similar to the effect of scoring glass and the pipe could fail suddenly under pressure.

I would also try to make an especially careful habit of shutting off any campsite water supply (shore-water? ) and the water pump when not using water, things I regularly try to do already.

https://www.nachi.org/pb.htm

https://www.polybutylene.com/poly.html

Throughout the 1980's lawsuits were filed complaining of allegedly defective manufacturing and defective installation causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Although the manufacturers have never admitted that poly is defective, they have agreed to fund the Class Action settlement with an initial and minimum amount of $950 million.

[ZachO]

Alright, thanks. The guy at the store thought it looked just like PEX, so I just have PEX to PEX fittings...maybe I'll run by the hardware store once more before heading back to camp.

No idea what previous owners have done, but I've run very little bleach through my system. I also never connect to shore water (that does have a funny sound!). And yeah, this is a perfect example of why you should keep the water pump off unless you're actively using water. In my current case, I've also got to relieve the pressure each time I turn off the pump, by letting the faucet run till no more water comes out. Otherwise it keeps leaking. Lots of filling containers and pouring them back into the fresh water tank.