Watched this video months ago, even replayed it for my wife. We now have a working PEX manifold in our cabin, thanks to you sir. Of all the manufactured manifolds on the market yours is by far superior. I'll send pictures if I can figure out how.
Saw your article in Fine Home Building Sept issue ...bought the mag just for the pex manifold story ... plus this vid is a bonus... installing all pex in my new cottage construction... (teared down old one but kept foundation and added extension) Got rid of all the old CPVC piping in the old section ... hey that was the in thing over copper when I ran this 25 years ago .... lol
Nice video, thanks. We have a leek in our slab and are looking at re-piping the house, just got an estimate of over $9,000 to do a two bath home so began looking into doing the job myself. Your Video gave me good basics.
Thats peanuts compared to having your house flood out from improperly installed piping or having a unhappy wife because when you flush the toilet she loses water pressure while doing the dishes. A company will give you a warranty and your insurance company wont laugh at you when they show up for their flood insurance claim investigation.
This was so GOOD, I am doing my house renovation and want to run Pex throughout my house and this has been a must see vidoe to understand the manifold system and also to know that you can make your own for the faction of the cost compared to buying, EXCELLENT
Cool vid, Thanks! Real good idea on the diagnostic port! I am looking at changing out my 1960s copper for Pex. Was looking a buying a manifold but like your idea better. I did home renovations for most of the 90s so some plumbing experience but before Pex was used much. This vid will help a lot! Thanks again.
This is an awesome idea James..... I was SO CLOSE into purchasing a $300.00 manufactured manifold from a local home center when I happened to stumble upon your video... By building my own I am going to save a ton of money! The manufactured manifolds seem low quality and very expensive. Thanks for the awesome video!
GREAT JOB! It really gave me a lot of ideas on how I can use PEX at my home in Chesterfield , Virginia and the family farm in Buckingham,Virginia. Thanks again.
I love the idea of this manifold, and to save money instead of buying the pre-made versions that only come with too little or too many ports, at times. Thanks for the video
You bet. This one for this tiny home cost about $50 and for most homes it'll run $75 to $100 per manifold for all 3/4" fittings (and more ball valves to more fixtures).
i am new to this pex thing, i love your video, this video is giving me an idea to change all the water system in the house, becoz one day i had a shower & somebody on the other side yank up the cold water, including flushing the toilet all together i had a severe burn,.. you're a genius.
Love the video! I'll be switching my house over to PEX in stages and this looks like a great way to start. I have a combination of old Cu and CPVC. After the claw foot tub dropped a foot and busted the CPVC hot line, I figured now may be as good a time as any.
Great Video. I am about to replace all the "in ground" copper piping in my house because the copper they used at the time is corroding. I am going to hang it all inside the house because I am on a slab and don't feel like jackhammering my house in half. Already had the city inspector come in and bless the project.... Thanks again...
Great video and very good presentation of the information. I am in the middle of total upstairs reno where we are installing a new bathroom. I plan on going all PEX to the upstairs but I wanted to also be able to easily retrofit the rest of the home down the road and a manifold like this looks like the perfect starting point where I can have capped connection points ready to go when I'm ready. Definitely subscribing to your channel.
Excellent video my friend.. I just recently started buying rentals and flip properties. My first 2 properties, one built in the 80's has all copper plumbing and the other built in the 50's has old galvanized steel piping. I've gone through some growing pains with regard to finding quality skilled labor and with all that is required repairing/replacing old plumbing & electrical. I was afraid of messing with electrical or plumbing on my own. I found an excellent Electrician willing to teach me the basics. Then I was at a local REIA group and one of the guys there told me about PEX piping and the systems and explained how easy plumbing has become with the invent of this new technology. I had no clue this existed until last night. WOW! This will save me boatloads of money and TH-cam makes learning to do most things pretty simple. Thanks for the educational video! Kudos and well done! Do you have any videos on how to actually tap into the line that comes into the home from well or city water.. like a "how to" on that? Thanks again!
I'm studying to become a home inspector and your videos are informative and very helpful. As well as in this particular video makes me want to PEX my own home when I find it.
In the middle of building mine....doing all 3/4" runs to each room then dropping to 1/2" to the fixtures. Costs for 3/4" parts from an Orange big box store here in SC are quite a bitter higher than yours. Doing 8 ports at $10.50 per valve. Fittings are about $2.50 each, and cinch rings are 10 for $6. The pex is the cheapest part lol. However if this keeps me from ripping out sheet rock and and shower fixtures for three baths to add anti-scald fixtures it will be well worth it in the end. Will keep you posted.
Hi Steve-tool adjustment/replacement is occasionally needed and a gauge is included in most kits. You can use a crimper with replaceable heads that are adjustable. The gauge is called a GO-NO GO gauge. This was mounted to TP 3/4" plywood using PEX approved (kind of loose) clamps. Glad you liked it!
