Should PEX spin?

[kokopup]

We gutted house and had plumber put in all new plumbing (PEX pipe and all rough-ins). I'm installing fixtures now. I noticed that the PEX stub-outs from the wall "spin.," that is, they rotate when turned. There doesn't appear to be a leak at joint (as best as I can tell--it's covered by drywall), but should it spin like this? Makes me wonder if copper crimp rings were properly installed.

 

[hj]

spinning

I do not use PEX, so I cannot tell you for certain, but given the way PEX fits onto the fittings, and the way a proper crimp should be made, I would doubt that it could be loose enough to spin. I will be interested to see what PEX installers say about it. I they say it is a common thing, then I guess my decision not to use PEX may have been the right one.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[TickMan]

Our new cabin was done with PEX, and I noticed that the sink valves rotated on the PEX. Our plumber said it was perfectly OK, and he's been doing PEX exclusively for some time.

 

[loFreqncy]

First off, I'm no pro (far from it).

That said, I replaced all the supply pipe in my house with PEX(the galvanized was leaking and I could not afford a plumber). All the crimps I made checked out perfect with the gauge, and yes they "spin". I wondered about this too, but I've never seen a drop come out of them.

 

[Patrick88]

Yes they will spin. All the pex fittings I have done can and will spin. It is much like well tubing. If you tighten the clamps down you can still spin the fittings. I would rather not have pex as a stub out. I would use copper sticking out the wall or some else less flimsy.

 

[Jadnashua]

There are some really robust stubouts for pex made of copper that allow you to install conventional compression shutoff valves without hassles, and those will be tight. You can use the same compression shutoff on pex, but you MUST use the (typically) stainless steel bushing inside of the pipe to give it something robust to compress onto. A compression shutoff installed in this manner can still be spun, but it will be hard.

 

[Redwood]

PEX connectors will turn and it is normal.

 

[NHmaster]

Some spins more than others. I find Wirsbo / Uponor spins easier than Viega and ss rings. But yes it will and unless you see leakage it's OK.