Hose to toilet

[chemist308]

What kind of hose is it running into the back of my reflection 337RLS toilet? It’s blue, but it doesn’t look like PEX exactly, and is way more flexible. I’m wondering if a half inch shark bite fitting will fit it, before I cut into it.

Once I figure out what to connect to it, I’ll post to how to when I install the bidet.

[FT4NOW]

It's most likely the flexible hose that's always discussed on here. Best bet is to trace it to the source and replace with 1/2" PEX. The toilet connection should be 1/2" NPT, they have PEX fittings that will screw right on.

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[chemist308]

That’s more than I’m willing to get into, because I may be without a toilet for a couple of days given the stock at Lowe’s. I’m wondering how I tie into it though. Anyone know?

[gbkims]

That’s more than I’m willing to get into, because I may be without a toilet for a couple of days given the stock at Lowe’s. I’m wondering how I tie into it though. Anyone know?

I'd think 1/2" barbed fittings for the soft vinyl reinforced hose.

[boyscout]

That’s more than I’m willing to get into, because I may be without a toilet for a couple of days given the stock at Lowe’s. I’m wondering how I tie into it though. Anyone know?

Tie into it? Do you meant to install a sprayer or some other accessory that needs to pull water from that line?

You could do it the way Grand Design does it and simply use 1/2" PEX fittings. As @FT4NOW has told you that's not ideal and has led to leaks in many trailers, but it can work. You'll need the fittings and clamps plus a tool for cinching the clamps.

The issue with this approach is that the inside diameter of the soft hose is slightly larger than the inside diameter of 1/2" PEX, so when it's slid over a 1/2" PEX fitting water pressure can get in right up to the PEX clamp and begin working against that weakened portion of the soft hose. Those connections often bubble up and sometimes let go... lotta guys here have replaced all soft hose in their trailers to avoid this looming problem.

There is a Sharkbite adapter made for adapting from polybutelene to PEX but I'm told that it's hard to find in the U.S. Here it is on the Canadian Home Depot web site but I don't think you'll find it on Home Depot U.S.

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/sha...ter/1001012681

That adapter comes with rings for installation which require an expensive tool made for installing them, but you can use a hose clamp instead on the polybutelene side and a cinch clamp on the PEX side.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

[chemist308]

Oh my next trip back to Lowe’s I actually found a polybutylene to PEX adapter in the PEX section. I used that. If I ever do pull the toilet off again I probably will replace that stuff with PEX the whole way through. Problem was I couldn’t find the part to screw into the back of the toilet in the PEX section. If I’m wrong about this please let me know, but I think that part is actually a 1/2 inch or 5/8 inch hose thread.

[Calbar]

That’s more than I’m willing to get into, because I may be without a toilet for a couple of days given the stock at Lowe’s. I’m wondering how I tie into it though. Anyone know?

When I added the water filter to my trailer under the sink I used the fitting that boyscout linked to to avoid the potential issue with leaking connection. I used a screw clamp on the soft hose connection as I only had the pex cinch clamp tool. I didn't want to get into the whole pex swap at that time either. May at some point but not now.

Rob

[SteveO]

Tie into it? Do you meant to install a sprayer or some other accessory that needs to pull water from that line?

You could do it the way Grand Design does it and simply use 1/2" PEX fittings. As @FT4NOW has told you that's not ideal and has led to leaks in many trailers, but it can work. You'll need the fittings and clamps plus a tool for cinching the clamps.

The issue with this approach is that the inside diameter of the soft hose is slightly larger than the inside diameter of 1/2" PEX, so when it's slid over a 1/2" PEX fitting water pressure can get in right up to the PEX clamp and begin working against that weakened portion of the soft hose. Those connections often bubble up and sometimes let go... lotta guys here have replaced all soft hose in their trailers to avoid this looming problem.

There is a Sharkbite adapter made for adapting from polybutelene to PEX but I'm told that it's hard to find in the U.S. Here it is on the Canadian Home Depot web site but I don't think you'll find it on Home Depot U.S.

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/sha...ter/1001012681

That adapter comes with rings for installation which require an expensive tool made for installing them, but you can use a hose clamp instead on the polybutelene side and a cinch clamp on the PEX side.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

I saw that adapter before while I was researching the soft hose pipe issue. So does that mean PolyB pipe has a 1/2"ID like the soft hose used in RVs, or is it closer to 1/2" then a standard PEX fitting?

[boyscout]

I saw that adapter before while I was researching the soft hose pipe issue. So does that mean PolyB pipe has a 1/2"ID like the soft hose used in RVs, or is it closer to 1/2" then a standard PEX fitting?

I haven't measured the inside diameter of any of PEX, the soft hose in our trailers, or the once-popular polybutelene pipe for which the adapter is made.

However I have used the polybutelene - PEX adapter that I linked above and the soft hose certainly fits more tightly on it than it does on a PEX fitting.

I don't have the big ring crimpers for PEX so I installed a cinch clamp on my first one - not smart. Had to put a lot of pressure on the cinch crimper to get it to release and almost certainly was too tight / not good for the hose. Someone recommended replacing it with a standard hose clamp.

Good luck with your project.

[boyscout]

Oh my next trip back to Lowe’s I actually found a polybutylene to PEX adapter in the PEX section. I used that. If I ever do pull the toilet off again I probably will replace that stuff with PEX the whole way through. Problem was I couldn’t find the part to screw into the back of the toilet in the PEX section. If I’m wrong about this please let me know, but I think that part is actually a 1/2 inch or 5/8 inch hose thread.

It's been a couple of years since I swapped toilets and I used the existing supply so I didn't have to go looking for a fitting. Therefore the best I can do is tell you that I *THINK* it's this part:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-1...-301541107-_-N

However you'd be best to wait for someone else who knows with more certainty to come along.

Good luck.