I vary the size based on expected demand, but yes that's a good average. I also like tiny houses, so you can just run everything 1/2 if all you have is one bath and one kitchen. You can even use 3/8 in the interest of water conservation for 1-2 people. The PEX flows so great with such little resistance. I love it. In this case it was 3/4" inlet and then 1/2" for everything including water heater. It's a small house with low demand.
Thank you. Not sure how practical manifold system is. However if pressure is a concern one should run the main feeder under the house using one-inch PEX. This is because PEX is undersized compared to copper, PVC, and iron. One-inch PEX is really three-quarter inch ID, three-quarter inch PEX is one-half ID, and half-inch PEX is three-eighths ID. It is especially small in the fittings. Checking water pressure is simpler than this video suggests. You can get the static water pressure by just putting a gauge on an outside faucet, or on the hot water tank drain.
Zurn sells a starter crimp kit with 3/8 to 3/4 dyes, a ring cutter, an go-nogo gauge in a nice case for around $80 at box stores. I'm not sure what you mean by #1 or #2 line, but it's half inch on the manifold and 1/2 throughout the house. I do use 3/4 for supply from the meter (or well) to the main. Thanks!
If I was running one line to each room (bath, kitchen, etc), then I would have run 3/4" to the bath and then spit it to each fixture with 1/2" PEX to help avoid any pressure problems. But it looks like you believe that is overkill. I'd rather do it your way as it would save me time and money. You seem detail-oriented and experienced and I'd be very interested in any input you have. Thanks and have fun!
James, have you run a PEX 'main' line from the meter?" Would you recommend it? I have a small apartment building that I will be upgrading the plumbing- galvanized drain lines and main (1") , with copper hot & cold that runs through the concrete floor. Built in 1955 and in need of a total retrofit. My plan is to run PEX throughout and abandon the current hot & cold from the concrete. I have the ability to run the main line the entire back side of the building and then tap off of it for kitchens and bathrooms (all on the same wall). By tapping off the main line would I be losing pressure to each successive apartment down-the-line? Great video, BTW.
I don't have any data on that. I use copper because of familiarity and function. I don't have enough experience with expansion to offer any good opinion. I can say I've had no leakage problems with copper rings that are properly clamped. I also run lines so that little to no joints exist inside walls--that's the great thing about PEX over any rigid pipe.
Oh, man, I've come back years later to places where I've added that port and it's the bomb! So much faster and cleaner than chopping everything up to get a simple pressure reading. I wish it was code to install them.
Great Video, very well done: I was wondering if it matters how long the pex pipe is between each elbow or fitting, they look to be about 5" on your manifold? Thanks again and have a great weekend! Regards Pete Bauer
Under very heavy use, there is a small pressure drop. I've done some casual testing by installing T fittings and hooking up a pressure gauge. It's not the hardcore testing you'd see in a lab, but I've never gotten a drop > 10% (and often less) given that I installed all new plumbing from the main shut off onward.
The best way to do it is the way you're doing it with dedicated lines to each fixture--there is zero drop that way. In a larger home with a lot of people, I'd say it's pretty mandatory. In a small home like this, each use group gets a line, so the one cold water supply to a bath, for example, would only be affected by someone flushing in that bathroom, which is unlikely. So, while not as good, it's a reasonable alternative and it a lot simpler!
yea pex is officially the most amazing thing ever i just used this stuff in my basement to replace leaking copper pipes took me 30 minutes to do and if i called a plumber it would probably cost me over 300$
One criticism... you should probably have 3/4 going to the hot water heater. Remember, an entire other manifold will be fed by 1/2 pipe with your current setup and will likely undergo huge pressure drops if multiple hot water lines are turned on at a time.
you like the compression ring fittings even though it reduces 1/2 inch pipe to 3/8? just saying I'm a big fan of expandable pex A. done 20+ full repipes with it.
It depends on the what's needed, but generally no. The manifolds (for hot and cold) go near the shut off and then I'll run dedicated lines to each fixture or common branches to each shared group (a bath or a kitchen). Dedicated lines for each fixture is awesome, but isn't always practical, so what I commonly do is run one cold and one hot to group (like the bath) and then use a mini-manifold made from brass to divide to each fixture.
I already have my house plumbed but was wondering if i attached an extra line of pex from my mains entering the house to my furthest tape would that be the same principle of creating a loop for stopping pressure drops?
Great alternate to a commercial manifold. Would you mind sharing the pex size you made the manifold out of? Safe to assume 1/2" to normal loads and 3/4" to H2O heater?
Do you make a separate manifold for each room? I'm installing pex throughout my home which includes a kitchen, bathroom, laundry room and outside spicket. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and knowledge.
No worries. I think this was 3/4" inlet only and then 1/2 all the way around. For a small home this is great. PEX has few 90 degree turns and resistance is lower than copper so 1/2 PEX offers a little better volume and pressure than Cu. I guess if you really need more water you could run everything 3/4, but for most residential applications, that seems like a waste of domestic water.
3/4" inlet and then 1/2" around the manifold and also to each branch. I've ordered tools from pexsupplycom and and I liked them. I buy the pex locally since there no price advantage ordering it. A, B, and C refer to methods of manufacture and won't have impact for your application. (see wiki for details on this) Be sure you check the rings with the no-go gauge and use copper flex lines on water heater.
