ALL About PEX Piping

pex supplyier      http://www.pexsupply.com      Pex Pipe and Supplies     ASTM standards page

For more specifics, visit the ASTM website.

Aquapex is the leading brand of potable water (Hot/cold) PEX Tubing. This brand of PEX Tubing is manufactured by Uponor Wirsbo. Aquapex may be used in radiant heat applications where there are no ferrous (metal/iron) components. However Wirsbo Aquapex is more commonly used for PEX Plumbing applications.

Aquapex meets ASTM F876 and F877, and is certified to NSF standards 14 and 61. It is rated by the PPI : 200°F at 80 psi, 180°F at 100 psi, and 73.4°F at 160 psi.

Aquapex Tubing comes in white, red, and blue. The tubing is exactly the same just color coated for installation purposes (hot and cold lines).

Aquapex may be used with either the Wirsbo Expander Tool, the SSC Ratchet Tool, or PEX Compression Fittings

PEX Manifolds for Radiant Heat Applications    Foam core (DWV)  About Pe - X     Chemical Resistance Chart

ansi/awwa c904 nsf  - + Material complies with NSF/ANSI 61 health effects requirements

PEX 3306   RAUPEX® White UV-Shield  CSA B137.5

Facts site      Pex - Cross link PolyEthylene

NSF Certified Products - Plumbing and Related Product

    Click here, to see conversion table    NFS       Standards        NSF Consumer Information       NSF/ANSI Standard 61 Overview

NSF Drinking Water System Components Program        Plastic Plumbing Materials       Drinking water system components database  

Today, plastic plumbing products designed for potable water applications are usually designated with either "NSF-PW" or "NSF-61" to indicate that the product complies with the health effects requirements of NSF/ANSI Standard 61 for materials designed for contact with potable water. This standard also establishes similar guidelines for other plumbing materials, including copper tubing. If your pipe is not coded with one of these designations or if it is designated with an alternative code such "NSF-DWV," it is probably not meant for potable water applications and should not be used for such purposes.

Because PVC piping system components can be manufactured in a variety of colors, identification of application is easy. A common color scheme (although not universal) is:

Polyethylene Tubing and Water Contamination chemical investigation

Click here to see letters written to NSF by Dr. Fox. NSF used to be called the National Sanitary Foundation

Journal of Water and Health (2011) - Long-term study of migration

PEX vs Copper | GreenBuildingAdvisor.com      , , , , ,

Coalition of Environmental, Consumer, Public Health and Labor Organizations Have Filed Lawsuit to Overturn the Schwarzenegger Administration’s Approval of PEX Pipe On February 19, 2009, a coalition including: (1) the Consumer Federation of California; (2) Planning and Conservation League; (3) Center for Environmental Health; (4) Sierra Club California; (5) California Professional Firefighters; and (6) the California State Pipe Trades Council jointly filed a lawsuit to overturn the Commission’s approval of PEX on the grounds that it was based upon a legally inadequate environmental impact report (EIR).

Potential Environmental, Health and Economic Risks Posed by PEX

Contamination of drinking water
The PEX EIR found that methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) and tert-Butyl alcohol can leach from PEX in amounts that exceed taste, odor and health guidelines set by the State of California for drinking water. The PEX EIR found that PEX pipes can initially leach as much as 290 ppb of MTBE. The California Department of Public Health and the California Office of Health Hazard Assessment have established a drinking water taste and odor standard of 5 ppb for MTBE and a drinking water public health goal and maximum contaminant level of 13 ppb.

The PEX EIR also found that PEX can leach ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE), a chemical in the same family as MTBE, in amounts exceeding 100 ppb. An expert toxicologist report commissioned as part of the PEX EIR found that the leaching of ETBE from PEX pipe could contribute to taste and odor impacts, and could potentially lead to adverse health effects.Toxic Smoke

PEX produces toxic smoke when burned in building fires.

Even short term exposure to sunlight can dramatically reduce the resistance of PEX to chlorine and result in premature rupture of the pipe. Studies show just a one-week exposure to sunlight may reduce the chlorine resistance lifetime of some PEX pipes by half; with a two week exposure completely depleting PEX of any chlorine resistance.

How Safe is PEX tubing?  Hidden dangers in PEX?  Cross-linked polyethylene tubing is gaining ground in residential plumbing systems, but a poster wonders whether chemicals leach out of the material into drinking water.

BPA seems better understood than many other aspects of plastics in that it does enter a body by leaching into water," he adds. "I recently worked on a house for a physician where we had these discussions. The physician decided to take his chances with the copper supply lines instead of PEX, accepting the premium in cost."

When acidic or soft water sits in the line for more than six hours, the line should be flushed for up to 60 seconds before the water is used for drinking or cooking. And in these conditions, hot water should never be used for cooking or drinking.

 

Polybutylene ( PB )

 

Adapter: PEX (top) to Polybutylene ( PB ) it is

Polybutylene Piping, Plumbing - Environmental Hazard The presence of polybutylene pipe can severely affect a home's value on the real estate market. Poly pipe generally takes 10-15 years to begin to show signs ...

Used widely in new construction from 1978 to 1995, polybutylene pipes fail disastrously.

Read more: Is It Necessary to Replace Polybutylene Plumbing? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/decision_8140005_necessary-replace-polybutylene-plumbing.html#ixzz1P24W13MU
Polybutylene (PB) pipes are one of the least reliable materials for plumbing systems. Constructed of plastic resin and often connected with copper or brass crimped fittings, PB plumbing has been known to fail within 10 to 15 years after installation. The International Plumbing Code, upon which many municipalities derive their own building codes, prohibits the use of PB piping for "any water distribution system or water supply system."

Bottom Line


Read more: Is It Necessary to Replace Polybutylene Plumbing? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/decision_8140005_necessary-replace-polybutylene-plumbing.html#ixzz1P25Fmpm5

 


Read more: Is It Necessary to Replace Polybutylene Plumbing? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/decision_8140005_necessary-replace-polybutylene-plumbing.html#ixzz1P24rDxmC