By Chuck Ross
Despite all the press that PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) pipe is attracting these days, many plumbers and building officials remain unsure of the material's best applications. The product has a long history in Europe, but it's a relatively new technology for U.S. building pros, who still have many questions about its use. PEX proponents hope to answer those concerns with a comprehensive new guide, which will be formally released at the 2007 International Builders Show in February.
Clearing up questions
The 125-page guide, Residential PEX Water Supply Plumbing Systems, was developed by a group that included members of the Plastic Pipe Institute (PPI), the Plastic Pipe Fittings Association (PPFA), the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center and the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH). Group members wanted to demystify PEX installation for builders and plumbers who've heard of the material but may be unsure of its application.
"The PEX industry is very young in North America," says Camille Rubeiz, PPI's director of engineering. "We were looking for a way to collect common knowledge about the product, so that users will use it right the first time."
Developers also hope the new publication will ease potential fears among plumbers who may remember the disasters of the 1980s, involving pipe made from a different plastic material.
"A lot of plumbers have a very long memory," says Shawn Martin, NAHB Research Center's director of applied technology. "The challenge for us was to show that this product was not polybutylene."
Material advantages
PEX pipe is less expensive than copper at today's market prices, and more flexible, as well. And, because in many cases it can be bent by hand, without fittings, it also can be less expensive to install. Finally, the material is well-suited to modular, manifold-based plumbing layouts. The design guide's authors researched a number of different approaches to using PEX products, taking advantage of the Research Center's lab facilities.
"We actually plumbed up a full two-story house to see which routing scheme and system design provided what result," Martin says. "We got to try out different ways of plumbing the same house."
PEX has been accepted by all the major plumbing codes, but individual jurisdictions may have their own regulations in place regarding the material's use. The design guide's authors hope builders interested in PEX approaches will be able to use this new publication as a tool to educate their local building officials.
"The codes allow [PEX], but they don't tell you how to use it," Martin says. "This guide gives the builders who are talking to officials a framework. It's a communication aid."
Continuous improvement
Updates to the guide are already planned, based on feedback the guide's authors expect to receive once builders begin actually using the document.
"Once this book gets into the hands of the user, we're going to see a lot of comments," Rubeiz says. "We also know already some issues we want to improve. We want this book to become 'Everything You Wanted To Know about PEX."
A PDF version of the guide is available for free download on the at ToolBase website. Hard copies will be available for purchase at the ToolBase booth at IBS. They also may be available at a number of manufacturer booths on the show floor.
Chuck Ross is a freelance writer who has covered the construction industry for 20 years. He is based in Brewster, Mass.
| 
)
)
){kind=logo}