I don't know anything about them. I only use brass. I wasn't aware that there were plastic fitting for PEX, but there are for Quest which is polybutelene. That's that grey pipe you see in trailers a lot. Do you have a link for plastic PEX fittings? I'm curious about that.
My manifold is a straight line with a stub at the end could I get away with just taking that stub and going back into the line would that work I have a manifold for both hot and cold?
I like the idea of a custom, home built manifold, but.... Would it be better to make one out of copper so there’s less chance of fitting failure? Makes me wonder if we’ll see crimp/clamp/expansion ring failures 40 years (or whenever) from now.
How much would you say you spent on that? I'm in the process up running pex through my house. But i'm been looking at pre-made copper manifolds ranging from 150 to 200 dollars each cold and hot water. I would love to make this on my own.
James would your manifold work if it was shortened by using a tee only at the corners rather than 3 more inches of pipe and an elbow? I am building one right now and space is an issue.. Thanks for a great video.
There are a lot of good ideas with this, not sure I'm sold on those cutoff valves on the manifold. I mean I hope they are "Full Port Valves" where they don't restrict flow, but also, they can in themselves become a leaky maintenance headache. I would think that PEX should last your lifetime, and that you already have cutoffs at each fixture in the bathroom, so why muddy the water with a cutoff on the manifold? The only reason you might want that would be if you plan on some shootout in your house where you might rupture a line in the wall and want to just shut that area off vs the whole house. Between the expense, maintenance and complexity ... not so sure it is that useful. 12 years later, what say you? Worth it?
One more question: How do you feel about PEX-a and the expansion fittings? I know the tool is expensive, but the connections and fittings seem really neat and simple.
+Mike Junot All the ways to connect PEX seem decent and they are all approved by building code, so they must be safe and long lasting.I use the copper crimp rings. They're rated to 200 psi (which is triple the typical line pressure) and are easy to use with low cost tools. I don't know much about the expansion fittings other that what I've watched off TH-cam. Also, where I live, I get easily get my hands on crimp fittings, but there's only one place that sells expansion and it's 40 miles away. I don't know enough to really answer your questions other than I have never had a problem with the crimp fittings over the last 10 years.
Great video for a newbe like me,, On your Manifold are you using #1 or #2 line or does it matter ,,this is the way im going to do mine,,, What kind or brand of (GOOD)crimp tool would you recommend for the newbe do it yourselfer ..agian thanks for the video.
Hello James. I buy houses, and then fix them up to rent them in Western PA. I found this video informative. I've been buying pre-made mainfolds but I like your loop manifold idea and it would be easy to make. My store-bought manifolds use a 1" body, where you are only using 3/4". If you had a toilet, shower and kitchen sink running all at the same time, would you get a noticable drop in pressure?
You are running 1/2" lines to the bathroom and then branching off from that to each bathroom fixture. What if the shower and the toilet were running at the same time? Would you then have a drop noticable drop in pressure causing the "hot shower" effect? I have been running "home runs" to each fixture to avoid that, but it would be a lot more conventient to run my houses the way you are doing it. Most of my houses are 1 kitch, 1 bath, and 1 laundry set-up in the basement. Some have 2 baths.
Well, I guess it would depend on water use and your world view. Part of my motivation is to get people to use less water (less energy) so I like the idea of restricting water flow. This won't work for people who think they should massive pressure and volume at every fixture! So, if the goal is getting the most resource to the fixture, then 3/4" is fine, but 1/2 is fine for small families or folks that simply realize they waste most of the water down the drain. Bad answer from me, I guess!
Yes--so long as you have a ring by which flow is equalized from either direction. Sometimes I'll use a T in one corner to the hot water manifold depending on space.
One thing...with the mini manifolds in the ' grouped' areas...are they looped like the main manifold?....or are they in a straight line? Your feedback would be appreciated
You can just run one hot and one cold to each area and then use the mini manifolds to branch off those two trunks. For example: run your hot and cold to your bathroom and then use a 3 outlet mini (3/4" inlet with 3 1/2" outlets) from the cold line to supply the toilet, sink and tub. Use a 2 outlet one for the sink and tub aupplies. Or in the kitchen: bring a hot and cold off your main manifold to a mini that supplies hot water to the DW and sink and a cold line to the sink and fridge.
Good video! Question for you. Should the water main branch T off to the fresh manifold and hot water heater, or does it matter if the hot water IN is fed from the freshwater manifold to the hot water heater, then to a hot water manifold. I see you test pressure have you tested the out on the hot water manifold to see if its consistent? I'm remodeling my house and trying to learn. Assuming pressure drops over distance. Or could I be over thinking this Thank you
They'd be so close it wouldn't matter, no worries. Depending on space limitations, feeding to water heater off main line after shut off or or cold manifold would be equally OK.
