Poly PEX fitting?

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seann

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Is have been running PEX piping for years using brass fittings and occasionally copper PEX fittings if that's all that is available at in a certain fitting. I use PEX B and sometimes PEX A for certain situations. Haven't had any problems with it but the price is very high. And I'm looking to get my cost down.
I'm thinking about the possibility of switching over to poly PEX fittings. I'm just worried about them becoming brittle and cracking with time. The idea of flooding someone's home is unappealing for obvious reasons.
Can any of you share your experience with using poly PEX fittings? Are they just as reliable as brass? Have you read anything factual and the durability of poly fitting? I know people will have opinions, but only looking for facts from people who have experience with them or have read something factual about them. And no I'm not switching to Uponer, I prefer using PEX sleeves and feel they are very very reliable. Thanks
 

Plumber Man

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Like you I was leery, for cost I made the switch to plastic about a year ago and have had no issues.
 

seann

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I haven't had any problems with the Uponor plastic PEX fittings. It's pretty much what I always use for PEX.
I'm sure uponer plastic fittings are very high quality. I don't think I would have any concerns with using them based on what I've learned about them over the last few days of reading. I've been so resistant the idea of using uponer pex . Nobody I know of in my city uses it. It's all pex b here with viega pureflow press tool and press sleeves.
I just learned today that the next major city near me will only allow uponer pex with plastic fittings. No brass fittings are allowed, except for transitions from other materials such as copper. No pex b allowed. Kind of an eye opener.
I admit I became closed minded having been a plumber in the same city most of my life and just saw what I was trained with and what everyone else around me was using and assumed it was the best way.
Now that I've educated myself a bit I realized that it is not the best way in the long run. Although it is simpler and faster in my opinion. uponer is better though in a lot of respects. And I do believe more and more cities will be switching to uponer as time goes by. My only reservations is what I've read about pex-A leaching significantly more chemicals into the drinking water which could be avoided by running copper to the kitchen sink line before water softener loup or similar. The other is that I personally think the the uponer/wirsbro connections are bulky and kind of an eye sore. The last issue is that it costs more, so in an area where everyone else is using pex b still, it would be harder to compete on bidding a jobs against them
With that said though I will most likely be switching over to uponer pex system in the future. I just got so much money wrapped up in my pex b tools and fittings etc. Right now I want to get my money's worth out of them first before reinvesting in a new method.
 

JohnCT

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The other is that I personally think the the uponer/wirsbro connections are bulky and kind of an eye sore.

Wow, the first thing that attracted me to Uponor was how the fittings looked factory made and polished because there is no visible crimp.

The other thing I like is that making connections with an expansion system is so much easier when you can bend and pull the pipe into the clear for expansion (electric tool only!), then swing it back into the cramped area and make the connection before the pipe clamps itself down on the fitting. Adding that there is no error in crimp pressure because the pipe's own memory does the work cinched it for me.

The start-up cost isn't that high, and it would be nice to be able to service a customer who already has the Uponor system.
 

seann

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Wow, the first thing that attracted me to Uponor was how the fittings looked factory made and polished because there is no visible crimp.

The other thing I like is that making connections with an expansion system is so much easier when you can bend and pull the pipe into the clear for expansion (electric tool only!), then swing it back into the cramped area and make the connection before the pipe clamps itself down on the fitting. Adding that there is no error in crimp pressure because the pipe's own memory does the work cinched it for me.

The start-up cost isn't that high, and it would be nice to be able to service a customer who already has the Uponor system.
Sure I can understand that. I think it's what we are use to using and looking at all the time that makes us bias, and influences our perspective on how we think something new and foregin looks to us. To me, being use to seeing other methods, uponer system looks very bulky at the connections in comparison.
 
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