Pex??? A or c. Copper rings???
#11
I am going to go down the rabbit hole.
A or C?
If C copper rings or the stainless steel crimp clamps? I work on soda systems and we use the crimp style so I am comfortable with them, but have no issue going with the copper rings if there is a good reason

Simple domestic water stuff. Moving a washing machine soon.

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#12
Copper, in my opinion, is too soft.
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#13
I prefer the stainless clamps that I can take off in case of a goof and save the fitting.

Works for me
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#14
You can remove the copper rings easily, I've used copper rings for 15+years with no failures.
I use 2 crimp rings per joint.
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#15
I've used the stainless ring a lot but I would use the A rings if I could.
There are a few reasons I don't use A but the biggest reason is because I don't want to buy the battery operated expansion tool. I don't use it enough to justify the cost and the hand tool is still expensive a $150 and looks to be pretty large. Also I can get the stainless crimp rings the BORG. The only place that sells the A rings is 1 supply house that sells Wirsbo and I know that they aren't open in Saturday afternoon or Sundays when I would probably need parts
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#16
I like A-pex because it's so much more flexible. You can still use A-pex with crimp and clinch rings or you have the option to use the expander tool and fittings. I bought the dewalt pex expander tool last year and it does work great. It's very easy to use in tight or confined spaces. My crimp tools require a lot of room to open the handles and sometimes you even have to assemble the fittings in a certain order to make the crimpers work. Up between floor joists or in a wall cavity it can be completely impossible to use them.

You do need to wait a little while for the expansion rings to tighten back up, the joint will drip if you apply water pressure too soon, an hour or two is usually enough. Expansion fittings have the advantage of a larger internal size, crimp fittings have to fit inside the pipe so they must be smaller inside and may restrict the water flow. Numerous crimp fittings in the same line can restrict flow significantly enough you may need to step up to a larger a size.

Expansion tools used to be prohibitively expensive, but you can get hand operated for around a hundred or cordless expander tools for a few hundred. I caught it on sale and paid about $225 for the bare tool, dies and case, I already had batteries and charger. It works fast and the same every time, doesn't require continual verifying with a go/no-go gauge. I've installed thousands of copper crimp rings, never really had problems with them other than the space limitations. Occasionally an awkward crimp might fail the go/no-go test and I would have to re-crimp or adjust the tool over time. I keep them around to tie into old work but prefer expansion for most new work.
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#17
Either type of PEX works, so it comes down to other factors.

For me, the rest of my house was already plumbed in PEX C, so it made no sense to consider introducing a different type. Plus the materials are all readily available at the local big box stores.

I use the copper crimp rings, one per fitting. No leaks in 15 years albeit just Harry Homeowner stuff - replumbed the main line from the pressure tank, replaced the water heater, added anti-scald devices, rerouted the exterior faucet lines, added another faucet,..

To remove copper rings, use a ring splitter tool. Getting the crushed pex off the fitting takes longer than getting the ring off!

-Mark
If I had a signature, this wouldn't be it.
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#18
I use both crimp and cinch types. I now have two tools for each. I agree the handles get in the way sometimes. I use vice grips with the smaller crimp tool adjusted to correct opening. I still need one hand on the clamp tool and one on the vice grips but I can hold the ring in the tool for accurate placement. My new cinch ring tool is one handed; you just squeeze 'til the cute little light comes on. I have used the expanding types infrequently. Probable just about enough to know that the battery operated ones are much, much easier for cold 1" HePex! I can say that I haven't experienced any real difficulty nor leaks with any of the systems. I wish I could say that for sweated copper. It's not that I can't do a good job, it's just that a little too much heat (working too fast) or any water present will reek havoc on a good joint.
Sign at N.E. Vocational School Cabinetmaking Shop 1976, "Free knowledge given daily... Bring your own container"
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#19
Curious about how you easily remove copper rings?
I long for the days when Coke was a soft drink, and Black and Decker was a quality tool.
Happiness is a snipe free planer
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#20
(02-01-2019, 08:19 PM)Pirate Wrote: Curious about how you easily remove copper rings?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW1t0mF7thI
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