Great video! I am upgrading my plumbing and one concern was the pressure drop issue so this really helps. I do have a concern about the hot water coming off of the manifold. Is it necessary to supply the hot water tank from the cold water manifold? Would it be better to have the main supply line branch off with one feeding the hot water tank and one feeding the cold water manifold? So the hot water tank and the cold water manifold both have a dedicated feed.
You don't have to run the hot water supply from the cold manifold. I often don't, but this house was tiny. For average homes you can do like you mentioned and just run two lines right after the main shut off to each manifold.
I'm about to change out my house to this same system, but I am concerned about a very long run to our new kitchen. From the hot water/manabloc system it will be about 100'. The instructions from Manabloc do not recommend a recirculating pump. How do I keep hot water in my kitchen without having to purge 100' of line every time? Any thoughts?
It's always a shame when the source of hot water is so far from a fixture. There are a couple of solutions. You can install a low boy or small tanked electric heater in the kitchen (under a counter or in the pantry) OR you can install a tankless heater. If you go tankless, then gas is the way to go. This complicates things though because you'll need to deal venting and running a gas line which may not be an easy option. But a tiny tanked electric water heater is a common solution.
Hi james, getting close to starting my manifold, got tools on the way, It looks like in the video that the manifold itself is larger than the ones to the vaulve.are you using 3/4 on manifold and 1/2 from tee out?,,,and are you using type(A) pipe, it looks stiffer like the long piece you show at 38 sec.,,,also im thinking bout getting stuff from pex supply.com, or could you offer any other sugestions, i know im asking alot but i like what i see, thank agian.
james, if you happen to see this. I am running a 24" - 1/2" copper pipe off my tankless water heater. I have a 3/4 feed pex line and a 3/4 to 1/2 90dg brass barb fitting,..can I run the copper pipe right into the brass bard and use a pex crimp to join this?
They make connectors to go between copper and pex, so all you have to do is pick up the right connector (plus whatever fittings you need, if any), and you're good to go. If using copper to pex, you just sweat the fitting on the copper and then crimp the pex side. Note that there Quest (polybutelene) barbed fittings are not compatible with PEX fittings. Also note that there are Gator Bite and Shark Bite fittings that allow for the transitions between different materials. These work by compression joint.
when on a well, is there any downfall pressure and volume wise when running these longer lines from the manifolds to the individual fixtures as opposed to running say one main line close to the bathroom then branching off the lines to each fixture?
Assuming you have good (and consistent) pressure, there's no issue. Whether well or municipal, you really need adequate pressure no matter what. You should have pressure between 45 and 75 psi.
excellent video . my galvanized pipes are all rusted ...should i break down all my walls and put PEX or hire someone to 'reline' the rusted iron pipes ? Any Advice ?
***** Thanks . Obviously I can leave the old pipes there but it is very difficult to insert new pipes in many areas without breaking the drywalls and ceilings ..
***** thanks and I will try it next time my renter is out . About 2 more years..I will have to remove a good section of drywall under the sinks i guess .
James, Great Video. I'm one of the slow guys. Is the manifold inlet 3/4 and is the pex 3/4 all around. So..... the tees are 3/4 going in and 1/2 going out to each of the shut out valve. In your manifold you have eight connections. Thanks....... from the slow guy
I'm getting ready to re-plumb my entire house (build in 40's). This video was very helpful. Thanks.
Yeeee
Me too
Your video is still providing much help.. 8 years later! Thank you for this.
Watched this video months ago, even replayed it for my wife. We now have a working PEX manifold in our cabin, thanks to you sir. Of all the manufactured manifolds on the market yours is by far superior. I'll send pictures if I can figure out how.
+Tommie Poe I'm glad it worked out.
Thanks for taking the time and effort to make this video and offering it to the public FREE of charge! Can't understand the dislikes..
Saw your article in Fine Home Building Sept issue ...bought the mag just for the pex manifold story ... plus this vid is a bonus... installing all pex in my new cottage construction... (teared down old one but kept foundation and added extension) Got rid of all the old CPVC piping in the old section ... hey that was the in thing over copper when I ran this 25 years ago .... lol
Nice video, thanks. We have a leek in our slab and are looking at re-piping the house, just got an estimate of over $9,000 to do a two bath home so began looking into doing the job myself. Your Video gave me good basics.
Thats peanuts compared to having your house flood out from improperly installed piping or having a unhappy wife because when you flush the toilet she loses water pressure while doing the dishes. A company will give you a warranty and your insurance company wont laugh at you when they show up for their flood insurance claim investigation.
one of the most articulate guys on youtube. Thanks
This was so GOOD, I am doing my house renovation and want to run Pex throughout my house and this has been a must see vidoe to understand the manifold system and also to know that you can make your own for the faction of the cost compared to buying, EXCELLENT
Susan Knight :
Cool vid, Thanks! Real good idea on the diagnostic port! I am looking at changing out my 1960s copper for Pex. Was looking a buying a manifold but like your idea better. I did home renovations for most of the 90s so some plumbing experience but before Pex was used much. This vid will help a lot! Thanks again.
