Broad Water Bypass Plumbing Question

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KandT

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Jul 27, 2016
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Any advice on an easy way to plumb that plastic tubing that is in most Rv's?  The local Home Depot really isn't set up for it.

My "New" 2005 Winnie came with a totally messed up water heater by pass and it seemed like a simple project until I started working with that brittle unforgiving plastic tubing (I think pre-PEX).

Everything I put together seemed half rear ended and that old plastic doesn't seem like a great long term solution - Leaked when I gave her the regular household hose.  I had to mix metal and plastic and old and new.

Should I just buy some other new type and cut the supply lines back and rework with a better system?

Any advice is much appreciated.
 
I've had very good luck working with Pex tubing, and haven't found it to be brittle at all. I installed an auxiliary water tank so I had to tap into the existing Pex tubing and run a lot of it through the coach. You have to be somewhat careful how you cut the ends. The cuts should be as square as possible, so when you push them into the fittings, they seal well. The fittings I used are a brand called, "Shark Bite" and they were easy to work with and haven't leaked a drop.

Kev
 
I would think a 2005 would have pex tubing, but maybe it's still polybutylene?  Push-to-fit fittings (e.g. Sharkbite, Lowes Blue Devil brand, Speedit, etc) work well on pex. They also make push-to-fit for polybutyl, e.g. SMC's line of polybutyl fittings are Sharkbite with poly adapters. Quest & Flair make compression fittings for polybutyl as well, including the convenient hand-tight only (no tools needed) Flair products. Compression fittings work on pex too.

Home Depot has both types, but you have to know what to look/ask for. Lowes also, or Ace Hardware, or any plumbing supply store. Mobile home supply stores too.
 
Shark Bite are a bit expensive, but for smaller jobs like an RV, they are WONDERFUL!  They are easily removed if needed.  They make different adaptors so you can connect dissimilar piping easily.  I used them in a stix & brix bathroom remodel, and it saved lots of headaches going from soft copper to CPVC.
 
Thanks all - it has pex in it and I bought some extra to do a nice job.  Previous owner must have cut some out.

Boy do shark bites add up in price!!  I probably should have bought the crimping tool but decided to learn that on the next project.

I appreciate the advice!
 
It may seem intimidating at first, but re-plumbing a small RV is not that hard and those new Flair-it fittings and tubing are really easy to work with.

I had that old grey tubing (1983 camper) and it was quite disgusting, so I ripped it all out and re-plumbed the entire thing with new tubing and fittings. Surprisingly, it took me about two days, less than $200, and not a single leak on my first try.

It was so easy, that I felt a bit silly for putting it off and dreading it.

Home Depot and Lowes usually carry the fittings and tubing. The only issue I found is that they (the stores) don't stock enough of the most popular fittings, so I had to run around to several different locations to get what I needed to finish the job.

There is another brand like Flair-It, but I don't recall the name. I think it had Shark in it. (edit : Shark Bite, just saw it in another post above).

 
If you want to stick with PEX plumbing (Which is likely the easiest) then......

There are several ways to deal with PEX pipe.. Normally you use a barbed fitting and a special crimp ring and crimper not cheap either.

Or you can sing a song...

When the Shark Bites
Into Pex Dear
Water leaks just
Go away
When the shark bites
Into pex dear
In the pipe
Water stays
"
A special fitting called a Shark Bite fitting (Lowes, Home Depot and Mennards all carry it) you cut the pipe square.. Push the fitting on till it stops. .Give it a bit of a bump (It goes on about another quarter to 1/2 inch) and the metal "Fingers" Bite into the outside of the pex.. The seal is on the inside..

A special release tool will allow it to come off easily if you need to remove it.
 
You don't have to buy the pricey Sharkbite brand push-fit fittings. Lowes Blue Devil brand of push-fit is fine and costs less (though still not cheap), and the Flair-It compression fittings are even less. Many hardware stores or home stores carry both brands, or other lower-priced equivalents.
 

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