So I'd never even heard of PEX until yesterday...

Long story short, I hate the local hard water, decided I needed a
water softener, called the plumbing outfit that plumbed this less than
year old house, had them come back and give me a quote on installing
the appropriate sized water softener, was quoted $3000 installed... I
could have slapped the guy.

Decided I'd DIY it. I'm handy, an enginerdy kind of guy, and this
stuff doesn't scare me. I wouldn't attempt to solder copper tubing,
but, as you see, I may not have to.

I hacked a hole in the drywall to look at the plumbing underneath the
water heater closet, which has room for a softener. (The closet floor
is about 18" above the slab.) The pipes underneath look funny; they're
all plastic and red and blue. I now know that's called PEX and it
requires expensive tools. But I'm cool with that because they won't
cost me anything approaching $3000.

A little research on the interenet turned up Gary at
qualitywaterassociates.com, and I picked out the appropriately sized
water softening system.

Plotting my installation I'm thinking I'll break the main water input
line where it trees off to all it's branches. I'll run PEX through
holes in the closet floor, up to the softener, and back down to
complete the circuit.

I realize that this isn't elegant, that ideally the input and output
of the water softener would come through the closet wall, but hey,
doing that would entail a lot of hassle now.

My question for y'all: Is there anything out and out *wrong* about
this? I've never seen PEX before, presumably because it's only in new
houses, and always behind drywall. But this PEX won't be behind
drywall.

Am I committing some kind of capital offense (code violation) by
having exposed PEX in the closet? (or is it really exposed if it's in
a closet?)

Oh, and by the way, do need to make any special provision for PEX
passing through holes in the plywood floor? Perhaps there are nice
little plastic donut fittings designed for this purpose (anybody know?
what are they called?)

I guess the corollary question is: is it OK to have exposed PEX
plumbing underneath the kitchen sink? It's not behind drywall, but it
is concealed behind a cabinet...

Thank you for your help!

On Mar 10, 4:46 pm, wrote:
So I'd never even heard of PEX until yesterday...

Long story short, I hate the local hard water, decided I needed a
water softener, called the plumbing outfit that plumbed this less than
year old house, had them come back and give me a quote on installing
the appropriate sized water softener, was quoted $3000 installed... I
could have slapped the guy.

Decided I'd DIY it. I'm handy, an enginerdy kind of guy, and this
stuff doesn't scare me. I wouldn't attempt to solder copper tubing,
but, as you see, I may not have to.

I hacked a hole in the drywall to look at the plumbing underneath the
water heater closet, which has room for a softener. (The closet floor
is about 18" above the slab.) The pipes underneath look funny; they're
all plastic and red and blue. I now know that's called PEX and it
requires expensive tools. But I'm cool with that because they won't
cost me anything approaching $3000.

A little research on the interenet turned up Gary at
qualitywaterassociates.com, and I picked out the appropriately sized
water softening system.

Plotting my installation I'm thinking I'll break the main water input
line where it trees off to all it's branches. I'll run PEX through
holes in the closet floor, up to the softener, and back down to
complete the circuit.

I realize that this isn't elegant, that ideally the input and output
of the water softener would come through the closet wall, but hey,
doing that would entail a lot of hassle now.

My question for y'all: Is there anything out and out *wrong* about
this? I've never seen PEX before, presumably because it's only in new
houses, and always behind drywall. But this PEX won't be behind
drywall.

Am I committing some kind of capital offense (code violation) by
having exposed PEX in the closet? (or is it really exposed if it's in
a closet?)

Oh, and by the way, do need to make any special provision for PEX
passing through holes in the plywood floor? Perhaps there are nice
little plastic donut fittings designed for this purpose (anybody know?
what are they called?)

I guess the corollary question is: is it OK to have exposed PEX
plumbing underneath the kitchen sink? It's not behind drywall, but it
is concealed behind a cabinet...

Thank you for your help!

I think it's OK but don't actually know the legal requirement in your
area. Best practice is to take out a permit and ask the inspector.
It you don't want to deal with them then you have my blessing.

On Mar 10, 4:46 pm, wrote:
So I'd never even heard of PEX until yesterday...

Long story short, I hate the local hard water, decided I needed a
water softener, called the plumbing outfit that plumbed this less than
year old house, had them come back and give me a quote on installing
the appropriate sized water softener, was quoted $3000 installed... I
could have slapped the guy.

