Step number 1 in PEX Connections

Your first step in making a secure PEX connection is always to have a clean, even cut in your PEX tubing. Using a PEX Tube Cutter is the best way to assure that your cut is clean and ready for a fitting.

PEX Fittings and PEX Tools including PEX Tube Cutters can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Drain-O-Tank Application

The DT-2 Drain-O-Tank Air Charger is made to be used for compression tanks on closed loop systems. You should not use the Drain-O-Tank with pre-charged diaphragm/bladder tanks.

The Drain-O-Tank and other Expansion Tanks can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Tools for Wirsbo EP Manifolds

To install a Wirsbo EP Manifold, you need a Wirsbo Expander Tool with a 3/4" head and a 1/2" head. 3/4" PEX-A tubing can be attached to the supply and return ends of the manifold, and 1/2" PEX-A tubing to each outlet.

Wirsbo manifolds, tubing, tools, and fittings can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Installation of a DetectIt Alarm System

The DetectIt is designed for quick and easy installation on the main waste line trap to your sewer or cesspool. You just need to replace one of the threaded trap caps with with the DetectIt Alarm System. For professional installations, the threaded end is designed to be cut off for slip installation into a rubber fitting or 3" glued PVC fittings. DetectIt is powered by a single Lithium AA battery for wireless transmission or can be hard wired.

The DetectIt System and other Plumbing Supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Are sleeves required for Multipress fittings?

Stainless steel sleeves are actually included attached to Multipress fittings, so no additional sleeves must be purchased. To install, slide your Pex-Aluminum-Pex tubing between the sleeve and the inside of the fitting and use the Press Tool to compress the sleeve.

Pex-Al-Pex and Multipress Fittings can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Expanding your tubing

To properly expand Pex-A tubing using the Wirsbo Expander Tool, you must fully separate the handles and insert the head into the tubing. Then bring the handles together at least 5 times for 3/8" tubing, 4 times for 1/2" tubing, 8 times for 3/4" tubing and 14 times for 1" tubing before inserting the ProPEX Fitting.

Wirsbo PEX, Wirsbo Tools, and Wirsbo Fittings can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Exactly how long are your loops?

You don't need a tape measure to know how long your loops are. PEX Tubing is marked every 3 feet, so if you look at the markings going from and coming back to your manifold on the same loop, you can just subtract the lower marked number from the higher and know, within a few feet, the length of your loop. Make sure not to use loops longer than 300 feet in radiant heat applications to avoid heat loss.

PEX Tubing for Radiant Heat can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Which pumps use Webstone flanges?

Webstone Isolator Flanges can be used with circulator pumps of all kinds including all Taco pumps, Grundfos pumps, and Bell & Gossett pumps.

Heating pumps and flanges can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Water Heater Adapters

When hooking up PEX tubing to your water heater, there needs to be at least 6 inches of metal to act as a barrier. A water heater adapter makes this connection quick and easy with one side connecting to your PEX tubing and the other side to the water heater.

PEX Tubing and PEX Fittings can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Firomatic Oil Valves

The handle of Firomatic valves is made of a special alloy that melts at a very low temperature. In the event of a fire in the boiler room, the handle of the shaft melts off which frees the plunger and shuts off the oil flow to the burner.

Firomatic oil products can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Sizing your pressure reducing valve

A properly sized valve prevents noisy operation and premature valve failure. A valve that is too large can lead to problems such as wire draw under low flow conditions. In general, the minimum flow through a water pressure reducing valve should be 10% to 15% of the maximum flow rate desired in the system. Pressure reducing valves should be selected based on the flow and pressure ranges listed, not by the size of the pipe they will be attached to. You should select a regulator whose operating pressures fall within the middle of its rated range.

