PEX PIPING REPAIR

[SLEDAWG]

Thought I would share a unique repair that I haven't seen discussed on the FWC forum. During a trip to DVNP I had a right angle PEX fitting shear. I had driven Harry Wade Road and had not taken any severe jolts.

I called a local FWC dealer and the cost to to "look" at the repair was significant so I figured I would figure this one out. Repairing the PEX with crimp fittings was not an option since it would require me to tear down the cabinet to get the crimping tool inside the small space next to the water heater. Home Depot and Lowes carry Sharkbite fittings which I used along with some washing machine meshed reinforced hoses to reconstruct the piping coming off the water heater. This left the brass fitting off the water heater to fix. So far, I had done everything to PEX specifications. My choice was to replace the water heater brass discharge fitting or put the PEX on the existing fitting without it being crimped. I experimented with a few options and my solution was to use a propane torch to heat up the PEX piping and use a traditional clamp to seal the piping. It worked.

Final result

I have 6 days camping with this repair and a wife who likes to take daily showers. So far...so good.
FWC service mentioned they were changing their fittings on the PEX piping.

Repair was a royal pain due to the small space. Has anyone else had problems with the PEX piping shearing?

 

[super doody]

Thanks for sharing. Did elbow fail due to heat? Can't see how it would fail due to movement . Hopefully you didnt have any water damage.

 

[Ted]

A failure of my faucet led to my needing to do some PEX work in my camper. The cold water faucet handle broke on our faucet recently. We don't have a hot water heater, so I thought I'd just rerun the water supply to the hot side. Had no knowledge of PEX and cut off the existing run thinking I could easily install the new run using rubber tubing and hose clamps. Got to the store and realized I made a big mistake. The PEX tubing and special clamps needed are not bad, but you also have to get a special tool ($100) to crimp the rings and gauges to make sure they are crimped properly. Quite an investment for a job I'll probably never need to do again.

Fortunately I live near All Terrain Campers. Called Marty on a Saturday morning. Within hours hehad the new PEX run to the hot water handle. That kind of service and my camper isn't an ATC. They really are the best.

 

[SLEDAWG]

Super Doody - I assume the PEX fitting failed since it was the first one downstream of the water heater. The 120V and12V receptacles, 12 V monitor panel, and fuse box are all within a few inches. Some water got on the wiring, but I noticed the pump running continuously and caught it before anything was damaged. I may install a plastic shield between the PEX piping and electrical panel for "insurance" if the pipes fail again.

I was unable to use one SHARKBITE fitting since there wasn't enough pipe left after removing the right angle. Result was "cascading" cutting of the distribution piping to the hot water faucet and shower panel which you can see in the picture.

SHARKBITE fittings are easy to install and come either in plastic or brass. I went with the brass since it is the hot water line.

 

[AK Nomad]

For some piping mods I did, I purchased a piece of PEX piping, brass fittings a few clamps and a fairly inexpensive clamp pliers (like for CV joint boot clamps and such). The pliers worked fine, and repairs turned out great. I keep a few spare clamps in my kit, and carry the tool with me on long trips just in case.

 

[craig333]

I'd go see marty too if I could. Fortunately as I found when I put in my water filter there are ways to cheat if you need to.