Pex In Marine Use.

[popeye2818]

Can I use Pex hose and fittings in a marine enviroment or will it get briddle.?For hot and cold water supplies .Thanks..... Aaron

[roverhi]

Nothing different between a house and a boat except a little motion. As long as you secure the pipes and keep them out of the sun shouldn't be a problem. Ask me again in 40 years and I'll tell you how it works over the long run.

[Kettlewell]

Not sure why you would do it. Reinforced hose is the way to go in order to route it around and through all the weird spaces on a boat more easily. Never had a problem with it, and it is easy to use and the fittings are generic and can be found anywhere in the world.

[sarafina]

The plumbing is downstream only from the electrical now and I was just reading up on this.

I thought this site was helpful;

The Trawler Beach House: 30 Year Old Boat Plumbing Replacement

[sailorchic34]

As someone with 32+ years experience designing among things a whole lotta plumbing (one project had about 40 million dollars of plumbing in it), I can say PEX is about perfect for boats. Flexible easy to use, does not get brittle easy, High temperature and pressure ratings and relatively low cost. I consider it a step up from nylon reinforced hose, mainly due to better T & P ratings. Though nylon reinforced hose works too..

Best of all the PEX sold in the big box stores is just as good as PEX sold at marine stores...

So says the engineering chic.

[Bash]

My boat is all PEX. About the only downfall I can see is getting spares on short notice. Even the local West Marine here in Sausalito doesn't carry the parts in their catalogue. And my local small-town hardware store has never heard of it. As SailorChick says, you gotto find one of the big-box stores.

The only problems I've ever had are where the system needs to lead into metal fittings. For example, the lines that lead into your water heater. Going from PEX to 1/2" pipe fittings is going to be the weak spot.

Bottom line, you'll need to carry enough to at least cap a line, et cetera, in your spare parts kit. Otherwise, PEX is incredibly easy to work with. It's one of those systems where you could re-plumb your whole boat with a Leatherman tool. (And you can just about throw away your plumber's snake, because the hose is so easy to snake itself.)

[sarafina]

Ok, If Bash and Chic say it's thumbs up I am convinced ; -)

I was sorta waffling.... And happily my hot water heater has plastic connections so we are golden there!

[sailorchic34]

I found that the brass sharkbite fittings (available at hardware stores everywhere) and whale point ACE in Richmond, work well as a transition piece between faucets and PEX. The Plastic slip on fittings, Whale I think, sometimes fail over time due to side load on the plastic bits.

[motion30]

I believe not all plastic hose is acceptable for potable water

[Pato]

A lot of new boat are factory pex or whale more so pex seem to work great. Super easy to work with and no hose clamps

[Bash]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

I found that the brass sharkbite fittings (available at hardware stores everywhere) and whale point ACE in Richmond, work well as a transition piece between faucets and PEX. The Plastic slip on fittings, Whale I think, sometimes fail over time due to side load on the plastic bits.

Gosh, I wish I'd read this thread last weekend when I was replacing my water heater!

We tried to use the old brass 1/2" pipe to PEX fittings from the original water heater, and that was not a good idea.

Of course, I didn't figure this out until one popped off during the pressure test. (The couch is still drying out as I write this.)

[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by motion30

I believe not all plastic hose is acceptable for potable water

I'm not sure which plastic pipes would not be listed for potable water. Oh some rubber hose is not really safe for potable water. But most plastic pipes are safe for potable water...PEX is for sure.

The nylon reinforced vinyl hose you find at the marine and hardware stores is not specifically listed for potable water and is not generally in the landside plumbing codes. The plastic used in the hose is however safe for potable water.

[popeye2818]

Ok , Thanks for the input ,it will save me alot of money ,the pex is cheap and I can run different color lines to differntiate between the two .carrying extras isnot a problem as the fittings are very cheap ......Aaron

[dandrews]

Originally Posted by motion30

I believe not all plastic hose is acceptable for potable water

Pex is. Used in households everywhere now. I have been told the Sharkbite fittings are not legal in Calif or Vermont. Not sure but that is what my local supply house tells me. Oh by the way, Sharkbite fittings are pretty expensive. Unless you are doing a pretty small job, use the compression fittings with the go-nogo test tool. Will save you a lot of money.

Don

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by motion30

I believe not all plastic hose is acceptable for potable water

It isn't, but what we are discussing, pex, is. ; -)