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No. PEX cannot be joined with solvent cement, glues or heat fusion. PEX is installed using only mechanical fittings or compression fittings.No. PEX cannot be joined with solvent cement, glues or heat fusion. PEX is installed using only mechanical fittings or compression fittings. == Installing PEX ==One of the popular uses of PEX tubing is for hot and cold water installations in the home. PEX tubing is not glued togeather like CPVC. All fittings are mechanical fittings. PEX is also very flexible thus reducing the number of fittings necessary. The following tools and materials are necessary:* Fittings* PEX tubing designed for the job* Tubing cutter* Ring crimper* crimp rings* "Go/No-Go" gauge* Crimp ring removal toolMeasure out the length of PEX you will need for installation and cut it with the PEX tubing cutter. These pliers are especially designed for PEX and should always be used. An unclean cut with burrs or that is not straight may result in leakage. Make your cut to the desired length, keeping in mind a little slack is needed for heat expansion and cold contraction, then slip a copper crimp ring onto the pipe.Allowances must be made for ever 10 degrees of change in temperature. PEX will contract one inch every 100 feet of pipe with every 10° of temperature change. Offset this by making a loop in the PEX that is no more than 8 times the diameter of the tubing.Insert the tubing into the piper fitting. It should bottom out on the shoulder of the fitting. Slide the copper crimp ring up so that it is 1/8" to 1/4" away from the tubing.Crimp the copper crimp ring with the ring crimper, insuring that the crimper is at a 90 degrees angle from the crimp ring. Close the crimp tool fully on the crimp ring.Now, test the crimp with the Go/No-Go gauge. The Go-gauge should slide onto the fitting with ease. It may be tight where the crimping tool has marked the crimping surface during the crimping operation. The No-Go gauge must not slide over the fitting. If it does, the tubing must be recut and the joint made once again.Avoid a leak by carefully inspecting your work. Observe the tubing and look for any of the following conditions:* Ring crimped over the end of the tubing. Not enough ribs covered.* Crimp tool not at 90 degrees. Plastic dented and not enough rib coverage.* Copper crimp ring not completely covered by crimping tool. Ring is distorted with a non uniform crimp.* Tubing not squarely cut. Does not cover ribs of fitting.Correct any of the defects mentioned above.Straps and hangers are used to secure PEX line at each 6 foot length. It must be supported at least every 32 inches if tubing is installed alongside a joist. When run vertically, it will require support at every floor level. When installing, always leave slack in the tubing to allow for contraction. The support hangers should not be so tight that they will restrict movement of the PEX. == PEX Fittings, Valves, and Materials ==[[Connecting Fixtures to a PEX Residential Water System]] discusses connecting sink, toilet, bath, laundry, and other common residential fixtures to PEX plumbing. This is especially useful as a reference for people replacing old plumbing in a home with modern PEX plumbing.HydroPEX Fittings are clamp/crimp style fittings, ProPEX are Expansion Style PEX Fittings, and there are Sharkbite Compression style PEX fittings. To make clamp connections the Clamp tool and stainless clamps are required, to make crimp connections a crimp tool and copper crimp rings are required, finally to make Propex connections a Wirsbo ProPEX tool and ProPEX Rings are required. The Sharkbite Compression fittings are not recommended by some plumbers due to perceived limited longevity.There are four basic PEX connection systems. The first is the Wirsbo ProPEX system that requires the ProPEX expander tool, ProPEX rings and ProPEX fittings. This connection system can only be used with PEX-a tubing. The second is the stainless steel clamp system that requires a clamping tool, stainless steel clamps, and barbed PEX fitting (HydroPEX). Third is the copper crimp ring system that requires a crimping tool, copper crimp rings, and barbed PEX fittings (HydroPEX). Last is the Sharkbite, compression-style, fittings that do not require a special tool. HydroPEX fittings may be used with the stainless steel clamping system or the copper crimp ring system. These PEX fittings may be used for PEX Plumbing. They allow you to make connections while using PEX Tubing.ProPEX Fittings are expansion style fittings. These PEX Fittings are manufactured by Uponor, formerly known as Wirsbo. The fittings are widely used throughout the US and Europe for PEX Tubing connections.SharkBite Push-Fit Fittings are designed to simplify pipe installation. The fittings allow users to connect pipe in seconds with ease.Instant push-fit connection for increased ease of use. Certified to 200 psi and 200°F (93°C).The Viega PEX Press fitting system meets strict ASTM standards in addition to UPC and international codes for potable water systems. The high quality bronze PureFlow PEX Press fittings are more resistant to corrosion and stress cracking.[[Category:Construction]]