Pex Connectors

[Ken_Judy]

Just a heads up... after 30k miles bouncing down our beautiful roads, the big white connector knobs on the end of the pex lines needed to be tightened a bit. 

[John E Davies]

Ken, thanks for the heads up.

Are your lines secure? If they are not tied down (or to each other) they will jounce around a bunch.  A few minutes with some 9 inch cable ties will reduce future problems, for plumbing and also for wiring. The factory skimps in this area.....

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[choied]

Ken_Judy, 

Are they leaking? The lines are allowed to spin after installation; the white connectors and tubing are simply heated and expanded then allowed to tighten over and onto the fitting itself.  

[Ken_Judy]

These seem to be compression fittings with a nylon type o ring and rubber o ring on the pex tube and then the white fitting gets screwed down for a water tight  fit. They are all tight except one that continues to spin. I’m worried about that one

[Overland]

All the push to connect fittings that I’ve ever dealt with are pretty hard to pull loose, even with the right tool to do so. What can easily happen though is that the fittings haven’t been pushed in all the way to begin with. Plumbers will tell you to mark the pipe before pushing in the fitting to make sure that you get it on all the way. I don’t recall seeing any marks on the plumbing in my Ollie so it may be that the fittings just need to be pushed in a bit more and probably isn’t something to really worry too much about unless you have a leak.  And frankly, if you do have a leak, a fitting that just needed to be pushed in more would be a welcome find.

The outer ring on the fittings that Oliver uses will be loose and will spin.  I’ve never run across those fittings anywhere else but my Ollie, but the fact that the outer ring is loose doesn’t seem to indicate anything.  I suspect that the outer ring is used to remove the fittings, but I’ve never tried.

Speaking of PTC fittings, if you ever need to replace one or just want some spares, maybe check out this product - http://www.legendvalve.com/pws1/smartclick-connection-system

I haven’t seen them in person - just the literature they sent - but it looks like a good alternative to Shark Bite. Light weight, doesn’t require tools, and gives a nice positive click when it’s installed correctly. 

Edited January 18, 2020 by Overland

[SeaDawg]

I really like those legend pex connectors,  Overland.  When I tried to shop them, I  could only find them at Ferguson. Guess I may have to reactivate my account with them. Any idea on pricing? 

Sherry 

 

[Overland]

Don't know.  They have a price list on their website that says ~$5 per fitting, but Fergusson may have it cheaper.

[hobo]

On 1/17/2020 at 10:24 PM, Overland said:

All the push to connect fittings that I’ve ever dealt with are pretty hard to pull loose, even with the right tool to do so. What can easily happen though is that the fittings haven’t been pushed in all the way to begin with. Plumbers will tell you to mark the pipe before pushing in the fitting to make sure that you get it on all the way. I don’t recall seeing any marks on the plumbing in my Ollie so it may be that the fittings just need to be pushed in a bit more and probably isn’t something to really worry too much about unless you have a leak.  And frankly, if you do have a leak, a fitting that just needed to be pushed in more would be a welcome find.

The outer ring on the fittings that Oliver uses will be loose and will spin.  I’ve never run across those fittings anywhere else but my Ollie, but the fact that the outer ring is loose doesn’t seem to indicate anything.  I suspect that the outer ring is used to remove the fittings, but I’ve never tried.

Speaking of PTC fittings, if you ever need to replace one or just want some spares, maybe check out this product - http://www.legendvalve.com/pws1/smartclick-connection-system

I haven’t seen them in person - just the literature they sent - but it looks like a good alternative to Shark Bite. Light weight, doesn’t require tools, and gives a nice positive click when it’s installed correctly. 

Overland:  Having looked at these, I agree it would be a nice thing to have on board. 

Not having spent a lot of time (yet) in the bowels of our Ollie , can you suggest the size, kinds (T, straight, elbow) and numbers of each that you would have at your disposal if you were going to put together a kit?  I can purchase them at contractor price through my builder .  BTW:  Thanks for the heads-up.

[topgun2]

Hobo et al -

When I first got my Ollie I purchased two 90 degree and two straight Shark bite couplers (and a Shark bite de-coupler) along with two 3 foot long sections of Pex to be used as an emergency water line repair kit.  I placed all of this down in the bowels of the Ollie near the water pump area and haven't looked at it since.  However, it is really nice to know that its there if I ever need it.

