All Around The HOUSE
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

 

All Appliances Buying And Selling Cooling Electrical Environmental Exterior Health And Safety Heating Home Improvement Home Inspection Insulation Insurance Interior Plumbing Roofing Special Structure

24/10/2019 0 Comments

About pex piping (Hint: it's not all kitec)

Picture
Q: What’s the big hoopla about PEX plumbing?
A: In most cases, it’s much ado about nothing.
Plastic piping incorporating three layers of material, and referred to as PEX-AL-PEX has created a firestorm of attention in recent years, including a much-debated class action law suit involving trade names such as Kitec and PlumbBetter.

A layer of aluminum sandwiched between two layers of PEX (polyethylene, cross-linked) was designed to reduce oxygen and chemical leaching.

So, what’s the big deal?

Turns out the aluminum layer in certain water conditions, can cause “dezincification” and failure of the brass fittings used with this system… especially if they are substandard brass fittings.

Turns out also that if, and when PEX-AL-PEX is mistaken for common PEX, and incorrectly fitted with crimp rings or heat-shrink methods - it will be physically damaged and probably fail (not the fault of the product.)

So, how are we supposed to know the difference?

Follow these links to find information you can use to easily identify the type of hot and cold water piping in a home.

What The Heck is KITEC?
How do I spot KITEC?
More about PEX piping

When in doubt, call a licensed plumber or ask your home inspector.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Gil Strachan is a professional home inspector, representing Electrospec Home Inspection Services in east-central Ontario since 1994.

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Categories

    All Appliances Buying And Selling Cooling Electrical Environmental Exterior Health And Safety Heating Home Improvement Home Inspection Insulation Insurance Interior Plumbing Roofing Special Structure

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019

Learn about home inspections at electrospec.ca