Starcraft Antigua 2005, Water manifold made of PEX and those one-time crimp hose clamps leak. See pics below. the black plastic PEX "T" somehow cracked on a diagonal across the intersection and streams water. I go to Home Depot and match the same size PEX "T" with a PEX brass "T". I decide to use "real" hose clamps, you know the worm type adjustable screw so that I can re-use, relocate adjust, etc. Now all three locations where the PEX is clamped over the pipe onto the fitting leak. I have them cranked down beyond tight. WTH? I imagine I should replace the whole manifold due to age but what works best here? Any help?
mobeewan wrote:
The threaded brass fitting on the tank has a male 3/8 inch pipe thread. The outer diameter of 3/8 inch pipe is .675. According to your picture the pipe threads are just under 3/4 of an inch, so the threads have to be 3/8 in pipe threads. Half inch pipe is .540 in diameter and three quarter inch pipe is .840 in diameter. So your elbow you're looking for would need to be 3/8 in female pipe thread swivel nut x shark bite.
I'm teachable mobeewan, really, but how can the OD of a 1/2 in pipe be only 4-100's more than the ID, but the OD of the 3/8 in pipe be nearly double its ID? Heres a shot of the ID:
Heres something like what you're saying but the reviews are horrible.
http://www.sharkbite.com/product/swivel-elbows/
OP here...The Saga continues. So I see at HD that the Sharkbite (SB) brand has expanded. So heres the specific SB - push to connect - I know works and the packaging states use with PEX:
using those SB PTC above will eliminate having these god awful pinch clamps (which somehow are now branded as SB!):
So I managed to replace the "T" and 90 elbow to be leak free, thusly:
but if course, all that yanking and pulling and flexing the manifold to get that done cracked yet 2 more of the original black plastic fittings, which now leak. So I committed now to replace all the fittings in this assembly. I managed to find all the valves and other fittings in SB PTC EXCEPT the 2 "hose" connection 90 elbows to the WH tank:
I cannot find, even on the SB website, a 3/4 inch female thread to 1/2 inch SB PTC.
I see it in 1/4 inch on Amazon looks like these:
So if yall fine gents/ladies ever run into this and located such a fitting let me know. I imagine I could get this done through multiple adapters or the SB water heater hose connection for 1/2 inch but thats not preferable.
using those SB PTC above will eliminate having these god awful pinch clamps (which somehow are now branded as SB!):
So I managed to replace the "T" and 90 elbow to be leak free, thusly:
but if course, all that yanking and pulling and flexing the manifold to get that done cracked yet 2 more of the original black plastic fittings, which now leak. So I committed now to replace all the fittings in this assembly. I managed to find all the valves and other fittings in SB PTC EXCEPT the 2 "hose" connection 90 elbows to the WH tank:
I cannot find, even on the SB website, a 3/4 inch female thread to 1/2 inch SB PTC.
I see it in 1/4 inch on Amazon looks like these:
So if yall fine gents/ladies ever run into this and located such a fitting let me know. I imagine I could get this done through multiple adapters or the SB water heater hose connection for 1/2 inch but thats not preferable.
Gear clamps (hose clamps) should never ever be used on PEX.
Copper crimp rings work great and are very easy to use but the required crimper is expensive for doing just a handful of crimps.
Sharkbite fittings will work fine but can get expensive if you need more than a few.
I would suggest using cinch clamps like the factories typically do (as in photo). You can buy them as a package of clamps plus the tool at HD at a pretty decent price and you can have some spare clamps and the tool to keep on hand for future repairs or mods.
You might want to buy a stick of PEX and also a PEX cutter so you can make nice clean cuts. If you get cinch clamps, get some brass PEX fittings.
Copper crimp rings work great and are very easy to use but the required crimper is expensive for doing just a handful of crimps.
Sharkbite fittings will work fine but can get expensive if you need more than a few.
I would suggest using cinch clamps like the factories typically do (as in photo). You can buy them as a package of clamps plus the tool at HD at a pretty decent price and you can have some spare clamps and the tool to keep on hand for future repairs or mods.
You might want to buy a stick of PEX and also a PEX cutter so you can make nice clean cuts. If you get cinch clamps, get some brass PEX fittings.