This is an awesome idea James..... I was SO CLOSE into purchasing a $300.00 manufactured manifold from a local home center when I happened to stumble upon your video... By building my own I am going to save a ton of money! The manufactured manifolds seem low quality and very expensive. Thanks for the awesome video!
GREAT JOB! It really gave me a lot of ideas on how I can use PEX at my home in Chesterfield , Virginia and the family farm in Buckingham,Virginia. Thanks again.
I love the idea of this manifold, and to save money instead of buying the pre-made versions that only come with too little or too many ports, at times. Thanks for the video
You bet. This one for this tiny home cost about $50 and for most homes it'll run $75 to $100 per manifold for all 3/4" fittings (and more ball valves to more fixtures).
i am new to this pex thing, i love your video, this video is giving me an idea to change all the water system in the house, becoz one day i had a shower & somebody on the other side yank up the cold water, including flushing the toilet all together i had a severe burn,.. you're a genius.
Install a pressure balanced shower valve and it will solve your problem.
Thanks alot man, quite neat set up, I really like your manifold and ring system, especially the diagnostic port
Good video. This is the CORRECT way to utilize the benefits of PEX.
Excellent video. Simple, to the point, and well-explained.
Love the video! I'll be switching my house over to PEX in stages and this looks like a great way to start. I have a combination of old Cu and CPVC. After the claw foot tub dropped a foot and busted the CPVC hot line, I figured now may be as good a time as any.
Great Video. I am about to replace all the "in ground" copper piping in my house because the copper they used at the time is corroding. I am going to hang it all inside the house because I am on a slab and don't feel like jackhammering my house in half. Already had the city inspector come in and bless the project.... Thanks again...
Great video and very good presentation of the information. I am in the middle of total upstairs reno where we are installing a new bathroom. I plan on going all PEX to the upstairs but I wanted to also be able to easily retrofit the rest of the home down the road and a manifold like this looks like the perfect starting point where I can have capped connection points ready to go when I'm ready. Definitely subscribing to your channel.
Excellent video my friend.. I just recently started buying rentals and flip properties. My first 2 properties, one built in the 80's has all copper plumbing and the other built in the 50's has old galvanized steel piping. I've gone through some growing pains with regard to finding quality skilled labor and with all that is required repairing/replacing old plumbing & electrical. I was afraid of messing with electrical or plumbing on my own. I found an excellent Electrician willing to teach me the basics. Then I was at a local REIA group and one of the guys there told me about PEX piping and the systems and explained how easy plumbing has become with the invent of this new technology. I had no clue this existed until last night. WOW! This will save me boatloads of money and TH-cam makes learning to do most things pretty simple. Thanks for the educational video! Kudos and well done! Do you have any videos on how to actually tap into the line that comes into the home from well or city water.. like a "how to" on that? Thanks again!
I know I have found some of your old videos..but I have really enjoyed them.
Paul Douglas Thanks!
I'm studying to become a home inspector and your videos are informative and very helpful. As well as in this particular video makes me want to PEX my own home when I find it.
Great video. I wasn't aware that PEX had become such a good product. Thanks for the info.
I also like your idea of adding a pressure testing port on the manifold.
Welton Ave here! Redoing my entire house too. Thanks for the tips from the star city
Thanks James, really nice video for a begginer like me, very useful. Exactly what I was looking for planing and executing on my hidraulic remodeling.
Very well done, even after six years or so. Thanks.
In the middle of building mine....doing all 3/4" runs to each room then dropping to 1/2" to the fixtures. Costs for 3/4" parts from an Orange big box store here in SC are quite a bitter higher than yours. Doing 8 ports at $10.50 per valve. Fittings are about $2.50 each, and cinch rings are 10 for $6. The pex is the cheapest part lol. However if this keeps me from ripping out sheet rock and and shower fixtures for three baths to add anti-scald fixtures it will be well worth it in the end. Will keep you posted.
Hi Steve-tool adjustment/replacement is occasionally needed and a gauge is included in most kits. You can use a crimper with replaceable heads that are adjustable. The gauge is called a GO-NO GO gauge. This was mounted to TP 3/4" plywood using PEX approved (kind of loose) clamps. Glad you liked it!
Rehabbers doing rental homes in high-crime areas like using Pex too because the copper scrappers leave it alone
I vary the size based on expected demand, but yes that's a good average. I also like tiny houses, so you can just run everything 1/2 if all you have is one bath and one kitchen. You can even use 3/8 in the interest of water conservation for 1-2 people. The PEX flows so great with such little resistance. I love it. In this case it was 3/4" inlet and then 1/2" for everything including water heater. It's a small house with low demand.
Thank you. Not sure how practical manifold system is. However if pressure is a concern one should run the main feeder under the house using one-inch PEX. This is because PEX is undersized compared to copper, PVC, and iron. One-inch PEX is really three-quarter inch ID, three-quarter inch PEX is one-half ID, and half-inch PEX is three-eighths ID. It is especially small in the fittings. Checking water pressure is simpler than this video suggests. You can get the static water pressure by just putting a gauge on an outside faucet, or on the hot water tank drain.
