PEX-A Tubing, 1/2 Inch, Two 100 Ft Coils, Red and Blue, Cutter Included

PEX-A tubing in half inch, two 100 foot coils, one red and one blue for hot and cold identification. Body markings give type, diameter, size, standard, and production date.

Rated from 40 below zero to 203 degrees Fahrenheit, so it handles both supply lines and hot water. Pressure ratings are 160 psi at 73 degrees, 100 psi at 180 degrees, and 80 psi at 200 degrees.

PEX-A has real elastic memory. Kink it and you can heat the spot with a heat gun, let it cool, and it comes back to shape. No cutting out the section, no coupling. A pipe cutter is included.

Compatible with expansion, crimp, and clamp fittings. Suitable for potable water and open loop radiant floor heat. This is non-barrier tubing, so it is not for a closed loop boiler system, which needs oxygen barrier pipe.

Installation

1. Plan the run before you cut. Red for hot, blue for cold, so the next person can read the system.
2. Cut square with the included cutter. A crooked cut is the most common cause of a joint that weeps, because the fitting cannot seal all the way around.
3. Check the end. It should be round, clean and free of burrs. Cut off any end that has been crushed or flattened in the coil.
4. Pick your connection method. Expansion fittings, copper crimp rings, or stainless steel clamps all work with this tubing. The tools for each are sold separately.
5. For expansion joints, slide the expansion ring onto the end of the pipe, expand the pipe and ring together in stages while rotating the tool between each pull, then push the fitting in to the shoulder and hold it for about ten seconds while the pipe shrinks back onto it.
6. For crimp rings, slide the ring on, push the fitting in to the shoulder, position the ring an eighth to a quarter inch from the end of the pipe, and crimp square to the pipe. Check every joint with a go, no-go gauge.
7. Support horizontal runs about every 32 inches, and at each floor level on vertical runs. Leave a little slack between supports. Pipe grows and shrinks with temperature, and pinned tight it will tick and rub.
8. Keep the tubing at least 6 inches away from flue pipes, vent connectors and recessed can lights. Where it passes through a stud or joist within an inch and a quarter of the edge, protect it with a nail plate.
9. Pressure test and check every joint before you close up any walls or pour any slab.

Care and Handling

• Kinks do not mean a cut-out. Warm the kink with a heat gun until the cloudy spot clears, then let it cool undisturbed. Do not use a torch.
• Store out of sunlight. PEX degrades with UV exposure, so it is not for permanent outdoor runs in the open.
• Uncoil in warm conditions when you can. Cold pipe is stiff and fights you.
• Follow your local code. Some jurisdictions have their own rules on PEX, support spacing, and where it may be run.