Radiant Heat USA Rotating Header Image

Copper pipe

Connect a copper pipe with a PEX pipe using PEX x copper pipe adapters

Oct 14th, 2010
by admin.
Comments are off for this post

PEX fitting copper adapter

Plumbers are faced with many kinds of plumbing challenges which are solved by the choice of apt plumbing devices. One of the common issues is to connect two pipes of different diameters and some times of different materials all together.  When a copper pipe is to be attached to a PEX pipe it is not possible without the help of an adapter. Two pipes of different diameters and of different material are usually required for water supply lines. An adapter is a small piece of pipe which has two sections. Pipes can be attached from both ends so that larger pipes of copper are connected to a smaller PEX pipe without any difficulty. The diameter of the adapter’s arm is different at different ends. It is for the comfort of connecting two pipes of different sizes.  An adopter provides the facility of the smooth transition. Different adapters have different styles to join pipes to the adapters, some come with threads and some have to be soldered.

PEX x copper pipe adapter is made of brass and come in six different combinations.  The portion of the adapter where a copper pipe has to be attached comes in three different diameters such as 1”, 3 /4” and 1 /2”. It means these adapters are compatible with copper pipes of sizes 1”, 3 /4” and 1 /2”. The other side where the PEX pipe has to be attached comes in sizes such as 1”, 3 /4”, 5/8” 1 /2”and finally 3 /8”. As there are only three different sizes of copper pipes one is sure to find the most suitable adapter. There are five different sizes for PEX pipes. The right combination of the pipes can be brought together for optimal efficiency of the water supply system.

Often PEX x copper pipe adapter comes as a female adapter where the copper pipe has to fit into the adapter. The inner side of the adapter has to be sanded and fluxed before the pipe and the adapter are soldered together. The soldering has to be completed and cooled before the PEX pipe is clamped or crimped on to the adapter.

If Copper Pipes Are Too Costly …

Sep 19th, 2010
by admin.
Comments are off for this post

By JAY ROMANO

THE price of copper has nearly quadrupled over the last four years, and plumbers and do-it-yourselfers are taking a fresh look at alternatives to copper tubing and fittings. And what some are turning to is a flexible synthetic material called PEX.

Illustration by Tom Bloom

Andy Engel, a home improvement contractor in Roxbury, Conn., said that PEX is a “clumsy acronym’’ for cross-linked polyethylene, a flexible plastic tubing that has been used primarily for radiant heating since the 1960’s.

In recent years, the use of PEX for potable water — the piping that delivers drinking water to home faucets — has increased by about 40 percent each year.

Copper still accounts for about 80 percent of the market for plumbing systems; other metals and plastics accounting for the remainder. But the recent increases in copper prices, along with growing confidence in PEX, is making it more popular.

“The scuttlebutt among plumbers is that PEX is every bit as reliable as copper, yet costs less and is faster to install.’’ Mr. Engel wrote in the June/July issue of Fine Homebuilding magazine.

While copper plumbing has proved to be quite reliable over the last 75 years or so, it does require some skill when using a torch to solder the fittings used to connect two pieces of copper. And because the copper tubing used in most plumbing applications is rigid, soldered joints are necessary whenever the tubing changes direction.

But with PEX, installation is easier.

“You don’t need a torch,” Mr. Engel said, because PEX connections are made using compression fittings that can be installed with an adjustable wrench or, in some cases, with crimped connections made with a special crimping tool.

And while PEX fittings are typically more expensive than copper fittings, you generally need fewer fittings with PEX.

Greg Lowitz, the president of Builders Websource, a Redwood City, Calif., company that provides advice and resources to the construction industry, said that because PEX is flexible, it can change direction with no need of fittings. It is relatively easy to install a supply line directly from the water source to an appliance using just one connection at each end.

Mr. Lowitz said that the best way to install PEX is to use a manifold, a distribution fixture similar to the circuit-breaker panel. The manifold connects to the main water supply and the main hot water line and then supplies individual runs of tubing to various appliances and fixtures.

The manifold eliminates the “branch line’’ system of conventional plumbing in which the lines to individual fixtures branch off a larger supply line. The manifold system makes it possible to shut off individual supply lines and to add new lines without having to tap into existing lines, Mr. Lowitz said, and it can even save energy by routing hot water directly from the manifold to the fixture.

Mr. Engel, the contractor, said that it is also possible to connect individual PEX lines to an existing copper system by using a fitting that accepts a copper pipe on one end and a PEX line at the other.

And while some PEX manufacturers will sell only to licensed plumbers, he said, do-it-yourselfers can find PEX tubing and fittings at large home-improvement centers and on the Internet.

“PEX is definitely a do-it-yourself option,’’ Mr. Engel said. “If you can make a straight cut and tighten up a nut, you can work with PEX.’’

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/03/realestate/03home.html

PEX pipes versus Copper Pipes

Sep 9th, 2010
by admin.
Comments are off for this post

You probably might have or might not have come across this word “PEX pipe” before. You probably even have idea about its relationship with the copper pipe under your housing. Well, that’s ok! This is an article that will give you some insight about this whole plumbing material, and how it can compare with the normal piping in your house.