Decided I'd DIY it. I'm handy, an enginerdy kind of guy, and this
stuff doesn't scare me. I wouldn't attempt to solder copper tubing,
but, as you see, I may not have to.

I hacked a hole in the drywall to look at the plumbing underneath the
water heater closet, which has room for a softener. (The closet floor
is about 18" above the slab.) The pipes underneath look funny; they're
all plastic and red and blue. I now know that's called PEX and it
requires expensive tools. But I'm cool with that because they won't
cost me anything approaching $3000.

A little research on the interenet turned up Gary at
qualitywaterassociates.com, and I picked out the appropriately sized
water softening system.

Plotting my installation I'm thinking I'll break the main water input
line where it trees off to all it's branches. I'll run PEX through
holes in the closet floor, up to the softener, and back down to
complete the circuit.

I realize that this isn't elegant, that ideally the input and output
of the water softener would come through the closet wall, but hey,
doing that would entail a lot of hassle now.

My question for y'all: Is there anything out and out *wrong* about
this? I've never seen PEX before, presumably because it's only in new
houses, and always behind drywall. But this PEX won't be behind
drywall.

Am I committing some kind of capital offense (code violation) by
having exposed PEX in the closet? (or is it really exposed if it's in
a closet?)

Oh, and by the way, do need to make any special provision for PEX
passing through holes in the plywood floor? Perhaps there are nice
little plastic donut fittings designed for this purpose (anybody know?
what are they called?)

I guess the corollary question is: is it OK to have exposed PEX
plumbing underneath the kitchen sink? It's not behind drywall, but it
is concealed behind a cabinet...

Thank you for your help!

There is no problem with exposed pex, as long as it isn't exposed to
direct sunlight. It does look sloppy. Where the pipes pass through
the floor you can get a little plug that inserts into an 1 3/8" hole.
Not sure if you can find them or not--they have them at plumbing
supply places, but usually they don't sell to the general public.
Try getting them where you get your pipe.

Not sure why you'd be afraid of copper though--if you call yourself
handy, then surely you can learn to sweat copper. It ain't rocket
science.

wrote in message
s.com...
So I'd never even heard of PEX until yesterday...

snip

Plotting my installation I'm thinking I'll break the main water input
line where it trees off to all it's branches. I'll run PEX through
holes in the closet floor, up to the softener, and back down to
complete the circuit.

I realize that this isn't elegant, that ideally the input and output
of the water softener would come through the closet wall, but hey,
doing that would entail a lot of hassle now.

My question for y'all: Is there anything out and out *wrong* about
this? I've never seen PEX before, presumably because it's only in new
houses, and always behind drywall. But this PEX won't be behind
drywall.

Am I committing some kind of capital offense (code violation) by
having exposed PEX in the closet? (or is it really exposed if it's in
a closet?)

Oh, and by the way, do need to make any special provision for PEX
passing through holes in the plywood floor? Perhaps there are nice
little plastic donut fittings designed for this purpose (anybody know?
what are they called?)

I guess the corollary question is: is it OK to have exposed PEX
plumbing underneath the kitchen sink? It's not behind drywall, but it
is concealed behind a cabinet...

Thank you for your help!


My cabin is a 2 yr old double wide and the PEX under the sinks is exposed.
Shouldn't be an issue. As far as asking an inspector, I was told by one
that his job wasn't to educate the builder/ owner beyond, 'what you did is
wrong and here's why'. He said that he didn't have time in his schedule to
answer a lot of questions.

On Mar 10, 6:59 pm, "C & E" wrote:
wrote in message

s.com...

So I'd never even heard of PEX until yesterday...

snip





Plotting my installation I'm thinking I'll break the main water input
line where it trees off to all it's branches. I'll run PEX through
holes in the closet floor, up to the softener, and back down to
complete the circuit.

I realize that this isn't elegant, that ideally the input and output
of the water softener would come through the closet wall, but hey,
doing that would entail a lot of hassle now.

My question for y'all: Is there anything out and out *wrong* about
this? I've never seen PEX before, presumably because it's only in new
houses, and always behind drywall. But this PEX won't be behind
drywall.