Zurn sells a starter crimp kit with 3/8 to 3/4 dyes, a ring cutter, an go-nogo gauge in a nice case for around $80 at box stores. I'm not sure what you mean by #1 or #2 line, but it's half inch on the manifold and 1/2 throughout the house. I do use 3/4 for supply from the meter (or well) to the main. Thanks!
If I was running one line to each room (bath, kitchen, etc), then I would have run 3/4" to the bath and then spit it to each fixture with 1/2" PEX to help avoid any pressure problems. But it looks like you believe that is overkill. I'd rather do it your way as it would save me time and money. You seem detail-oriented and experienced and I'd be very interested in any input you have. Thanks and have fun!
James, have you run a PEX 'main' line from the meter?" Would you recommend it? I have a small apartment building that I will be upgrading the plumbing- galvanized drain lines and main (1") , with copper hot & cold that runs through the concrete floor. Built in 1955 and in need of a total retrofit. My plan is to run PEX throughout and abandon the current hot & cold from the concrete. I have the ability to run the main line the entire back side of the building and then tap off of it for kitchens and bathrooms (all on the same wall). By tapping off the main line would I be losing pressure to each successive apartment down-the-line? Great video, BTW.
I don't have any data on that. I use copper because of familiarity and function. I don't have enough experience with expansion to offer any good opinion. I can say I've had no leakage problems with copper rings that are properly clamped. I also run lines so that little to no joints exist inside walls--that's the great thing about PEX over any rigid pipe.
Fantastic video. Very helpful information for an upcoming project I'm getting into.
Oh, man, I've come back years later to places where I've added that port and it's the bomb! So much faster and cleaner than chopping everything up to get a simple pressure reading. I wish it was code to install them.
This guy was really informative and really good!
Great Video, very well done: I was wondering if it matters how long the pex pipe is between each elbow or fitting, they look to be about 5" on your manifold?
Thanks again and have a great weekend!
Regards
Pete Bauer
Nice manifold, i like the idea of
Equal pressures....nice vids....
You could have used a brushing and put a $10 pressure gauge on the diagnostic port... check pressure at a glance!
(why is he heating hot water?)
Great video, just what I needed.
Under very heavy use, there is a small pressure drop. I've done some casual testing by installing T fittings and hooking up a pressure gauge. It's not the hardcore testing you'd see in a lab, but I've never gotten a drop > 10% (and often less) given that I installed all new plumbing from the main shut off
onward.
Brilliant! Good work! Great video! Thank you James Glass! U R GRRR8!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks James! Great sharing of info. Much appreciated.
The best way to do it is the way you're doing it with dedicated lines to each fixture--there is zero drop that way. In a larger home with a lot of people, I'd say it's pretty mandatory. In a small home like this, each use group gets a line, so the one cold water supply to a bath, for example, would only be affected by someone flushing in that bathroom, which is unlikely. So, while not as good, it's a reasonable alternative and it a lot simpler!
Before I "steal" your manifold idea how well did it work pressure drop wise and would you have done if differently if you had to do another one?
Neat stuff and cool video. I think I will become a plumber in my second life!
yea pex is officially the most amazing thing ever i just used this stuff in my basement to replace leaking copper pipes took me 30 minutes to do and if i called a plumber it would probably cost me over 300$
thank you sir very professional love it from San Antonio Texas
You have a 3/4 line coming in but only 1/2 going to the water heater. So your hot water line is only 1/2 inch line.
MANABLOC
One criticism... you should probably have 3/4 going to the hot water heater. Remember, an entire other manifold will be fed by 1/2 pipe with your current setup and will likely undergo huge pressure drops if multiple hot water lines are turned on at a time.
You are wrong.
Nathan Scott m
@@christopherpino2948 you are
you like the compression ring fittings even though it reduces 1/2 inch pipe to 3/8? just saying I'm a big fan of expandable pex A. done 20+ full repipes with it.
It depends on the what's needed, but generally no. The manifolds (for hot and cold) go near the shut off and then I'll run dedicated lines to each fixture or common branches to each shared group (a bath or a kitchen). Dedicated lines for each fixture is awesome, but isn't always practical, so what I commonly do is run one cold and one hot to group (like the bath) and then use a mini-manifold made from brass to divide to each fixture.
I already have my house plumbed but was wondering if i attached an extra line of pex from my mains entering the house to my furthest tape would that be the same principle of creating a loop for stopping pressure drops?
Great alternate to a commercial manifold. Would you mind sharing the pex size you made the manifold out of? Safe to assume 1/2" to normal loads and 3/4" to H2O heater?
Very informative nicely presented thank you very much
Do you make a separate manifold for each room? I'm installing pex throughout my home which includes a kitchen, bathroom, laundry room and outside spicket. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and knowledge.
For the Manifold are you using 3/4" for the main ring and 1/2'' branches and how far apart are your branches
Is there water storage tank feeding this manifold or is it being feed by the incoming mains from the road
No worries. I think this was 3/4" inlet only and then 1/2 all the way around. For a small home this is great. PEX has few 90 degree turns and resistance is lower than copper so 1/2 PEX offers a little better volume and pressure than Cu. I guess if you really need more water you could run everything 3/4, but for most residential applications, that seems like a waste of domestic water.
