[VAL] Pex

["Mark Pate" <spectrumnc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm almost finished with the plumbing in Susan's GT. I started the copper
route and finally saw that was never going to happen in my lifetime, so I
tried pex. From what I understand, the pex is much more tolerant of
expansion and contraction than copper or pvc. It is very possible insulating
the pipes will not be necessary. I put shut off valves at all the faucets,
shutoff to the front water tank, and a bypass at the water heater. The shut
off valves help procrastinators like me bypass a problem so the entire
plumbing won't be down two months until I fix a washer. I also installed a
pressure gauge, replaced the pop-off valve and the anti-backwash valves as
well. One of the challenges was adapting the fittings to the facets. I
assume someone was suggesting a short handled tool because of clearance
inside the shell, but the tool requires a fairly good deal of effort and I
can't help believing the longer handles will help. If you put some swivel
fittings in place you can remove entire sections of the plumbing for repair
or replacement. I plan on keeping the tool and fittings in the GT "just in
case". This camper had at LEAST 30 plastic hose splices in the plumbing when
we bought it. Every time we took it out, new leaks sprung up.