Class A Plumbing Problems/Questions

[stangdoc]

Has anyone replaced or spliced into the standard semi-rigid gray plastic rv pipe and fittings that are secured with the metal bands? This stuff seems to be hard to work with and I need to splice into it with some braided reinforced rubber hose that will bend easier. I think I might be able to use a 1/4" brass barbed splice fitting with clamps, or do you have to use compression fittings? Being a newbie, I didn't completely get all the water out and got freeze damage. The water inlet in back of my Thetford 2 pedal toilet is spraying a fine mist when pressurized and can't reach the connection, so I guess I have to remove the toilet to even figure out the problem. My brand new SureFlo water pump is also dripping from the end where the pressure adjustment screw is. Any ideas on any of these varied problems? I appreciate any wisdom on these problems. I will get EVERY drop of water out of the system before next winter or else....hard lesson learned!

[TQ60]

It was not your fault, you have PB tubing, it was a good product at the time, but time and chlorine attacks it.

You CANNOT use hose clamps, there are universal fittings that will work, but best to replace it.

Home Depot and Lowes sell the materials, the crimper is the pricey part, but there are 2 types at Lowes, one uses the rings like you have, the other uses a pinching type that are easier to remove.

The rings are a little more expensive, but the tool is a lot cheaper, and it works for all sizes.

PEX is what you want to use, there are adaptors to convert from PB to PEX, I would replace all of it, been there done that, a lot of work, did our 38 ft coach without removing any cabinets, a bore-camera from Harbor Freight helps to get the pull wire through tight spaces.

We used a 100 ft roll of tubing and a bunch of fittings, you can get any color you want, use a single color and label with colored tape.

Search PEX here for more help.

DO NOT LEAVE THE GRAY STUFF IN THERE!

[Senior Chief]

With all due respect to the previous poster, if you decide to fix and splice, rather than replace all your plumbing, look for Shark Bite fittings (or equivalent, there are several brands) at Lowes, Home Depot, etc. These are brass, push-in type connectors that will allow you to patch in PEX, copper or whatever to your existing plumbing. They run about $3-$6 a piece but are quick and secure.

[Shore2Shore]

Totally agree with Senior Chief on this one. Can highly recommend shark bite fittings, they are well made and certainly do the job well. They are also very easy to work with putting together but also removal using a simple u-shaped tool.

No rings or other tools to worry about or buy, can be used to join pex & other plastic piping to eachother also metal piping with just a simple push together required to join. Just cut the pipe square on & push into the connector and thats it.

Sharkbite do their own PEX tubing aswell which is really good, have used the sharkbite PEX & brass connectors replacing much of our old Bounders plumbing.

[ernieh]

That same "grey pipe" was also used in homes and is the subject of a large class action lawsuit. I had several failures in my old MH and would replace it with pex.

It will be a lot of work but the lack of "surprise leaks" will may your travels much more enjoyable.

[TQ60]

I did not mention the shark bite and other options as I have not used tham and are not able to give an opinion.

They sould like a great option when one needs to do a quick fix, but when one fitting fails the likelyhood of more failures is high.

So it is up to everyone to be their own judge, no disrespect intended for anyone, but we highly suggest that if any part of a PB system fails that everything needs to go, it can be patched to get by, but concider the replacement high on the to-do list.

It is a lot of work true, but it gives you something to do...

If you count all of the firrings that would be needed to update the fitings to Shark-Bite and multiply by the cost it gets real expensive, the cost of tools and materials for complete replacement are less, and less worry about leaks.

[Shore2Shore]

Actually TQ60 sharkbite fittings aren't just for quick fixes or splices etc. Yes they are amazing at getting you out of tight situations, but also perfect for total replacement of that old plumbing too. The push together fitting is perfect for tight squeezes where you cant get the crimping tool in and for speed.

Yes our repairs to the plumbing system were only really repairs at the time to stop leaky water heater,pump and toilet connections , but that whole section needed to be replaced. So new flexible metal braided hoses for heater & faucet connections, fitting to sharkbite PEX tubing and for the time being old original quest grey piping via the mentioned sharkbite connectors.

At first I was very wary of anything so simple as just a "push fit" to do with plumbing, but after completing the job and seeing how easy and so simple it was I wont hesitate to replace the rest of our rigs quest plumbing with sharkbite fittings.

