Jared Stein
New Member
I'm restoring an old house and think I made a mistake in the installation of rigid supply lines for the clawfoot tub. To be honest, I couldn't find a good guide on how to attach these rigid lines to PEX, so I improvised.
The problem I'm having is that the new rigid supply lines occasionally slip and buckle (for lack of a better term), causing a misty leak near the shutoff valve.
When this happens, I simply loosen the nut, reposition the rubber washer, and retighten. This is only a temporary fix until they buckle again.
This is what it looks like when it's not leaking. When it does leak, the angle is a bit more severe:
The rigid line is attached with a rubber cone washer / friction ring to a male-female adapter which is attached to the shutoff valve, which the PEX clamps to over the flange.
As you can see, the rigid lines that we bought didn't come with their own valve shutoffs / flanges, so I used what I could get at the hardware store.
I think the leak happens because the PEX moves under pressure. If so, how can I secure the PEX so it doesn't wiggle?
The holes in the floor are bigger than the PEX (that's just how they were), so perhaps I need to fill the gaps (e.g. with wood as I assume most compounds would damage the PEX)?
Or perhaps I cut the rigid line too short?
Or maybe I should just spring for shutoff valves with flanges/escutcheons like these ($$) or these ($$$)? The latter suggests it comes with a "supply stop" that perhaps secures the IPS to the escutcheon, but I'm not sure that will solve this.
The problem I'm having is that the new rigid supply lines occasionally slip and buckle (for lack of a better term), causing a misty leak near the shutoff valve.
When this happens, I simply loosen the nut, reposition the rubber washer, and retighten. This is only a temporary fix until they buckle again.
This is what it looks like when it's not leaking. When it does leak, the angle is a bit more severe:
The rigid line is attached with a rubber cone washer / friction ring to a male-female adapter which is attached to the shutoff valve, which the PEX clamps to over the flange.
As you can see, the rigid lines that we bought didn't come with their own valve shutoffs / flanges, so I used what I could get at the hardware store.
I think the leak happens because the PEX moves under pressure. If so, how can I secure the PEX so it doesn't wiggle?
The holes in the floor are bigger than the PEX (that's just how they were), so perhaps I need to fill the gaps (e.g. with wood as I assume most compounds would damage the PEX)?
Or perhaps I cut the rigid line too short?
Or maybe I should just spring for shutoff valves with flanges/escutcheons like these ($$) or these ($$$)? The latter suggests it comes with a "supply stop" that perhaps secures the IPS to the escutcheon, but I'm not sure that will solve this.
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