Splicing Pex in buried and foamed underground feed?

[Sawyer]

I have 4- 175’, 1” lines to bury to the house. This distance does not allow for un-spliced lines without a lot of waste in the tubing lengths I find available. Is it ok to splice these lines if I use a Pro-Pex expander fitting so I do not crimp down the tubing diameter? Do the splices cause a lot of problems (susceptible to leaking) on an open, non-pressurized system? If I ran all 150’ feeds I could locate all the splices in one spot and possibly make that area accessible.

Thanks, George

 

[BrownianHeatingTech]

I have 4- 175’, 1” lines to bury to the house. This distance does not allow for un-spliced lines without a lot of waste in the tubing lengths I find available. Is it ok to splice these lines if I use a Pro-Pex expander fitting so I do not crimp down the tubing diameter? Do the splices cause a lot of problems (susceptible to leaking) on an open, non-pressurized system? If I ran all 150’ feeds I could locate all the splices in one spot and possibly make that area accessible.

Locating them all in one spot would be a good idea. I don't think you need to make them accessible, since it's unlikely that you will need to do a repair, but knowing (accurately) where they are located so you don't have to chop up the foam too much wouldn't be a bad idea. I would suggest embedding something in the foam at that point, like some scrap pieces of PVC pipe, sticking out. Then measure from a landmark before you bury. That way, if you do need to dig down, the measurement tells you where, and the PVC scraps will tell you the exact location to cut the foam.

By the way, pex is also available in 1000-foot rolls, in many cases, so you might want to go that route, if you would have any use for the 300 feet of extra, or think you could re-sell it. That would save the cost and hassle of fittings.

Joe

 

[Sawyer]

Thanks Joe,

It would be 2-3 weeks before delivery of a 1000’ roll through First supply, our nearest supply house, unless we want to pay the freight charge to get it shipped direct. PexSupply did not have the large spools. I did see a good price on 1” oxygen barrier Pex-Al-Pex at CozyHeat but the expander tool I have available will not work on that. I am not sure what fittings they use but if Sharkbite they reduce the flow if I am understanding this right.

I will put a metal rod that will trigger my metal detector where the joints are located. I will also measure and record the location.

George

 

[loggie]

All good Ideas but if it were mine I would air test before the foam,easy to make a cap and gauge setup

 

[BrownianHeatingTech]

All good Ideas but if it were mine I would air test before the foam,easy to make a cap and gauge setup

Yup. Always air test lines that will be concealed (whether buried, embedded in concrete, or enclosed in a wall/ceiling/floor inside a house).

Don't want surprises, after the line is inaccessible.

Joe

 

[Sawyer]

Good advice from both of you! I will test before foaming.