3/4" inlet and then 1/2" around the manifold and also to each branch. I've ordered tools from pexsupplycom and and I liked them. I buy the pex locally since there no price advantage ordering it. A, B, and C refer to methods of manufacture and won't have impact for your application. (see wiki for details on this) Be sure you check the rings with the no-go gauge and use copper flex lines on water heater.
I don't know anything about them. I only use brass. I wasn't aware that there were plastic fitting for PEX, but there are for Quest which is polybutelene. That's that grey pipe you see in trailers a lot. Do you have a link for plastic PEX fittings? I'm curious about that.
My manifold is a straight line with a stub at the end could I get away with just taking that stub and going back into the line would that work I have a manifold for both hot and cold?
FREAKING AWESOME!!! Clear, concise, hit the high-points, great intro!!! THANKS. maga...
I like the idea of a custom, home built manifold, but.... Would it be better to make one out of copper so there’s less chance of fitting failure? Makes me wonder if we’ll see crimp/clamp/expansion ring failures 40 years (or whenever) from now.
Excellent description!
nice setup. much better than what I call obsolete cpvc
James, do you have any other vidoes that shows the installation of your Pex in your home or can you recommend a good video that I should watch, thanks
How much would you say you spent on that?
I'm in the process up running pex through my house. But i'm been looking at pre-made copper manifolds ranging from 150 to 200 dollars each cold and hot water.
I would love to make this on my own.
James would your manifold work if it was shortened by using a tee only at the corners rather than 3 more inches of pipe and an elbow?
I am building one right now and space is an issue.. Thanks for a great video.
Yes.
Good stuff, thanks for your time and tips!
I like this loop system. Can outlets be all on one side? (6 on one side 0 on the other,instead of 3 on each side the way you did it) thanks.
Yes.
There are a lot of good ideas with this, not sure I'm sold on those cutoff valves on the manifold. I mean I hope they are "Full Port Valves" where they don't restrict flow, but also, they can in themselves become a leaky maintenance headache. I would think that PEX should last your lifetime, and that you already have cutoffs at each fixture in the bathroom, so why muddy the water with a cutoff on the manifold? The only reason you might want that would be if you plan on some shootout in your house where you might rupture a line in the wall and want to just shut that area off vs the whole house. Between the expense, maintenance and complexity ... not so sure it is that useful. 12 years later, what say you? Worth it?
One more question: How do you feel about PEX-a and the expansion fittings? I know the tool is expensive, but the connections and fittings seem really neat and simple.
+Mike Junot All the ways to connect PEX seem decent and they are all approved by building code, so they must be safe and long lasting.I use the copper crimp rings. They're rated to 200 psi (which is triple the typical line pressure) and are easy to use with low cost tools. I don't know much about the expansion fittings other that what I've watched off TH-cam. Also, where I live, I get easily get my hands on crimp fittings, but there's only one place that sells expansion and it's 40 miles away. I don't know enough to really answer your questions other than I have never had a problem with the crimp fittings over the last 10 years.
Great video for a newbe like me,, On your Manifold are you using #1 or #2 line or does it matter ,,this is the way im going to do mine,,, What kind or brand of (GOOD)crimp tool would you recommend for the newbe do it yourselfer ..agian thanks for the video.
Hello James. I buy houses, and then fix them up to rent them in Western PA. I found this video informative. I've been buying pre-made mainfolds but I like your loop manifold idea and it would be easy to make. My store-bought manifolds use a 1" body, where you are only using 3/4". If you had a toilet, shower and kitchen sink running all at the same time, would you get a noticable drop in pressure?
What's with the huge pipe cutter? Why didn't you go with Uponor PEX-A instead? no need for checking space on the ring and the "go and no-go" system
You are running 1/2" lines to the bathroom and then branching off from that to each bathroom fixture. What if the shower and the toilet were running at the same time? Would you then have a drop noticable drop in pressure causing the "hot shower" effect? I have been running "home runs" to each fixture to avoid that, but it would be a lot more conventient to run my houses the way you are doing it. Most of my houses are 1 kitch, 1 bath, and 1 laundry set-up in the basement. Some have 2 baths.
Well, I guess it would depend on water use and your world view. Part of my motivation is to get people to use less water (less energy) so I like the idea of restricting water flow. This won't work for people who think they should massive pressure and volume at every fixture! So, if the goal is getting the most resource to the fixture, then 3/4" is fine, but 1/2 is fine for small families or folks that simply realize they waste most of the water down the drain. Bad answer from me, I guess!
I am curious. With your PEX manifold would it work as well if you used 'T' connections at the corners to run a circuit off the corners
Yes--so long as you have a ring by which flow is equalized from either direction. Sometimes I'll use a T in one corner to the hot water manifold depending on space.