Am I committing some kind of capital offense (code violation) by
having exposed PEX in the closet? (or is it really exposed if it's in
a closet?)

Oh, and by the way, do need to make any special provision for PEX
passing through holes in the plywood floor? Perhaps there are nice
little plastic donut fittings designed for this purpose (anybody know?
what are they called?)

I guess the corollary question is: is it OK to have exposed PEX
plumbing underneath the kitchen sink? It's not behind drywall, but it
is concealed behind a cabinet...

Thank you for your help!

My cabin is a 2 yr old double wide and the PEX under the sinks is exposed.
Shouldn't be an issue. As far as asking an inspector, I was told by one
that his job wasn't to educate the builder/ owner beyond, 'what you did is
wrong and here's why'. He said that he didn't have time in his schedule to
answer a lot of questions.

where I live you couldn't legally do such a job unless you had a
licensed plumber.

If you have any pride at all, you won't leave the pex exposed. It is
ugly.




On 10 Mar 2007 14:46:04 -0800, wrote:

So I'd never even heard of PEX until yesterday...

Long story short, I hate the local hard water, decided I needed a
water softener, called the plumbing outfit that plumbed this less than
year old house, had them come back and give me a quote on installing
the appropriate sized water softener, was quoted $3000 installed... I
could have slapped the guy.

Decided I'd DIY it. I'm handy, an enginerdy kind of guy, and this
stuff doesn't scare me. I wouldn't attempt to solder copper tubing,
but, as you see, I may not have to.

I hacked a hole in the drywall to look at the plumbing underneath the
water heater closet, which has room for a softener. (The closet floor
is about 18" above the slab.) The pipes underneath look funny; they're
all plastic and red and blue. I now know that's called PEX and it
requires expensive tools. But I'm cool with that because they won't
cost me anything approaching $3000.

A little research on the interenet turned up Gary at
qualitywaterassociates.com, and I picked out the appropriately sized
water softening system.

Plotting my installation I'm thinking I'll break the main water input
line where it trees off to all it's branches. I'll run PEX through
holes in the closet floor, up to the softener, and back down to
complete the circuit.

I realize that this isn't elegant, that ideally the input and output
of the water softener would come through the closet wall, but hey,
doing that would entail a lot of hassle now.

My question for y'all: Is there anything out and out *wrong* about
this? I've never seen PEX before, presumably because it's only in new
houses, and always behind drywall. But this PEX won't be behind
drywall.

Am I committing some kind of capital offense (code violation) by
having exposed PEX in the closet? (or is it really exposed if it's in
a closet?)

Oh, and by the way, do need to make any special provision for PEX
passing through holes in the plywood floor? Perhaps there are nice
little plastic donut fittings designed for this purpose (anybody know?
what are they called?)

I guess the corollary question is: is it OK to have exposed PEX
plumbing underneath the kitchen sink? It's not behind drywall, but it
is concealed behind a cabinet...

Thank you for your help!

How big is the closet where the softener is going? I recommend a smaller one
as the tank in a tank can be a real bear if it malfunctions and the salt
gets wet and hard
wrote in message
s.com...
So I'd never even heard of PEX until yesterday...

Long story short, I hate the local hard water, decided I needed a
water softener, called the plumbing outfit that plumbed this less than
year old house, had them come back and give me a quote on installing
the appropriate sized water softener, was quoted $3000 installed... I
could have slapped the guy.

Decided I'd DIY it. I'm handy, an enginerdy kind of guy, and this
stuff doesn't scare me. I wouldn't attempt to solder copper tubing,
but, as you see, I may not have to.

I hacked a hole in the drywall to look at the plumbing underneath the
water heater closet, which has room for a softener. (The closet floor
is about 18" above the slab.) The pipes underneath look funny; they're
all plastic and red and blue. I now know that's called PEX and it
requires expensive tools. But I'm cool with that because they won't
cost me anything approaching $3000.

A little research on the interenet turned up Gary at
qualitywaterassociates.com, and I picked out the appropriately sized
water softening system.

Plotting my installation I'm thinking I'll break the main water input
line where it trees off to all it's branches. I'll run PEX through
holes in the closet floor, up to the softener, and back down to
complete the circuit.

I realize that this isn't elegant, that ideally the input and output
of the water softener would come through the closet wall, but hey,
doing that would entail a lot of hassle now.