Bill

[hobo]

41 minutes ago, topgun2 said:

Hobo et al -

When I first got my Ollie I purchased two 90 degree and two straight Shark bite couplers (and a Shark bite de-coupler) along with two 3 foot long sections of Pex to be used as an emergency water line repair kit.  I placed all of this down in the bowels of the Ollie near the water pump area and haven't looked at it since.  However, it is really nice to know that its there if I ever need it.

Bill

What  is the standard line size?

[topgun2]

I believe it is 1/2 inch.

[mossemi]

38 minutes ago, hobo said:

What  is the standard line size?

All of the supply side pipes are 1/2” in my 2017 LE2.  Home Depot and Lowe’s stock Pex pipe and fittings.  There are push type fittings, such as SharkBite and also crimp fittings which need a special crimping tool that will work with Pex pipe.  Cold water pipe is blue and hot is red.  White pipe is also available.

Some people do not trust SharkBite fittings, but I have used them at home and never had a failure.  They are great in emergencies.

[John E Davies]

I am OK with Shark Bite push fittings, other than their extreme cost, but much prefer their excellent crimp type rings. They are stainless ratcheting and dead easy to install with their tool. They will work with any standard pex fitting and can be removed with a twist of a pair of pliers. They are about $5 for ten rings.  This type of ring is perfect for home and irrigation use, up to 1” diameter.

https://www.sharkbite.com/products/stainless-steel-clamp-ring

If you go with the push fittings be sure to follow instructions as to seating depth. Use their pipe cutter to get a square clean end and BEVEL THE END. If you don’t, it might cut the oring and possibly leak. They say you can reuse fittings but I personally would not trust it.

I have made perhaps 150 pex and irrigation connections over the years. The only leaks resulted from push to install fittings. One proved to be very costly to repair. I would never ever use one in a hidden location like inside a wall!

John Davies

Spokane WA

Edited January 19, 2020 by John E Davies

[Overland]

Problem is that a lot of the connections in the Ollie are in too tight of a space to get a full sized crimping tool in there to use.  I've got a crimping vice that you can use with a pair of vice grips that gives a bit of flexibility, but it's a pita in its own special way.  Plus there's far more room for user error with crimps - I'll leave those to the guys who use them every day - PTC fittings are just so much easier.  

I've got a few connections on my water heater though that are too close together for PTCs to work.  And naturally, those are the only ones I've had fail on me.  I keep telling myself that I'm going to make up a pre assembled piece of that whole assembly for a spare, but...someday.

[DavidS]

After having had a Pex Elbow fail while camped in the middle of nowhere (details HERE in an earlier Sharkbite thread), I recommend all owners get Pex repair parts and tools in advance. After my experience I suggested a crimping tool with clamps ($26.99), and some brass elbows ($8.99) from Amazon. Also some 3 foot segments of Pex tubing from any hardware store; Amazon seems to sell Pex in 50 or 100 foot rolls. 

4 hours ago, topgun2 said:

I placed all of this down in the bowels of the Ollie near the water pump area and haven't looked at it since.  However, it is really nice to know that its there if I ever need it.

I also keep my Pex stuff in the water pump compartment. 

[choied]

On 1/17/2020 at 6:44 PM, Ken_Judy said:

These seem to be compression fittings with a nylon type o ring and rubber o ring on the pex tube and then the white fitting gets screwed down for a water tight  fit. They are all tight except one that continues to spin. I’m worried about that one

Ken_Judy,  My experience with PEX tubing is that the tube and white tubing PEX ring are simply installed over the fitting by expanding them both and then sliding them over the fitting.  The only practical reasons for failure would relate to a bad install (i.e., insufficient overlap of the tubing/ring over the fitting) and/or too much pressure in the line.  The tube is designed to be able to turn/spin on the fitting without losing its seal.  Now, if the movement is more akin to a wobble or slide, then I would be worried.  The only way to remove the fitting is to carefully slice into the PEX ring and get it off of the tubing.  You can get a new ring and expander tool to reinstall the same tubing over the fitting if you see either of the two issues above.  However, in a repair scenario I would use a new section of tubing, a coupling and a few new PEX rings so that your new connections are rock solid.  PEX is very easy to work with.  I am not sure what you are referring to when you write "o ring", I've never seen an o-ring or used one on any of the PEX work I have done.  There are barbs on the fitting though, so maybe you are seeing one of those through the translucent piping??

