wrote:
OK, I posted about PEX clamping. I made the mistake of stating my
opinion about it, which is not in favor of it. Thus the whole
discussion thread went in that direction and the original point of my
post was lost.
So, I am posting it again, with the intended question.
1. There are two types of PEX Clamping Tools (Crimp Tools) and two
types of crimp bands being sold. One is just a solid metal ring that
somehow (magically) shrinks
If you think compressing a small cylinder of copper is "magic" ... ho boy...
when the tool is applied. The other looks
more like a common auto hose clamp minus the screw, and requires a
different tool. Which is better?
Don't know - I used the solid ones.
2. Why cant someone just use a common hose clamp?
Because they're not as strong? Because they're not even? Because you can
over *and* under-tighten them? (How can you tell if they're the right
pressure?) Because they can work loose? Because they're not designed to be
used with PEX? Because they're *more* expensive than the little copper rings?
I'm sure that in time there will be cheap generic crimp tools being
sold that only cost $19.99, but even at that everyone owns a
screwdriver
Pretty much everyone owns a pair of Vice Grips too:
http://www.pexcrimper.com/
Did you miss that link in the previous thread? At around 50 crimpings,
you'll save the cost of the crimper because you're not buying 50 hose clamps!
and with hose clamps being readily available, easy to
install, and much easier to remove
Who cares? When has "ease of removability" ever been a goal in plumbing?
Seriously - that's just asking for leaks.
than the PEX clamps now being sold,
why not just use hose clamps?
Forget about it... just go to Home Depot and pay $20 for 50' of PEX, grab
some fittings and some hose clamps...
Let us know how it goes. For the time and energy you and others have put
into this (and other) thread(s), you could have tried the hose clamps on a
small project already! Whaddya got to loose? Remember the hose clamps are
easy to remove right?
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