My question for y'all: Is there anything out and out *wrong* about
this? I've never seen PEX before, presumably because it's only in new
houses, and always behind drywall. But this PEX won't be behind
drywall.

Am I committing some kind of capital offense (code violation) by
having exposed PEX in the closet? (or is it really exposed if it's in
a closet?)

Oh, and by the way, do need to make any special provision for PEX
passing through holes in the plywood floor? Perhaps there are nice
little plastic donut fittings designed for this purpose (anybody know?
what are they called?)

I guess the corollary question is: is it OK to have exposed PEX
plumbing underneath the kitchen sink? It's not behind drywall, but it
is concealed behind a cabinet...

Thank you for your help!

On Mar 10, 6:08 pm, "marson" wrote:

Not sure why you'd be afraid of copper though--if you call yourself
handy, then surely you can learn to sweat copper. It ain't rocket
science.

Well yeah, you're right, and I actually did solder copper tubing about
20 years ago in "farm metal working" class. With a little practice I
could probably achieve some level of proficiency, but this is
basically a one-time job, and I doubt I'd have an excuse to sweat
copper again for another 10 or 20 years. It's not rocket science --
rocket science I can handle -- it's more of an art, a craft, a skill,
and art is something I might make a mess of.

Besides, PEX is superior. :-) At least that's what they say.

On Mar 11, 11:25 am, "Dan" wrote:
On Mar 10, 6:08 pm, "marson" wrote:

Not sure why you'd be afraid of copper though--if you call yourself
handy, then surely you can learn to sweat copper. It ain't rocket
science.

Well yeah, you're right, and I actually did solder copper tubing about
20 years ago in "farm metal working" class. With a little practice I
could probably achieve some level of proficiency, but this is
basically a one-time job, and I doubt I'd have an excuse to sweat
copper again for another 10 or 20 years. It's not rocket science --
rocket science I can handle -- it's more of an art, a craft, a skill,
and art is something I might make a mess of.

Besides, PEX is superior. :-) At least that's what they say.

and why is pex superior?

On Mar 11, 11:41 am, "marson" wrote:
On Mar 11, 11:25 am, "Dan" wrote:

On Mar 10, 6:08 pm, "marson" wrote:

Not sure why you'd be afraid of copper though--if you call yourself
handy, then surely you can learn to sweat copper. It ain't rocket
science.

Well yeah, you're right, and I actually did solder copper tubing about
20 years ago in "farm metal working" class. With a little practice I
could probably achieve some level of proficiency, but this is
basically a one-time job, and I doubt I'd have an excuse to sweat
copper again for another 10 or 20 years. It's not rocket science --
rocket science I can handle -- it's more of an art, a craft, a skill,
and art is something I might make a mess of.

Besides, PEX is superior. :-) At least that's what they say.

and why is pex superior?

PEX is cheaper, easier/faster to install, flexible, doesn't corrode,
resists scale deposition, more tolerant of freezing, and less likely
to leak than copper. None of this is based on personal experience,
but is just stuff I read on the net, likely from PEX cheerleaders.
Make of that what you will. I will grant you, it is uglier than
copper.

"marson" wrote:

and why is pex superior?

Resistance to freeze damage, less connectors, thus less failure points and
install less labor, and less heat loss on the hot side are just a few things
that come to mind...

So a plan is evolving in my head...

I think I do want to do it "right". No not copper... I think I can
run the pex up behind the drywall at the the back of the closet and
have it come out of the wall, where it will transition to flexible
stainless tubing and interface with the softener. I've been
eyeballing it and I think it's somewhat doable. A hassle, sure, but
doable. So the PEX won't be visible.

I need a box that will fit into the drywall. It will be sort of like
a washing machine box (you know what I'm talking about) but it will
be a water softener box. It will accept two 1" ID PEX, turn 90 deg,
and then exit to two threaded 1" male connectors to which I can
connect the flexible stainless tubing.

Actually, I would just use a washing machine box, but these are
typically 1/2" ID.

Forced to, I may obtain a washing machine box and jury rig it. But
someone, please, please tell me I can buy the desired fixture off the
shelf.

In an ideal world the fixture in the box will also inlude an integral
on/off/bypass valve, but I can live without that.

Anyone know where I can obtain this? Thanks!