plumbing

[tlcdmc]

restoring old rv-wondering what would keep me from intalling plastic cpvc pipe in rig- pex tubing is cheep, fittings thru the roof. thanks

[RickO]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I think some of our experts will chime in on this but I'll be that the cpvc pipe might be too rigid to withstand the riggors of travel.

If you don't get responses here you might try to post your questions in our "Vintage RV" forum.

Good luck...

Rick

[ajlcal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickO the cpvc pipe might be too rigid to withstand the riggors of travel.

I'm a retired plumber. I'll admit that I've never plumed an RV but I'll take a guess at this. I think there could be an argument made that cpvc is too rigid. But, I think that time is money at the manufacturing plants and this may be a situation of labor cost versus material cost. Cpvc would take much too long to install at the factory. Actually, cpvc is not that rigid in my opinion.

[rgvtexan]

Its your rig, do it your way. I believe CC PVC will be fine, might take a lot of fittings to get around all the corners. Support it often so it does not vibrate going down the road. The PEX crimp-on fittings are not to bad price wise, but take tooling. The screw on fittings are ridicules!

[pwf16129]

pex isn't bad priced and you can rent the crimper, my mobile is plumbed with pex and the one great advantage is it takes freezing very well ,the insulation got damaged by critters last year and on really cold days it will freeze but has never busted.
so if you have a little water that doesn't get blown out or mixed with antifreeze it won't cause major damage it will swell but not bust and leak
just my two cents worth

[blackf3504dr]

I just repaired some Pex tubing in our rig, I used Shark Bite fittings and they work great and are simple to use. CPVC is used for vents (through the roof).

[Hooligan]

tlcdmc- I think the freeze tolerance is the biggest advantage to PEX.
If you do use PEX, use the metal fittings. My MH had the black plastic fittings and over time they become brittle and crack when exposed to chlorine. I ended up replacing all the fittings with brass.
There are two types of clamps for PEX tubing, the standard copper collar is "crimped" on and the stainless ring is a "clamp". I used the stainless rings, they were cheaper and are easier to install. Lowes or Home Depot has the clamps and tools...
CinchClamp Ratchet Tool , Watts PEX Tool , PEX Tool , PEX Clamp Tool - PexSupply.com

hope this helps

[tlcdmc]

looked at web site in referral-everything reasonable till i got to crimp tool- $ 200, wow. have looked at lowes- their fittings seem high, do not remember if they had plastic fittings-didnt see tool but will go back and check your recommendation for clamps, thanks-i also have black plastic in rig- it split lengthwise under bathroom sink-since im redoing plumbing anyway, it thought i would explore options-i have a lot of 1/2 plastic and fittings.

[Hooligan]

http://www.lowes.com/SearchCatalogDi...atalogId=10051
Here's the one handed cinch tool at lowes, price here is $89, the longer handled one is less than $40. The one handed is easier to manipulate into small spaces under cabinets etc.. I did all mine with the long handle model, lots of grunt to close when out at arms length.
The cinch rings are reliable, just be sure the tool is at 90 degress to the fitting when you clamp.

[Mike Thomas]

If you want to do it like the really high end rigs, use a Vanguard Manabloc. It is a manifold that you hook all the hot and cold lines into, and then run directly to the sink, shower, etc. Each "loop" has it's own valve, so if you have trouble with one, just valve it off and continue you on your merry way. You can do it all with 3/8 inch lines, only fittings are one at the manifold, and one at the sink. Think of it like an electrical breaker box, a breaker for each circuit.