[choied]

On 1/19/2020 at 10:32 AM, DavidS said:

After having had a Pex Elbow fail while camped in the middle of nowhere (details HERE in an earlier Sharkbite thread), I recommend all owners get Pex repair parts and tools in advance. After my experience I suggested a crimping tool with clamps ($26.99), and some brass elbows ($8.99) from Amazon. Also some 3 foot segments of Pex tubing from any hardware store; Amazon seems to sell Pex in 50 or 100 foot rolls. 

I also keep my Pex stuff in the water pump compartment. 

Nice recommendation, will gather my stuff and do the same...I have lots of PEX tubing and fittings, etc. collecting dust.  I wonder why/how your elbow failed though?  Was it a cracked elbow, or a failed crimp, i.e., leaking at the connection point?   Not sure, if Oliver used "crimps" or "clamps" back in the day, but my trailer used the plastic-like PEX ring.  Your photos in the other post made me believe that "crimps" were used.  Using "crimps" requires a check after the crimping to ensure a proper install has been done.  To me the PEX ring is the way to go, so much simpler to use/install.

[Overland]

Oliver eliminated many of the elbows a few years ago, thanks to a recommendation from an owner here on the forum.  Now they use bend supports on the tubes wherever they can.  There are still a few tight locations on mine where they had to use elbows.  I had one of those burst due to vibration on our first trip.  It was a similar looking situation to the photo in David's post, where the tube turned down and then connected to another horizontal tube below.  In my case, the vertical tube hadn't been cut long enough, so there was tension with the top tube holding the bottom tube off the floor.  I think it was bound to break eventually.  

We really haven't seen much in the way of broken plumbing here on the forum, but of course it's possible.  More so if you're someone who likes to go off the beaten path.  If you do spend a lot of time on bumpy roads, what I recommend as a precaution is that whenever you're fixing/upgrading/checking out anything in the hull space, take a moment with some zip ties to tie as much wiring and plumbing as you can together or to something solid.  Just be careful especially with wiring that you're not creating problems by pulling things too tight.  

[DavidS]

On 1/28/2020 at 4:02 PM, choied said:

I wonder why/how your elbow failed though?  Was it a cracked elbow, or a failed crimp, i.e., leaking at the connection point?   

It was a cracked plastic elbow. I replaced it with a brass elbow. 

Edited January 30, 2020 by DavidS

[John E Davies]

1 hour ago, DavidS said:

It was a cracked plastic elbow. I replaced it with a brass elbow. 

That is interesting, Your Ollie is only a little older than "Mouse", but my few elbows are copper. Most of the 90 degree changes are done with sweeping bends, as overland pointed out. I personally would never use a plastic pex fitting in any application.

Are your other elbows plastic? Are you the second owner? If so maybe that failed one was a previous repair....

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[DavidS]

1 hour ago, John E Davies said:

Are your other elbows plastic? Are you the second owner? If so maybe that failed one was a previous repair....

I am the original owner. I assume the other elbows are also plastic, but I have not looked. 

[Ken_Judy]

I'm not a big fan of the plastic insert fittings in the Pex.  This broke where it attached to the Truma water heater

[Ken_Judy]

I picked up a sharkbite and a 12" braded toilet line and it works for $12.00

[topgun2]

For what its worth:

I'm hull 117 and most of my 90 degree elbows are plastic.  Even though I've never had a problem I do carry two three foot sections of pex, two 90 degree shark bite elbows and two shark bite straight connectors just in case.  The current Oliver production system is not only more robust but I'm guessing that it saves a little money in the construction too.  On the left side of the picture, note the fresh water tank mod (where the white pipe joins the blue pipe in the foreground) that was done by the Service guys and they used the "sweeping" bends for the 90 degree to the tank.

Bill

 

Edited January 30, 2020 by topgun2

[Jps190]

Can anyone with a 2020 or 2021 hull confirm if the PEX elbows are now copper or plastic.

 

Thanks,

John