Mobile Home Repipe

[DavidW]

I have an '85 Single Wide. Complete with polybutylene. I've already replaced two joints with Gatorbite. One 90 elbow and the other was a nightmare. A tee failed. It was located over a/c ducting under a joist. I couldn't simply cut and replace with a new tee because of working space and no line of sight to see what I was doing. So I constructed a cpvc tee and spliced that in with 3 Gatorbites. Both were on the hot water. I have well water so chlorine or flourine is not to blame.

Rather than replace each joint as they fail I decided to repipe with cpvc. It's readily accessible here and I'm familiar with it. What I don't know how to do is the union between the supply which is pvc and the new cpvc. Should I make a threaded joint or use the 3/4" pvc/cpvc coupling which is sold at both box stores here.

Can someone recomend a good DIY plumbing book? Something that touches on details like this and other items the might come up like how to hang it and account for expansion.

 

[phishfood]

PEX is the best bet for that type of situation, IMO.

 

[AQualityPlumber]

I would never install cpvc in any potable water system. It is the worst pipe. It will become brittle after a few years and crack and split at joints and stress points. Don't waste your time or money on cpvc it is only good for relief lines. Instead use uponor wirsbo. It will last forever if installed correctly.

 

[DavidW]

What sort of time frame am I looking at for cpvc failure? Hot side? Cold side? Both? City water? Well water? Is there a particular brand that you see getting brittle? I have hard well water. I plan an replacing hot first then cold.

If I use PEX there will be a learning curve here.

Plus there are many more questions. The connections seem more restrictive for PEX. I already have low pressure. 40 to 60 psi at the pump slightly less at the taps. Will PEX fittings reduce my pressure and flow even more?

Which fitting system do I use? Which do I look out for? What tools are good. Which tools are bad?

PEX is a hard sell for me. I'm already look at replacing a plastic tubing system with plastics fittings and crimp system that is failing. With another plastic tubing system with plastic fittings and some sort of crimp system. Yes cpvc is plastic and so are the fittings. But right now I trust a solvent weld over a barb and crimp.

With cpvc I don't need special tools over what I have now. I don't have to figure out which parts to avoid. And I already know how to work with it.

 

[AQualityPlumber]

Wirsbo is not a crimp system. It works on expansion. All cpvc is junk. Wirsbo fittings are not restrictive like other pex systems. Do some homework on it.

 

[johnjh2o]

Wirsbo is not a crimp system. It works on expansion. All cpvc is junk. Wirsbo fittings are not restrictive like other pex systems. Do some homework on it.

Agreed it's a good system but for a DIY the cost of the tools required is something that turns most DIY's off.

 

[Terdchaser]

I agree that CPVC suxs. I was taught old school and always shied away from PEX but another plumber, younger and not as stubborn, finally convinced me to try PEX and it definitely has its uses. I also have done a lot of mobile repipes that had poly and always ran copper but now I'm doing them in PEX. As for the tools u can always sell them afterwards to recoup some of the costs.

 

[IFIXH20]

CPVC is not all that bad it is the most(maybe) used pipe here in Florida. I agree pex would be better to repipe a mobil home. If you live in the deep south of florida cpvc may be ok to repipe a mobil home if you insulate the pipe and replace the insulation and plastic sheeting under the mobil home. We repipe off grade homes all the time with cpvc.

 

[AQualityPlumber]

Good luck. I'm constantly ripping out cpvc house that are failing.

 

[DavidW]

I'm not against PEX. Just the cost of the tools. Learning how to use them. The research makes me feel like I'm chasing my tail.

If I were to go to the Uponor/Wirsbo system it looks like I need something like the Milwakee Propex system. But what I don't know is which fittings and tubing are compatible. Is there a difference between the colors of tubing or is that just to keep things sorted out?

If most of you are going to preach PEX there needs to be a faq somewhere for newbies.

 

[phishfood]

You can pick up a combination 3/4"/1/2" crimper at Home Depot for under $100. While I LOVE my compact offset crimpers, the combination crimpers work just fine.

Make sure that the pipe is pushed onto the barb all of the way, and that the crimp ring is fully on the barb of the fitting, but not at the end of the pipe. Make sure that the crimper is holding the ring square in it's jaws before you make the crimp. Gauge your first few crimps to make sure that the crimper is adjusted properly.

Making a good crimp joint is easier than making a good glue joint on CPVC.

 

[AQualityPlumber]

True wirsbo is not a crimp. It is an expansion type of tool used and barbed fittings. You can usually rent the tool from local plumbing supply wholesale businesses like Ferguson. As far a knowledge you can go to uponors website and also YouTube has many easy tutorials to learn from.

 

[stevemachine]

Uponor is a good system but for DIY I think I'd suggest crimp style pex. I agree with phish by saying crimping a good joint is easier than cpvc. Plus there's no cure time with crimp. Once it's crimped your set. I don't know about your area but I called multiple places that you would expect to rent a wirsbo tool and I couldn't rent a single one. Home depot rents crimpers. But like aquality said just call around to see, whether you decide crimp or wirsbo.

 

[phishfood]

Don't you have business to tend to, Steve??!!!?

 

[DavidW]

Well I looked at Milwaukee M12 ProPex on youtube. It certainly looks fun. But $399 is steep for me right now. I'll see if anybody local rents them out or something similar.

Is this system compatible with all PEX-A or Uponor/Wirsbo only?

 

[stevemachine]

The expanders only work with Uponor or wirsbo. The other pex will just crack. And phish I'm taking a break. A guys gotta breath haha

 

[stevemachine]

And like I said you could rent crimpers for maybe 10 bucks a day at home depot or buy the combo one, maybe 150 or so, depending on your area. And phish you'll be happy to know I'm enjoying some of your lovely American beer right now!

 

[chukar]

If you want a cheap set of crimpers get the ones for the stainless steel rings or (SSC) it will do 3/8", 1/2", 3/4", 1" pipe with one tool.

http://content.zurn.com/web_documents/pdfs/installation/zmktg370-04 PEX Installation.pdf link on how it all works

The tool on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003IJ0USC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000T3LHGE/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

These you can also buy cheap around 75-100$ on my work truck I have all three styles the stainless steel crimp, the copper pex crimp rings, and the wirsbo expander tool. I prefer wirsbo with the plastic expanding rings but you have setup time on the rings to shrink back down on size, and its not always practical under a soggy wet mobile home.

As to the above poster I miss Canadian beers Keith's, Granville island, red truck ale, plus all the smaller craft beers, the beers they sell down here sucks.

 

[phishfood]

*Thread hijack alert*

Kieth's Pale Ale, I think that was it. I drank several gallons of that at my nephew's wedding reception last February.

Chukar, where is down here?

I am about as far away from Canada as you can get and still be in the US, and I can find absolutely awesome craft and microbrews all over the place. The most mainstream American beers aren't all that good for the most part, but once you get past that, I will put good American beer up against anything anywhere.

 

[chukar]

Northern Nevada, small town red neck, in cowboy country. The mining industry is huge here, a lot of high paying jobs, moved here from the west coast sold my place in 2012 for a half million, moving here prices were still 300k for a decent place. Going from being able to drink a Guinness off the tap after work, smoking a joint (if you were so inclined), smoke free bars and clubs, the easy life; it's been a far cry.

I love the heat, my wife loves the snow and cold weather, she celebrate's when it's below 90°f outside