Heating Uponor PEX-A

[DavidTu]

1) Uponor says you cannot reuse an EP fitting in the event that a connection is poorly made... it becomes trash. Whereas, with brass fittings you can heat 'em up and get 'em off. I've found, however, that if I score the tubing longitudinally (without going through it) a bit of heat will split the tubing pretty readily along the score. Now, is Uponor following a CYA mentality or is the fitting somehow altered (invisibly) by this procedure? Have you reused EP fittings and had problems?

2) In regards to repairing bent/kinked tubing, Uponor also suggests heating tubing to 265-deg F (if I remember right) or with about 450 watt heat gun. Hmmm... well I don't have a 450 watt heat gun. I have a sort of cheapo Wagner dual wattage heat gun (750w/1200w) and it seems like even at the 750w setting the tubing does not heat up enough to turn clear (which I believe is the key to a repair). Rather, I have to use the higher setting. Is this just a cheapo gun or is it because it's been 40-deg F in Seattle lately, or am I frying the PEX without realizing it? (In fact, after a repair... exactly how should the tubing look? It seems to be that there is always remaining evidence of the kink--the surface of tubing in that location has a little bit of a shiny/wrinkled look. Again... normal after repair or evidence I should get a 450w gun?)

Thanks!

 

[Tom Sawyer]

It most likely is a cya mentality but for the price of plastic fittings why would you re-use it anyway?

As for heat repair, teh tubing does get that wrinkly look, it's normal and if you still see evidence of the kink then you didn't get it hot enough.