Potable Pex ( Off Topic )

Rich Kontny_7

I started using Uponor's aqua pex in 1996 and went to their great school in Apple Valley, MN. in June of 1997.It was taught by John Barba who is not only a class act but like Dan can make learning fun.John has moved over to Taco.(Uponor's loss) At the time the warranty was 25 years with 5 years added for going to their school.

As others have stated problems are few and always due to a cracked fitting or debris in the seating area. Once you get used to this system you will be convinced and will stay with their system because the expanding system is the best in the business while requiring the expanding tool that takes DIYs out of the equation.

I have installed thousands of feet of Aquapex and Hepex and have yet to have a callback relative to product. While there are the speedier crimped systems there is a reason why Uponor is the leader in pes systems.

Great product with excellent support and innovations

Rich K. (A 39 year veteran of the pipe wars)

JackR

Potable Pex Systems

I've probably been a little old school for to long but I am finally looking into Pex for plumbing, the material and labor savings is to attractive to stay away. I have been looking at Uponor, they seem to have a really complete line. I talked to another contractor who has been using it and he says it's the only thing he will use now. I do mainly plumbing and some boiler replacements but no radiant so I'm kind of green to Pex. Can anyone give me some input or guidance?

John Starcher_4

I, too...

...was skeptical at first. All I could think about was the Polybutylene nightmare! The factory rep was very convincing, though, and I decided to try it. I loved it!

Uponor is the only pex I use. Their fitting system is superior, and I have had ZERO issues with it, other than self inflicted problems!

Improper use of the expansion tool caused one leak (we didn't fully read the directions) that was easily fixed.

Had a "no flow" problem once that turned out to be a roofing nail stuck in a tee. The tech had tossed a bunch of fittings into a cardboard box, and evidently dropped a nail into the box, which, of course, found it's way into a tee fitting. That one required some drywall removal/replacement to fix! Oops!

The only real issue I have found is that cold weather installations need special care. We just finished a rough in for a large remodel, and most of the piping was installed in sub 20 degree temperature. Air test of the water lines revealed several leaking fittings. A quick shot with a heat gun fixed every single one.

The labor savings is significant. The other nice thing is the Uponor "shape memory". If the tube gets kinked, you simply heat it with a heat gun (carefully!!) until it turns clear. Once it cools down, the kink will be gone.

Overall a truly superior product, with DECADES of R/D and testing behind it.

JackR

Certification

Do I have to be certified? Another contractor told me he went to a Aquapex certification class. I went to the website and there is certainly a ton of information there, they look like they are a first class operation.

Chris S

Aquapex

Get cerified- get a better Warranty-
Plus a certificate ( suitable for framing)
We took the class 4 years ago, then some more training 6 months ago- always learning- new products- tricks etc.

We started with all home runs, then some mixed systems, and are now using the EP multiple port Ts - what a time saver. As an experiment I piped a bathtub, sink and toilet all in 1/2" ( something I would never do with copper) home run to boiler room ( approx 50')
Great flow rates- even with 2 fixtures ( toilet & tub) running.
It's a great product- you won't be sorry

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

JackR

Connection Method

Thanks for the great info

Just another question, I see that Uponor uses and expander method, what's the difference?

Rich Kontny_7

Since 1997

I started using Uponor's aqua pex in 1996 and went to their great school in Apple Valley, MN. in June of 1997.It was taught by John Barba who is not only a class act but like Dan can make learning fun.John has moved over to Taco.(Uponor's loss) At the time the warranty was 25 years with 5 years added for going to their school.

As others have stated problems are few and always due to a cracked fitting or debris in the seating area. Once you get used to this system you will be convinced and will stay with their system because the expanding system is the best in the business while requiring the expanding tool that takes DIYs out of the equation.

I have installed thousands of feet of Aquapex and Hepex and have yet to have a callback relative to product. While there are the speedier crimped systems there is a reason why Uponor is the leader in pex systems.

Great product with excellent support and innovations

Rich K. (A 39 year veteran of the pipe wars)

John Starcher_4

The expander method....

...utilizes an expansion tool. You have to buy the tool from Uponor. It's a bit pricey, but will pay for itself in labor and leak savings.

All other pex systems, that I'm aware of, use a crimp type fitting. You insert a barbed fitting into the tubing, and then crimp a metal ring on the outside to complete the joint. I'm not a fan of these at all. One of the problems with the old PB systems was that the crimper tool needed to be recalibrated regularly. Lots of guys either didn't know this, or just failed to do it, which led to many failures in the field. With the expander tool, no calibration is needed.

We just got our first battery powered expander. It's awesome! I also got the attachment that automatically rotates the expander head, so now we can move even faster.

JackR

Sold

That's for all the info John, I think I'm pretty much sold on Uponor!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going to give it a whirl!

John Starcher_4

No problem!

You will not be sorry.