Stangdoc can you see a water feed pipe at all for your toilet? It may be covered over /boxed over to neaten things up in the bathroom.

[TQ60]

I did not mean to indicate the Shark Bite type connectors were not suitable for long term use, this is what they are designed for.

What I meant was they are great to have in the crash kit for when you get a leak, and if you cannot get the tools in the hole they work there.

The reason I push against them for the long term is given their expense, they are not a practical solution to the real problem.

The PB system is bad, and once one fitting fails, the rest will follow.

At $6.00 each you can run up a ton of money in a hurry, the standard ones are about less than $1.00 each for plastic, $2.00 or so for brass.

We had one start under the sink, after fixing that one, another one behind the shower failed, and there was no way to get to it.

So we replaced every bit except the piece that goes from the shower head to the valve, just could not get our fingers in there.

So use them for the quick fix, then prepare to redo the rest because you are likely going to need to.

[Shore2Shore]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TQ60 The reason I push against them for the long term is given their expense, they are not a practical solution to the real problem.

I can understand personal preference/choice ,each to their own and all that, but still can't see how you can say they are not a practical solution to the real problem

They are a very practical solution to the real problem which is a fairly simple one. The OP's plumbing is shot in several places and in need of at least a running repair with a more than likely full renewal of said plumbing.

So we can at least agree they are cool for the *crash bag* as you say to get the plumbing past the running repair and stop a rather wet accident. Now if the repair was done using sharkbite,why not for the sake of continuity use the same connectors to finish the whole job.

Yes they cost a little more, but really looking at the whole RV plumbing theres only so many 90 degree bends, pipe couplers, PEX tubing, flexible piping that one will need.Around 80% of our plumbing has been redone with said connectors and their brand PEX, cost to us of definitely no more than $100 ,infact less but gives an idea.

With something as important as plumbing surely a cost of around $100-200 is well worth it in the long run. Considering some peoples rigs are worth a huge heap O'cash! Surely even the older statesmans of the RV'ing world deserve to be pampered and cherished too!

[Mike Thomas]

There is nothing wrong with PB pipe. In fact it is superior to pex as far as flexiblity, water flow and resistance to freezing. The fittings used to join the pipe are deffective. PB pipe is still used as the riser on faucets and toilets, the pipe that goes from the shut off vavle under the sink to the faucet itself, or the shut off valve to the bottom of the toiler. The law suits brought by the lawyers were like everything legal, they sued the group that had money, and someone they could identify. The fittings were made by lots of manufacturers, the pipe resin by only one manufactuer. The resin manufacturer decided that if they were going to get sued, it would not be over a product line that did not make them that much money to start with, so they just quit making it available to the general pipe market.

If you want to replace all your plumbing, go to Vanguard Products, they make a manifold that allows you to homerun all your plumbing to one place. No fittings from the manifold to the faucet. Pex can freeze and won't break. Just loosen all the fittings at the manifold, drain the manifold and you are done.

[swampdog]

sure hope pex is all it is cut-out to be . the copper in my house under the slab has gone bad ( leaks under slab) plumber says replace with pex and go over head cost 6910.00 plus sheetrock work he claims i will never have to call him again ,says it's the best stuff he has ever used , i can remember when a plumber said the same for copper. time will tell

[patmsp]

Is PB always grey?

I have a leak in water cabinet above the manifold. The tubing is blue. I took off the metal band and replaced it with a stainless steel hose clamp. I could not get the hose clamp tight enough to stop the leak. I am on the road in MN and plan to have a mobil tech come out to fix it when I have water. But, I may try the fix for myself depending on the feedback that I get here.

Pat

[Senior Chief]

Patmsp, I presume you have already removed the leaking fitting? Go to Lowes, Home Depot or Menards and purchase a brass Shark Bite (or equivalent) fitting in the same diameter as your blue pipe. They will cost around $4 each.

Make sure the ends of the blue pipe are cut square and flush. The Shark Bites are a simple push-in fitting, no tools required and they are a permanent fix (They can be removed and reused with a special tool, if necessary).

If the two ends of the blue pipe do not meet, you can use 2 Shark Bites and a short piece of PEX to patch in.

Honestly, even if you lack all plumbing skills, follow the simple directions and the Shark Bites will get you on your way without calling a technician. Guaranteed.