Pex fitting compatabilty

Mitch_6

the parent companies since alot of the items out there are identical except the name on the product, how much is made by the same company and actually identical in all respects.

Out side of that I have been told that that all pex is manufactured under the same specifications so from a strictly mechanical stand point it should be compatible.

We are already seeing some pex fazed out like weil mclains and stadler went from metric to standard so the only way to work with the stuff on a refit is to heat it on to a standard fitting.

We are just getting started on this long journey.

The code righter should have insisted pex be interchangeable just like IPS or copper or pvc sizes regardless of who made it.

Mitch S.

<A HREF="http://www.heatinghelp.com/getListed.cfm?id=388&Step=30">To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"</A>

Todd_15

Fitting comparison

Do any of you mix differant brands of pex and fittings? I'm trying to figure which brands can share fittings in a pinch. For example 1" Multicor with 1"Fostapex etc. I didn't see the id/od sizes on their websites.

ScottMP

Whether you can or

can not is not the question.

Whether the manufacturer will cover the warranty if something goes wrong IS the question and I bet you klnwo the answer.

I don't think its worth the exposure.

Scott

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

Ray Landry

Mitch, I couldn't agree more! It makes me nervous every time I install pex in a home, think about a freeze up call, or a burst line for whatever reason, if the plumber called out doesn't have the right brand pex tools, the customer loses. pretty soon we'll need to advertise 'plumbing heating, a/c and (insert tubing manufacturer name here) because the client will need to know who to call to service their specific tube.

Weezbo

the codes change as we speak 1/2 the time...

therefore,...when the amendment for commingling is released that means that at least the manufacturer has gone through the hoops to see that there is no ambiguity as what standards the product can be expected to preform to in regards to stated fittings and fastening methods.....

then for me that basically is stating e.g.(uller 3/4 copper is same as or will work with Iega fittings ) When in doubt, change it out Gas fittings in pex really are not the same as water fittings...

i have a piece of yellow pex-xx, orange stadler,blue zurn oor rehau,red rehau, white aquapex all lashed together with various mismatched fittings in my shop truck that died last year *~/:)

*~/:)

Hello....my things....

someone who is real tidy on code up dates is Robert ...maybe he can site specific page, chapter, paragraph, sentence revision or addendum......

Rick_54

Stick to one manufacturer

I have seen warranties voided by mixing and matching. When in doubt C.Y.A.

Rick

hr

What about all the fitting manufactures

that don't manufacture tube? Their fittings are used with many brands of tube. Sioux Chief, A.Y. McDonald, Alberta t Drill, etc.

Most of the valve manufactures offer pex barbed valves.

Cast brass and stainless manifolds come from Caleffi, Oventrop, Jomar and plenty others that are not in the pex business.

I believe most of the major tube manufactures source valves, manifolds, and fittings from various aftermarket suppliers.

Most tube manufactures offer compression, crip, and Odeker style connections now. I doubt they manufacture all, if any of those components.

Seems if the tube and fitting meet the listings and standards the fittings should be compatiable? I've found fitting specs are held much closer than the tube spec.

I've bought PAP from 4 different companies and they all ship with Kitec fittings!

Seems the same applies for copper press fittings. I don't think any of the copper pipe, or press fiting manufactures "build" the tool to press the fitting.

If I had to find, or wait for the exact brand of fitting to match the brand of tube, I wouldn't get much work done. I waited 3 month for a specfic PAP fitting from the manufacture a while back.

Many of the import fittings do not even have a manufactures name on them, just the listing numbers. How would you know who supplied that fitting?

In the 20 some years I have been doing crimp PB and Pex I've yet to have a fitting failure actyl (sp) fittings excepted And operator (un-crimped)error of course.

hot rod

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

Todd_15

brand interchangeability

I agree Rick, but also think of what Ray speaks to. What if you go on a call and don't have "that brand" or if you can't identify what brand it is? I know most tubing has a label all across it, but what if its rubbed off? How would you know anyway???
I know that the thought by the manufacturer is that they don't want liability for subpar,one off fittings, what about two "recognized" quality products? What about the "Sharkbites" that can adapt to almost any type of pipe?
With the increased use of Pex, it seems whomever comes up with a interchangeable fitting will grab a huge market share.

Unknown

Type of pex is a big issue as well. Example you cant try and strecth some watts pex-B with a uponor pex-A fitting.

I do wonder if uponor Pex-A will work with a Rehau pex-A fitting. But I wouldnt try it on a customers job because of the CYA thing.

What I do is stock different manufacturers pex to 3/4 copper fittings that way make my own couplings with different pex on each side.

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

Maine Ken

A Rehau rep recently told me and an entire class of technicians that Rehau's everloc fittings can be used with Wirsbo's pex. As they are both pex-a they are interchangeable. fwiw.

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

John Barba_2

There are fittings standards...

..and they are as follows:

ASTM 1960 is for cold expansion fittings -- Uponor proPEX.
ASTM 2080 is for expansion/press fittings -- Uponor APR/Rehau Everloc.
ASTM 1807 is for insert/crimp style.
ASTM 2098 is for Odeker style clamp fitting.

Our pipe (Uponor) has all four standards printed on the tubing, and can be used with any of those fittings without affecting the tubing warranty. Don't know about the other brands.

Regardless of brand, if the pipe is of recent vintage, look for the fitting standard (if possible -- a big if) and that'll tell you what fittings can be used. Also, if tubing is manufactured to ASTM F-876 and F-877, the dimensions, wall thickness, inside diameter, etc should be identical. Those standards have been around since the early/mid-90's.
Hope this helps...

JMB