Goodbye polybutalene, hello PEX + Manabloc :)

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Spydrweb1977
Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:44 pm

Hi,

I am currently underway with my DIY re-pipe on my 1989 single wide Poloron. The PB fittings have been failing left and right and it was time for a re-pipe rather than stop gap measures!

I have built out a false wall in my "water closet" to conceal the Manabloc manifold. The nicest part of the new setup is that I will no longer have any fittings in the underbelly short of two hose bib connections and the elbow that will bring the service up into the closet. My new design has removed a ton of fittings from the original setup.

I will post pics when it is complete so hopefully others may benefit from looking at it.
Spydrweb1977
Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:44 pm

A couple of pics of the current status...

The stub out elbow is the only fitting that will be "buried".


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dedou
Posts: 60
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 6:25 am
Location: Central Vermont

Thanks for posting the photos; that looks complicated. What type of PEX are you using?
And what PEX tools are you having to use?
Devon
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When did that happen?
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Spydrweb1977
Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:44 pm

Really not very complicated at all. The top two connections are just the supply lines, one hot, and one cold. Then the red and blue ports on the manifold are your hot and cold feeds for all your various fixtures. Each port has a quarter turn valve, allowing you to shut off any location from the manifold, unused ports simply leave turned off an cap off for an extra safety measure. The connections to the manifold are compression type and dont require special tools, just a pipe cutter to make nice clean square cuts. I purchased a wrench designed to tighten the compression nuts, as they are spaced closely together so a regular box or adjustable wrench would be difficult to use. The wrench was only about 12 bucks. Since 90 percent of my connections will be exposed, I am using sharkbite push fittings, so no PEX tools are required. I have used sharkbites several times before, and find them to be extremely reliable and easy to work with. Just have to make sure you insert the pipe to the proper depth. They are certified for in wall use, and backed by a strong warranty and have been in use for a while now. FYI, they make a great PB to pex adapter in 3/4 and 1/2 inch sizes, great for PB repairs when they spring up.... Good to keep a few around for an emergency if you have PB.

I should have most of the work done tomorrow, so I will post some updated pictures.
Spydrweb1977
Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:44 pm

Sorry, I am using sharkbite brand PEX...just realized you asked that.
Spydrweb1977
Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:44 pm

Some updates:
New supply line to manifold and water heater
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New shut off valve with bleeder(nice to be able to actually shut the water off, old Qest gate valve did not completely shut the water off)
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Manabloc manifold with all lines hooked up except bathroom sink(will be done soon) white lines were used for the garden hose bibs and toilet
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Manabloc manifold
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Closer view of the manifold
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Just have to run the lines to the bathroom sink, and then do the finish work. The wall will be insulated, and then sheetrocked. I will leave an access panel for the manifold.

Any questions or comments appreciated.

Thanks for looking.
jpingram5
Posts: 205
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2010 5:34 pm
Location: Orefield, PA
Contact:

Manabloc's are awesome, we use them a lot. Look's pretty good so far. You must of spent a fortune using all sharkbite connections and sharkbite pex!
2009 Skyline Sunwood Premier 14 x 80
Spydrweb1977
Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:44 pm

Thanks! I love it, even though I still installed shut offs at the fixtures, you can't have enough shut off options in my opinion lol... Next addition will be a watercop system for peace of mind... But that will have to be down the road a bit as I would rather spend what I have now to replace my old disgusting tub shower combo!

Believe it or not, the sharkbite fittings were only a bit more than it would have cost to just buy the crimp tool so I decided to go that way for ease of installation. The sharkbite pipe was not too bad either, only 26 bucks for a 100 ft roll at the local big box store. I could have saved even more if I had just ran everything with white pipe, but that's no fun is it? Lol... All said and done it came in just under 500 bucks. One thing I really like about the sharkbite pipe is that it has arrow markings so if you cut it at the right spot they can be used as depth markings, ensuring you have the fitting inserted properly.

I used pexsupply.com for most of the parts, they have some great manabloc kits that include a lot of parts lowering the overall cost.
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