3/4" Braided stainless steel connector pushing the PEX pipe away+lots of hardware attached to the PEX pipe due to weird coupling

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Mini Me

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I had to follow the manufacturer instructions shown here
They show it installed like this
bIs6yFi.png

My implementation is below, I can still improve it as I am using a sharkbite fitting there
I have two problems here:
-as you can see the cover is not attached yet to the wall because the braided connect is pushing the PEX pipe to the right and it will look weird if I leave it like that
the cover that I installed there is not going to help to support the pipe to stay perpendicular to the wall because I can't anchor it properly in the wall (the rough in opening behind the cover plate is too wide and the anchors will come to close to the edge of that hole)
-
CYFVZ1n.jpeg

-second problem is that I could not replace the NG coupling shown below; I tried to use an sharkbite female FNPT fitting there but to my surprise the shutoff valve provided by the manufacturer did not go into the make connector more than two-three threads and it was leaking
the male sharkbite NPT fitting would connect with both ends of the N and G piece so that seems to have standard threads which means the G Mange side of the shutoff valve is also standard so I do not understand why I could not connect the shutoff valve straight to a shark female NTP fitting
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Mini Me

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So right now I am considering buying a shorter 3/4" connector (not sure if this will impact the toilet functionality, I emailed the manufacturer but no answer so far) The installation manual is here
I wonder is there is any way to use an elbow or something else to make this look less overloaded over engineered and to reduce the pressure the connector puts on the PEX pipe
Maybe using an elbow but I can't figure out how to use one here. Shorter braided connector + a 90 oriented toward the toilet + shorter PEX ?

their shutoff valve has a filter built in and some sort of flow back preventer (step 5.3 in the pictures).
The funny part is that I could not insert the piece Q there because there was another flow back preventer already preinstalled there, that would be as per the option 2 installation in the manual. A total mess in this respect
 

Breplum

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No solutions to your mess, but, wanted to inform if you end up needing to de-clip the sharkbite and did not leave enough room for the orange declip plastic tool, there exists a fancier metal tool to declip.
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Bannerman

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I do not understand why I could not connect the shutoff valve straight to a shark female NTP fitting
It seems the manufacturer anticipates a threaded nipple will be protruding from the wall. It appears the 'N & G' piece is a simple 1/2" X 1/2" threaded female coupling to allow the male thread for the shutoff valve to connect to the male thread for a nipple protruding from the wall. Since you are using PEX with Sharkbite fittings, there is probably no reason to not use a Sharkbite 1/2" female threaded fitting to connect the PEX directly to the shut-off valve, thereby eliminating the 'N & G' threaded coupling.

Since it seems your escutcheon plate does not utilize any fastener to hold it tightly to the wall, you could inject a small amount of caulking behind to adhere it to the wall.
 

Mini Me

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I do have the metal tool and I was previously able to remove the female fitting using my nails :))
 

Mini Me

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It seems the manufacturer anticipates a threaded nipple will be protruding from the wall. It appears the 'N & G' piece is a simple 1/2" X 1/2" threaded female coupling to allow the male thread for the shutoff valve to connect to the male thread for a nipple protruding from the wall. Since you are using PEX with Sharkbite fittings, there is probably no reason to not use a Sharkbite 1/2" female threaded fitting to connect the PEX directly to the shut-off valve, thereby eliminating the 'N & G' threaded coupling.
yes that was my logic but the dam thing did not work and I can't understand why
I think there is the tapered and the straight thread issue at play here
the tapered make fits into the straight thread of the NG coupling piece but
the straight thread of the shutoff valve does not fit in a tapered female thread (hence the two three threads it was going in and the leaking)
 

Mini Me

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I expect a better option for ensuring the pipe protrudes securely from the wall at a right angle would have been to use a threaded drop-ear elbow inside the wall and then use a chrome nipple to protrude from the wall.

Sharkbite female drop-ear elbow

2" chrome nipple
unfortunately that is too late, yes it was discussed and suggested earlier in another related thread
the space behind the wall is not a lot (1" expanded polystyrene and drywall)

I think my only viable option is to use an elbow and a shorter braided connector
I could probably try to drill new holes in 1 and 2 below and make sure they overlap 3 and 4 and that will allow me to use long screws to get to the cinder block behind everything and I won't need to drill trough the tile. I need to see how much room is there; might not be easy as I will need to install the screws angled to avoid hitting the pex elbow behind the wall;
CQx1GNg.png
 
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wwhitney

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How about using a Sharkbite elbow 1/2" PEX x 1/2" MNPT:


You could lose the chrome cover and just install the elbow fairly tight to the wall, with the 1/2" MNPT pointing up. Then your 1/2" FIP x G1/2 female adapter and your shutoff. The shutoff connection for the braided supply line could point to the right. If the tower of fitting seems too tippy, you could figure out how to restrain it at the top.

Cheers, Wayne
 

Mini Me

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How about using a Sharkbite elbow 1/2" PEX x 1/2" MNPT:


You could lose the chrome cover and just install the elbow fairly tight to the wall, with the 1/2" MNPT pointing up. Then your 1/2" FIP x G1/2 female adapter and your shutoff. The shutoff connection for the braided supply line could point to the right. If the tower of fitting seems too tippy, you could figure out how to restrain it at the top.

Cheers, Wayne
yes pretty much my plan. Sending everything to the right and hiding it behind the toilet also allows me to support the assembly somehow, because there will be a torsion force that will end up being applied to the crimped connection between the elbow and the pipe within the wall
 

Fitter30

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Commercial epoxy flange to tile. 3m makes all types and others. Cost up to $40 sure they have help number to pick the riht product.
 
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John Gayewski

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Sharkbite angle stop then check valve. Then when that check valve fails you can change it.
 

Reach4

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That chrome piece before the sharkbite could serve as a removal tool if it got loosened from the wall.

Who cut the big hole in the tile? Next time you install bathroom tile, I expect you will plan to have whoever cuts the holes cut the other desired holes. Or notch out to clear any screws expecting the escutcheon (or toilet) to hide the notches.
 

Reach4

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I expect a better option for ensuring the pipe protrudes securely from the wall at a right angle would have been to use a threaded drop-ear elbow inside the wall and then use a chrome nipple to protrude from the wall.
I wonder if somebody could have custom cut a nipple with a 1/2 MIP thread on one end and a G1/2 thread on the other. Just speculating.
 

Reach4

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Disclaimer: the following is just musing and exploring, and is not likely to be acted on. There is no drop ear elbow in the wall, so this is theoretical if it comes up again.

G1/2 (per the link) has 20.955 mm for the major diameter is 0.825 inch.

Schedule 40 pipe is 0.840 OD. I expect the machine shop could work with machining down a brass 1/2 inch nipple. Alternatively maybe machine it down from schedule 80 CPVC, if you could find that. https://www.pvcfittingsonline.com/pipe/schedule-80-cpvc.html?size_in_inches=38
https://www.ebay.com/itm/274777782008?_trkparms=ispr=1 is selling a box of 25 nipples that could be machined down, but chances are the seller would consider selling one.
 

Mini Me

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Just quick follow up on this, below is the final solution, provided in this thread by the great many members of this forum
I will caulk that cover to the wall (no screws) and that would be the end of this


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