One thing...with the mini manifolds in the ' grouped' areas...are they looped like the main manifold?....or are they in a straight line?
Your feedback would be appreciated
You can just run one hot and one cold to each area and then use the mini manifolds to branch off those two trunks. For example: run your hot and cold to your bathroom and then use a 3 outlet mini (3/4" inlet with 3 1/2" outlets) from the cold line to supply the toilet, sink and tub. Use a 2 outlet one for the sink and tub aupplies.
Or in the kitchen: bring a hot and cold off your main manifold to a mini that supplies hot water to the DW and sink and a cold line to the sink and fridge.
@@JamesGlassJamesGlass thank you for your prompt response James, much appreciated
Good video! Question for you. Should the water main branch T off to the fresh manifold and hot water heater, or does it matter if the hot water IN is fed from the freshwater manifold to the hot water heater, then to a hot water manifold. I see you test pressure have you tested the out on the hot water manifold to see if its consistent? I'm remodeling my house and trying to learn. Assuming pressure drops over distance. Or could I be over thinking this
Thank you
They'd be so close it wouldn't matter, no worries. Depending on space limitations, feeding to water heater off main line after shut off or or cold manifold would be equally OK.
Hi... Would you say using a curved 90 is better for end pressure, as opposed to a fitting 90?... Thanks...
It doesn't matter.
Great video! I am upgrading my plumbing and one concern was the pressure drop issue so this really helps. I do have a concern about the hot water coming off of the manifold. Is it necessary to supply the hot water tank from the cold water manifold? Would it be better to have the main supply line branch off with one feeding the hot water tank and one feeding the cold water manifold? So the hot water tank and the cold water manifold both have a dedicated feed.
You don't have to run the hot water supply from the cold manifold. I often don't, but this house was tiny. For average homes you can do like you mentioned and just run two lines right after the main shut off to each manifold.
I'm about to change out my house to this same system, but I am concerned about a very long run to our new kitchen. From the hot water/manabloc system it will be about 100'. The instructions from Manabloc do not recommend a recirculating pump. How do I keep hot water in my kitchen without having to purge 100' of line every time? Any thoughts?
It's always a shame when the source of hot water is so far from a fixture. There are a couple of solutions. You can install a low boy or small tanked electric heater in the kitchen (under a counter or in the pantry) OR you can install a tankless heater. If you go tankless, then gas is the way to go. This complicates things though because you'll need to deal venting and running a gas line which may not be an easy option. But a tiny tanked electric water heater is a common solution.
Hi james, getting close to starting my manifold, got tools on the way, It looks like in the video that the manifold itself is larger than the ones to the vaulve.are you using 3/4 on manifold and 1/2 from tee out?,,,and are you using type(A) pipe, it looks stiffer like the long piece you show at 38 sec.,,,also im thinking bout getting stuff from pex supply.com, or could you offer any other sugestions, i know im asking alot but i like what i see, thank agian.
I would love to see the end product with both hot water and cold water manifolds.
Excellent video.
james, if you happen to see this. I am running a 24" - 1/2" copper pipe off my tankless water heater. I have a 3/4 feed pex line and a 3/4 to 1/2 90dg brass barb fitting,..can I run the copper pipe right into the brass bard and use a pex crimp to join this?
They make connectors to go between copper and pex, so all you have to do is pick up the right connector (plus whatever fittings you need, if any), and you're good to go. If using copper to pex, you just sweat the fitting on the copper and then crimp the pex side.
Note that there Quest (polybutelene) barbed fittings are not compatible with PEX fittings. Also note that there are Gator Bite and Shark Bite fittings that allow for the transitions between different materials. These work by compression joint.
Very informative video. Thank you
Extremely useful good video
when on a well, is there any downfall pressure and volume wise when running these longer lines from the manifolds to the individual fixtures as opposed to running say one main line close to the bathroom then branching off the lines to each fixture?
Assuming you have good (and consistent) pressure, there's no issue. Whether well or municipal, you really need adequate pressure no matter what. You should have pressure between 45 and 75 psi.
excellent video . my galvanized pipes are all rusted ...should i break down all my walls and put PEX or hire someone to 'reline' the rusted iron pipes ? Any Advice ?
***** Thanks . Obviously I can leave the old pipes there but it is very difficult to insert new pipes in many areas without breaking the drywalls and ceilings ..
***** thanks and I will try it next time my renter is out . About 2 more years..I will have to remove a good section of drywall under the sinks i guess .
Do you use a manifold in the bathroom/kitchen? Or just use a trunk/branch?
Great video! I learned a lot.
James, Great Video. I'm one of the slow guys. Is the manifold inlet 3/4 and is the pex 3/4 all around. So..... the tees are 3/4 going in and 1/2 going out to each of the shut out valve. In your manifold you have eight connections. Thanks....... from the slow guy
Do you have a bill of material you could post for this?
Can this type of manifold be made with 1/2” inlet and 1/2” outlets? Also, can I use sharkbite tees and valves?
Yes on all counts.
For a pressure test I connect at an outdoor spigot since those should always be unrestricted.