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  1. #1
    Site Sponsor JCR GD's Avatar
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    PEXLOCK clamps and fittings

    PEXLOCK. Anyone familiar with these "new" type PEX clamps and fittings?

    They look interesting. Just plyers to clamp and screw driver to release. Supposedly they are being used in newer RV builds.

    Curious if anyone has seen them in their RV yet.


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  2. #2
    Site Team Soundsailor's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JCR GD View Post
    PEXLOCK. Anyone familiar with these "new" type PEX clamps and fittings?

    They look interesting. Just plyers to clamp and screw driver to release. Supposedly they are being used in newer RV builds.

    Curious if anyone has seen them in their RV yet.


    https://www.flairit.com/
    Those look very interesting. For someone with limited plumbing skills (like myself), these could make working with the plumbing in the coach a lot easier.
    Stephen and Judy
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  3. #3
    Rolling Along jjbbrewer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JCR GD View Post
    PEXLOCK. Anyone familiar with these "new" type PEX clamps and fittings?
    Those look interesting for sure. I did a little plumbing addition to my RV (tank overflow siphon prevention) using these Sharkbite fittings. The pro is they need no tools, the con is they're use once only - you have to cut them out to disconnect.

    https://www.sharkbite.com/us/en/evopex-push-to-connect
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  4. #4
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    What I find interesting, and something that turns me off on them, is it looks like everything is a type of plastic. After having the flex line leaks at the plastic junctions in my coach, I feel that the brass junctions with the PEX clamps will last longer and hold better.

    It's just a feeling based on nothing but my experience.
    Mark & Mary. Full-timing across the USA (and Canada)!
    Current Coach: 2021 Grand Design Reflection 320MKS
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  5. #5
    Big Traveler
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    After our horrible experience with CPVC fittings cracking due to brittleness over time in our stick built years ago, I too think brass fittings are still the way to go.
    Jim and Annette
    2019 Reflection 150 295RL
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  6. #6
    Site Team Soundsailor's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by trailrydr View Post
    After our horrible experience with CPVC fittings cracking due to brittleness over time in our stick built years ago, I too think brass fittings are still the way to go.
    Guess it depends on your time horizon, for a stick built it is probably 50 years or more, and in an RV, five years max for me. Plastic should be able to carry me through five years. In a stick-built, I'd go with copper all the way.
    Stephen and Judy
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  7. #7
    Big Traveler
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    Quote Originally Posted by Soundsailor View Post
    Guess it depends on your time horizon, for a stick built it is probably 50 years or more, and in an RV, five years max for me. Plastic should be able to carry me through five years. In a stick-built, I'd go with copper all the way.
    Do agree on the copper. Our former late 80's straight ranch with full underground basement was all copper. Never worried about freezing or other issues, just mostly hard city water mineral build up over time which was solved by adding a Fleck 5600. Before the Fleck addition, never sweated copper before to plumb a new line. Within a few test joints, it was so easy that I felt like a pro. Infact, we bypassed the softner for our fridge and sink dispensers with a seperate copper run due to not wanting softened drinking water and/or ice.

    If it wasnt for cost and possible power outages, copper would be our first choice for future plumbing projects. But being that our current home is a rural lake house with with exposed basement walls on overhead electric prone to outages, PEX was our goto for added insurance for possible freezing issues if we arent there to crank up the genny. Plus, like you mentioned, we'll probably be moving on before the PEX becomes an issue.
    Jim and Annette
    2019 Reflection 150 295RL
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  8. #8
    Rolling Along jjbbrewer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MoonShadow_1911 View Post
    After having the flex line leaks at the plastic junctions in my coach, I feel that the brass junctions with the PEX clamps will last longer and hold better.
    Like these? https://www.sharkbite.com/us/en/brass-push-to-connect

    I agree about the longevity. My concern about using them in the RV was their weight. When doing mods, I consider how it will hold up through hours of vibration similar to a 6.0 earthquake.
    So I would think brass fittings should be supported by something additional to the pex tubing.
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  9. #9
    Long Hauler
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    Quote Originally Posted by jjbbrewer View Post
    Like these? https://www.sharkbite.com/us/en/brass-push-to-connect

    I agree about the longevity. My concern about using them in the RV was their weight. When doing mods, I consider how it will hold up through hours of vibration similar to a 6.0 earthquake.
    So I would think brass fittings should be supported by something additional to the pex tubing.
    Nope, like these. You still have to use the crimp rings on them.

    SUNGATOR 45-Pack Pex Fittings, 1/2 inch 15 EACH 90 Elbow Tee Coupling, Lead Free Brass For PEX Pipe Plumbing Projects https://a.co/d/5Ol0wGT
    Mark & Mary. Full-timing across the USA (and Canada)!
    Current Coach: 2021 Grand Design Reflection 320MKS
    Current Rig: 2019 Ford F350 SD Crew Cab, w/8' box, Lariat, SRW, 6.7l Diesel

  10. #10
    Seasoned Camper
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    Given the cost, low quality and likely damage due to freezing copper pipe, we built our upstate NY house in 2012 with Pex. It's Pex from the pump in the lake to every faucet and water using appliance. For the first 6 years we were here for only a few winter days. We relied on a generator to keep things warm if the power went out (which it does frequently). The house sat empty and cold for 24 hours twice. The pipes in the unheated "basement" froze solid and I had to replace the whole house water filter and a drain pump in the washer. None of the Pex was damaged. I am told that if the Pex is repeatedly frozen, it starts to swell and can't hold its rated pressure. Nobody's ever told me how many times it has to freeze before it would fail.

    Meanwhile, the copper pipes in the 1980s house we had in Northern Virginia were a disaster. Due to corrosion. In the 30+ years we had that house we had to replace the line from the meter under the lawn and several smaller branch pipes near the toilets, showers and water heater. The larger diameter pipes seemed immune. But our neighbors had similar problems, some with all their pipes. I knew of 6 owners who decided to replace all their copper with PEX. All 40 homes in our association were built within three years of each other by two different contractors. It didn't matter which contractor, most of the homes had issues with their copper pipe.
    Doug, Patti and our puppy Leo are from upstate NY.
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