Max Quillen
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Can anyone speak to the useage of this type of oxygen barrier PEX A in a potable water system heavy with chloramine? Will it suffer similar concerns as red/blue Uponor?
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Stream 33 PEX A
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Im not familiar with Stream.. I doubt the oxygen barrier has anything to do with its chemical resistance.
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Breplum
Licensed plumbing contractor
The red and blue early Uponor colored problem relates specifically to how the co. treated the pipe for coloring. No other mfr has had colored pipe problems and now, Uponor has started colored pipe again with a newer method, so maybe it will be successful.
Max Quillen
New Member
Thanks for the replies. There’s a builder in the central Ohio area that seems to be using Stream 33 pipe nearly exclusively. I didn’t realize Uponor is making red/blue pipe again. Can it be easily differentiated from their old product?
Looking to buy a house and I dread plumbing issues—had them for 10 years of pinhole leaks in copper. Don’t need a basement but PEX with slab construction concerns me. I’ve also seen houses 20 years-old with CPVC that has been repaired in ”Frankenstein” fashion with various PEX iterations. It must be a great time to be a plumber. I don’t mean that as a cut—I have great respect for plumbing that is well done.
Looking to buy a house and I dread plumbing issues—had them for 10 years of pinhole leaks in copper. Don’t need a basement but PEX with slab construction concerns me. I’ve also seen houses 20 years-old with CPVC that has been repaired in ”Frankenstein” fashion with various PEX iterations. It must be a great time to be a plumber. I don’t mean that as a cut—I have great respect for plumbing that is well done.
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JohnCT
Still learning..slowly
We don't know of chlorine or chloramine is what's causing the Uponor failure (the youtube guy thinks so but I'm not as convinced) and be aware that it is NOT confined to just the red and blue Uponor - there are documented cases of the white/clear pipe failing in the same manner.
I think the red and blue are more prone to failure due to the heat and radiation Uponor used to apply the exterior color to the white pipe, but I think it only hastened the failure of the base white by "jump starting" the process, not the cause of it.
I also believe that hot water circulation systems shorten the life of PEX as well, and I think PEX that is formed around a bend to save a fitting is more prone to fail at the bend.
The above is my own speculation based on what I have been able to gather about the failures.
John
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