Pex tubing from the internet. Is it the same ?

johnfaccio

I see 1/2 pex tubing with barrier on the internet for half the cost of my supplier. I tipically buy Viega brand tubing. Has anyone who is an installing contractor used the internet tubing for any jobs in cement and if so any feedback you can give would be appreciated. I am doing a 3800 sq / ft house all radiant and the difference in cost of tubing is substantial but I am a cautious person and change is not what I normally do. I don't want any unexpected problems down the road. Any input is welcomed.

hot_rod

Anytime you bury tube in concrete I'd stick with a brand name that has a reputation, track record and ability to cover any warranty issues.
I'm not sure all the import tube has legal or appropriate listings, and is extruded accurately. Is the $$ difference worth the potential risk?

I see more and more PERT tube being used, maybe that would be worth looking into from a brand name manufacturer, to shave some bucks?

johnfaccio

Agreed brand name always better.

Rich_49

Internet tubing is pretty general in scope . Whose tubing is it , is there a brand ?

bob eck

If I were you stick with a name brand with a good warranty and from a wholesaler who stocks it and is willing to go to bat for you if there is a problem down the road. You can always find cheaper pex tubing but is it made to the same standard as Viega or other name brands. Remember the cheap drywall from over sea that had lead in the drywall. Was it worth the lower price when someone's family is at risk? You install it and it fails and you end up in court and look over there the pex tubing manufacture is out of business looks like the home owners lawyers are coming after you.

johnfaccio

No name brands that I ever heard of. I beat myself up every time I'm buying a good amount of pex and look on the internet and see the prices and never ever had the guts to try it. I hear other contractors say they buy from internet and just wondered if it was that much different.

Solid_Fuel_Man

From what I've seen on just about everything "made in China" is substantially cheaper price and substantially lower quality control/material quality. Remember all the threads about pex splitting open and soaking a house? Kitec I think? Made in China. Not worth the risk, I certainly wouldn't put it in my own house, so I defiantly wouldn't put it in someone else's.

Ironman

Again, it's the brand, not the delivery system that determines the quality.

I've seen Rehau, Uponor and Vieaga all sold on the net, sometimes at lower prices. But as Bob pointed out, do you want to give up the backing of your local distributor for a few cents per foot?

Radiant flooring is the Mecedes Benz of heating systems. I've never had a client ask me to whittle a few bucks off of the price by going with inferior tubing which is something I would refuse to do anyway. They either except the price tag or choose a less expensive method of heating.

Let the Walmart-mentality people go there looking for a heating contractor.

Search this site for "blistering pex" and you'll find pics of Chinese pex that began to blister a short time after it was installed.

If you have the skills and knowledge to design and install radiant floors properly, then please don't cheapen this craft or yourself by trying to cut corners with inferior materials. Radiant has gotten too much of a bad rap from the numerous hacks that have already done that.

rick in Alaska

Also, make sure it is pex-a instead of pex-b. If you kink pex-b, you have to cut out the kinked section and put in a coupler to repair it. I would hate to have a coupler in my slab. With pex-a, you can heat it up and it will repair itself, in a way.
Rick

j a_2

Iron Man you sir are right on...love the walmart statement

wholesalerbill

Working in sales for a Jersey wholesaler, when customers call me and tell me they can get 'it' cheaper on the internet, my response is go ahead, but don't call me for technical advice, when the pex you got cheaper fails, or any other problems that arise. Call the internet for technical advice. HAHAHA. There's a reason why we cost a little bit more. It's for our knowledge and expertise and hands on help, and selling proven name manufacturer products. In my company we're not order takers. We're sales and technical support. I go out to jobs to help contractors all the time. Try getting that on the internet.

Greg_23

When someone asks me for a price per foot on pex for a job, I always remind them that will need a lot of couplings because I don't price it by the foot. I price the whole job

heatboss

We went down this road with mini splits, customers finding name brand units from internet suppliers 20-30% cheaper. I've always told them if that's what they want then they can purchase it directly and deal with any issues after the install as most mfg's have a statement right in their website stating that they don't warranty nor approve any web sales. So brand name or not that to me would be crucial!