Suburban water heater replacement issue

[superdutybob]

I will be replacing my suburban sw6de water heater soon,was expecting to just have to unscrew connecters for hot and cold lines by unscrewing,but the factory used pex crimp clamps directly to fitting on heater.Any advise on best way to remove these and not damage the short piece of pex pipe that they used?Will try to post a picture when can access that area.

[YC_1]

I use my dremel tool with a cutoff blade to get the clamps off.

Warming pex with a heat gun or hair dryer can make it flexible enough to install in some places. 

[vidotchis]

yeah dealing with PEX crimp clamps directly on fittings adds a layer of complexity. To remove them without damaging the PEX pipe, you can use a PEX crimp ring removal tool, a pair of channel-lock pliers, or a utility knife. Carefully cut the crimp ring along its length, avoiding the PEX pipe beneath. Once the crimp ring is cut, you should be able to slide it off the fitting. If access is limited, a mini hacksaw or reciprocating saw with a fine-tooth blade could be useful. you can also consult with emergency plumber. Remember to turn off the water supply before starting, and having a bucket or towels handy to catch any residual water is a good precaution.

[superdutybob]

Yep,StonedPanther has described how this mess probably got put together on assembly line.And his suggestion is what I figured I would have to do.I have replaced air conditioner fan motor on roof,new toilet,and various other plumbing and electrical issues,so am confident I will get it done.Opnspaces,thanks for info on home depot,luckily have one literally across the street from me.Got almost 10 years of fulltime living from this heater,so can't complain too much about unit itself.

[katysdad]

Sharkbite fittings work well in tight places also.

[opnspaces]

I normally have some weird sense of pride in that I will find a way to get those clamps off and new ones on so it looks factory when I'm done.

But in your case I think StonedPanther has some sage advice. Cut the two PEX pipes where you have easy access and pull out the old water heater and PEX as one.

If needed new PEX and be bought at Home Depot ($4.50 for 10 foot)
a clamp tool is $40 and some clamps about $7 for ten clamps.

[StonedPanther]

StarkNaked wrote:
Here's one method:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=969UMd5I0T8

Disclaimer: I'm not a plumber, but I have done pex connections in the last few weeks!

Yeppers, that's one method. The issue might be is doing that on a work bench while having the line clamped in a vise is one thing, in an RV another. Typically there are lots of cheap plastic fittings around and close to the heater they use to get the pex around other items and construction, fittings that probably were not made to be used with pex in the first place, so when you go twisting a pair of dykes around in the limited spaceif you can get them on the clamp at all, bad things happen.

Even if you can get the clamp off you need the room to get the new clamp on. They install the heater before the cabinetry or other construction is around it, usually with absolutely no thought about if the heater ever needed swapped out. Its all about speed on the factory line. I would try to cut the pex somewhere so I could get the heater out through the hole with the rear connections intact, then plumb the new heater the same way outside the rig, slide it back in and connect the lines that were cut with sharkbite couplings.

[StarkNaked]

Here's one method:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=969UMd5I0T8

Disclaimer: I'm not a plumber, but I have done pex connections in the last few weeks!