Need Opinions: Lazy or Incompetent Plumber??

FredoSP

Hello Forum,

I recently had a leak behind one of my walls and the contractor replaced the faulty pex clamps with newer ones and brand new pex. The picture below is what he did in my bathroom. While it may be correct and to code (I hope), I don't understand how a professional could think this looks good? Couldn't he have used a brass nipple or something else so I don't have to see the blue pex past the escutcheon plate? Unfortunately I was not home for the repair and would have mentioned it to him if I was.

What are your thoughts?

SlamDunk

Looks good to me.

Intplm.

Not a lot of blue is showing there but I sure do understand your concern.
There are chrome sleeves that can be installed over the blue so you don't see any blue.
Maybe have them cut the valve in tighter to the wall so the pipe cant be seen?

bburd

I would just paint it.

PC7060

Another tone deaf / color blind plumber. We are all used to exposed copper, pvcs or even white pex but blue pex (or red) is over the top. 

Supply house has cosmetic sleeves for that purpose. 

I’d just paint it white and move on.  

hot_rod

it’s fine. The stop could have been moved right to the escution, no exposed pex, an easy fix.

Supposed to be plastic escutcheon on Pex, not metal.

EdTheHeaterMan

https://www.amazon.com/Plumb-Pak-Radsnap-Radiator-Chrome-Sleeves/dp/B0039823UU
this wraps around the pipe. No plumber required 

MikeL_2

   I'm not a fan of that plastic nut on the supply tube. I've seen that nut fracture a dozen times or more just in my small service world. 
    Water logged water tanks, high water pressure ( especially at night in public water supply systems ), or other unforseen circumstances can contribute to water hammer when the ballcock shuts off.
       We use braided supply connectors with a brass top nut, and we use a brass top nut with chrome plated supply tubes.......

Sal Santamaura

Six years ago we had the entire house repiped with Uponor PEX. All the shutoffs, toilets and sinks, look that way, hot (red showing) and cold. Last year our next door neighbor had the same thing done, and it's still the same.
My only caution is to hold the shutoff with one's left hand while turning the handle with one's right hand. A small precaution to ensure not twisting the shutoff right off the PEX, since our risers are flexible, not rigid. Just in case.

mattmia2

Really the professional way to do it is to use a stub out plate with rigid pipe or tubing mounted to the framing and attach the valve to that.

MikeL_2

    I agree with Mattmia - we use Uponor pex and their pex x 3/8" 90° female adapters for most fixture valve stub outs. At trim time, we install 3/8" brass or CP nipples as needed with a CP bell escutcheon & 3/8 ips angle stop.
    We did it the same way in the 70's & 80's;  the female adapters in the wall cavity were copper.

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes

More time, more money, but it looks better.

ChrisJ

Sal Santamaura said:

Six years ago we had the entire house repiped with Uponor PEX. All the shutoffs, toilets and sinks, look like that way, hot (red showing) and cold. Last year our next door neighbor had the same thing done, and it's still the same.
My only caution is to hold the shutoff with one's left hand while turning the handle with one's right hand. A small precaution to ensure not twisting the shutoff right off the PEX, since our risers are flexible, not rigid. Just in case.

Uponor makes chrome sleeves and covers to cover the PEX.

Uponor also sells copper stubouts as well. Tia is the route I went in my own house so all of the stops are supported.

My parents house is done all in Uponor pex as well from 2006 and all of the toilets have chrome connections.



Yes having the PEX stick out is a way to do it but I wouldn't really say it's great. I'd at least want a chrome sleeve and cover.

The good news is it's just cosmetic so it really doesn't matter.

SlamDunk

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes said:

More time, more money, but it looks better.

I wonder if op had the wall open?

ChrisJ

SlamDunk said:

More time, more money, but it looks better.

I wonder if op had the wall open?

Is that a galv nipple?

Regardless, there's more spots to leak there. 

pecmsg

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes said:

More time, more money, but it looks better.

X-2

ChrisJ

The last thing I want are threaded connections in the wall.

This is what I used as well as the straight version.

DJD775

Threaded connections in walls are pretty common in shower heads. Your method has one less failure point in the wall but if properly installed it shouldn't be an issue.

mattmia2

The galvanized nipple is for pressure testing and construction, it will get replaced with a brass nipple and stop during finish plumbing.

ChrisJ

DJD775 said:

Threaded connections in walls are pretty common in shower heads. Your method has one less failure point in the wall but if properly installed it shouldn't be an issue.

That's true.

The above example only has one less failure point and that's not much unless it's the one that leaks.   If you run the PEX straight out into the stop there's now no joints in the wall there.

 I could have worded my last response better.
There's a lot of worse things to have in a wall than a threaded joint.  

DJD775

In all fairness my shower head example is not exactly equivalent as there typically not as much pressure in that joint unless you have a shutoff valve on the shower head.

ChrisJ

DJD775 said:

In all fairness my shower head example is not exactly equivalent as there typically not as much pressure in that joint unless you have a shutoff valve on the shower head.

True, and it's not always pressurized.

But I think it's still a valid point.

MikeL_2

   Any piping material has it's fatal flaws. Copper or brass water piping doesn't hold up as well as pex when the water supply has low PH.
    I've seen pex gnawed through by thirsty critters; copper & brass not so much. And pex tubing usually survives extreme cold better than copper or brass.