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Failed Pex

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EBEBRATT-Ed
EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 20,523
edited June 26 in THE MAIN WALL

Stick with copper.

Water pipe lawsuits grow as homeowners report costly damage inside walls | Behind the Investigation

Comments

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 17,527

    i didn't actually see any pictures if any of the failures in that. if the same people that can't make a flare are installing that, the problem isn't the tubing.

    GGross
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 17,534
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1899180#Comment_1899180

    I believe there were known issues with specific types of Uponor tubing, but I'm not positive.

    As of this time, I'll continue using Uponor white type A pex without fear. I've seen no problems with it for the 20 years I've been around it.

    From what I've heard about some locations and the water, copper will fail with pinholes while Pex will not.

    Single pipe 392sqft system with an EG-40 rated for 325sqft and it's silent and balanced at all times.

    kcopp
  • STEAM DOCTOR
    STEAM DOCTOR Member Posts: 2,625

    That particular video, is short on detail and evidence. Not saying it's not true, but many pieces of the puzzle are missing. Was it the pipe, was it the fittings, was the pipe left out in the sun, where they installed incorrectly..... Sounds like a bit of sensationalistic journalism. Report on the sensational parts, and leave out all relevant details

    mattmia2ChrisJIntplm.kcopp
  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 4,163
    edited June 26

    Hi, Nothing at all was mentioned about water quality. Chlorine and chloramines can cause damage to PEX. I've been installing the non-colored stuff since the early 90s with no problems.

    Yours, Larry

    ps. I have seen failures with kinks, sunlight and rodents. 🙈

    ChrisJ
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 20,523

    You can google it or you tube it. Many failures all over the country. Lots of lawsuits

    MaxMercy
  • jumper
    jumper Member Posts: 2,584

    Foolproof reliable methods of joining pipes & tubes are probably expensive if they exist.

    mattmia2
  • MaxMercy
    MaxMercy Member Posts: 611

    I've been following this a while - there seems to be two pockets of failed Uponor PEX, one around the greater Atlanta area and the other in California, and most of these are only a few years installed, but it covers maybe 10 years that I can see.

    Uponor never explained what happened, if they even know what happened, or if they fixed the problem assuming they know what went wrong, but it's bad enough where I stopped using it. It's the silence from Uponor that scares me.

    PEX B can often be expanded (look for the F1960 certification printed on the pipe) as can PE-RT. That's what I use for plastic when I'm not using copper.

  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 3,085

    There have been some isolated rumors, or dare I say reports of some pex leaks. Can't tell how big or small the issue is. However, it doesn't seem like another sixty-minute story from decades ago will be warranted.

    I'm wondering if the tubing was left out in the sun for a time before it was installed.

  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 27,875

    Seems there were some issues with the coloring process on some pex tubing.

    This repipe contractor has some You Tube videos explaining failures he has experienced with various brands.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHdJEjgkN-s
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • kcopp
    kcopp Member Posts: 4,702

    We live in a "sue first ask questions later" litigious society. Some lawyer out there will take on a case if there is money in it for them… They hope to settle out of court and make a payday.

    The Poly Butylene case come to mind.

    Less of an issue that it is rumored to be. Lots of disinformation.

    Larry WeingartenIntplm.
  • Sal Santamaura
    Sal Santamaura Member Posts: 547
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1899257#Comment_1899257

    This month marks exactly ten years since Joe Ludlow's Integrity Repipe crew completely replaced the leaking copper in my then-23-year-old home. They used Uponor PEX. So far, no PEX leaks have become apparent. Perhaps the fact that I've got a whole-house pressure regulator set to 45 PSI has minimized stress on those joint areas. I'm not going to open any walls to look for this problem. If the PEX lasts as long as the copper did carrying our alleged water, I'll be too old to worry about it. 😊

    ChrisJ

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