PEX pipe

As mentioned earlier, you probably have no idea what this is but from the context, you probably figure that it is some piping material, just like copper piping. You are right! Unlike copper, it is a flexible polyethylene material that in its manufacturing undergoes extreme temperatures, making it more durable than your normal plastic material. It has the ability of withholding extreme temperatures, extreme creep deformation and any effects of acidity or alkalis present in the water that’s in the pipe. It is exceptionally beneficial to areas where the temperatures go to as low as 200 degrees Fahrenheit. These simple, yet fundamental qualities make this material the ideal one for plumbing.

Some of the advantages that the material displays are that:

It can comfortably be used with both warn temperatures and  cold temperatures
It is easy to use this material when plumbing due to its flexibility.
Its burst resistance is quite high since it has some elastic capacity.
Repairing the piping system is quite easy since it is has a short off valve in the supply line.

Some of its disadvantages are:

It cannot be used outside. Ultra violet rays affect its characteristics.
It cannot be recycled due to the fact that it has a shorter life than copper
Its membrane might be permeable in some cases. This exposes the water to some possibility of contamination.
From these disadvantages, one can definitely see the advantages copper piping has over PEX pipes. Most of the disadvantages of PEX are the advantages copper piping has over the same.

Some of copper’s other advantages are:

Copper pipe

It has extra ordinary durability. Its lifespan goes way beyond that of PEX pipes. When it comes to natural disaster, it is safer to use copper than PEX. It is also resistant to corrosion more so than other metals.  Copper is not toxic. PEX piping can have the possibility of releasing toxic gases into the atmosphere when some reactions take place. Copper, unlike PEX is more stable. It does not release these toxins.

Metal pipe

Aug 14th, 2010
by admin.
Comments are off for this post

Each of us has at least once in his life had to deal with this problem. Therefore, we at least in general terms, we know that the pipes are plumbing, heating, sewage. We all know that in today’s homes in the main they are copper, steel or plastic. The most durable, beautiful, safe and even healthy – copper. The disadvantages are practically no. Aside from price, which “bite”.
So often in our homes put steel. All anything, except that they are not long, a few years begin to take place (everything here, of course, depends on the quality of water – the purer the water, the pipes outlive). But at a price accessible to almost everyone.
The main thing – to decide what you like: more durable, but over time overgrown inside rust and lime, steel pipes or corrosion, but more fragile plastic. Now, if the dignity of both unite and shortcomings aside … It turns out that this is possible. As a result of “selection” and appeared metal plastic tube – rugged, flexible, corrosion. People were overjoyed to see, appreciate, but is still regarded with caution – strange somehow. Even before the end is not decided, as it still called – metal, metal, or PEX pipe. But this is so bad, is more important to understand: what are they good for? And why are suitable?

Copper pipe

Aug 12th, 2010
by admin.
Comments are off for this post

Copper pipe Ghost of a new generation of PRO AQUA type PEX-Al-PEX manufactured at the factory HEWING in Germany. In the process of production of polyethylene subjected to electron irradiation, the result is a cross “stitching” of molecular chains. This treatment gives the metal-plastic pipes unique properties and allows their use in cold and hot water, radiator and floor heating, as well as in technological pipelines and water systems.

Single-tube PEXc PRO AQUA HEWING thanks to its properties are used in cold and hot water, underfloor arrangement, systems, compressed air and pumping of industrial and food liquids.

Great attention is paid HEWING quality of purchased materials and the strength of combining the words PEX and aluminum in the copper pipes. Testing occurs at all stages of production of metal and PEXc pipes. Own a unique research complex HEWING gives a full guarantee that the line goes only quality products.

copper pipes PRO AQUA-type PERT-AL-PEND produced by German concern NACA GERODUR have a multilayer structure comprising the inner layer of PE-RT (ethylene-octene copolymer) layer of aluminum, as well as the outer layer of high density polyethylene (PE-HD). Pipe PERT-AL-PEND – a universal solution for heating and water supply. They are perfect for warm floor.

What to do with PEX tubing?

Jun 24th, 2010
by admin.
Comments are off for this post

Today, it is difficult to imagine a device without the use of PVC plumbing fittings and pipe, which literally swept the domestic market, as well as Used in Different Agricultural Technology. Increasingly, the replacement of old cast iron systems giving way to the PVC and polymeric materials. And in many ways this situation is justified, since their installation easier, and less chance of breakage.

But even without this PEX tubing is present lots of advantages:
- Low cost compared with steel and cast iron counterparts.
- Long service life, which starts from 50 years and more, while the life of Copper pipes is only 10-20 years.
- Resistance to corrosion and lack of contamination by iron impurities.
- Low heat dissipation that is best suited for installation of radiant heating systems.
- A small mass, which is much easier process equipment, plus everything is no need to buy a tractor for transporting.

According to the companies involved in the delivery of such products, PEX tubing are perfectly safe for consumers’ health, as was proven by “numerous studies of the Ministry of Health.


pex