Pressure valves including Watts Pressure Valves, Taco Pressure Reducing Valves, and Bell & Gossett Pressure Reducing Valves can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Naming tees

Tees are named first by the size of the ends, and then by the size of the middle connection (typically called end-end-middle). The order of the ends does not matter; for example, a 1/2" x 3/4" x 1/2" tee would function the same as a 3/4" x 1/2" x 1/2" tee if you just flip it around. If a tee only has one size listed, all three connections are for the same size pipe.

Brass tees, copper tees, black tees, and PEX tees can all be found at www.supplyhouse.com

How far will heat travel from each blue heating wire?

Suntouch Electric Radiant Heat wires are woven 2.75 inches apart so that people will not feel any cold area between the blue wires at that spacing. However, if your tile extends three inches past the wire, you will probably feel a temperature drop. Your radiant heated floor temperature can also be affected by the presence of ductwork below, insulation variations, solar gain, and heat loss outside. All of these are good reasons to plan your layout so you can install the heated floor mats where they will do the most good.

Suntouch mats and other radiant heat products can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Plumb like a pro

Designed not to snag on fittings or obstructions and able to make its way through multiple twists and turns, the Ridgid SeeSnake camera lets you see, with great clarity, exactly what is going on in your pipes. Not only can you see what needs to be done when a problem arises, but you can put the camera back in and make sure that the problem was fixed properly when you are done.

RIDGID SeeSnake Micro Cameras can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Tools for your manifold

Different manifolds require different tools. If you are using a HydroPEX Crimp Copper Manifold, you have two choices for your tool- either the HydroPEX Clamping Tool or the Watts Crimping Tool. Both of these tools are used with HydrdoPEX fittings but require different rings to make the connections (stainless steel for Clamping and copper for Crimping).

PEX Tools, Manifolds, and Fittings can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

An uphill tank

If your septic tank is located uphill from your house, a sewage pump will be required to get the waste to the sewer line. Make sure that you get a pump large enough for the waste to travel the full distance and install check valves to ensure that sewage water does not re-enter the sump and building.

Sewage pumps and check valves can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

What voltage does my thermostat use?

Thermostats run on either line voltage or low voltage. The easiest way to tell if you need a line or low voltage thermostat is to look at the wire. If it is a very thin wire (like a doorbell or speaker wire), you will need a low voltage thermostat. If it is a heavy wire, you will need a line voltage thermostat.

Honeywell thermostats, low voltage thermostats and line voltage thermostats can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Matching your flanges

If you need a pump for potable (drinking) water, you must use a bronze pump. With a bronze pump, you absolutely need bronze flanges. Cast iron flanges will rust, compromising your whole system. With a cast iron pump, you can use either bronze flanges or cast iron flanges. With no clear benefit of using bronze flanges with a cast iron pump, most people opt to save some money and use cast iron flanges.

Taco pumps and flanges can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Facts about Indoor Air

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the air in homes can be up to 100 times more polluted than outdoor air.

The National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine reports that exposure to indoor pollutants is a key contributor to the asthma problems of this nation.

Most allergy and asthma sources are passed from person to person through the air.

The air in a single room can contain hundreds of thousands of infectious bacteria, viruses, fungal spores, and contaminants, which can only be seen with a microscope.

Health effects may show up immediately, or after years of exposure to poor indoor air quality. These symptoms include some respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer. They may be severely debilitating or fatal.

Clean your indoor air with UV light using an air purification system that is friendly for the environment and your wallet.

Air cleaners and UV-Aire Air Purification Systems can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Thermostat placement

Where you put your thermostat can greatly change how effective it is. If your thermostat is directly under an air conditioner or next to a window, this cool air will make your thermostat think that the room is colder than it really is. If the thermostat is over a lamp, television or heat source, it will read warmer than the room is. Put your thermostat away from these items and you'll get accurate readings to send the right commands to your heating and cooling systems.

Honeywell thermostats, White Rodgers thermostats, Robertshaw thermostats, Lux thermostats, Wirsbo thermostats, and Tekmar thermostats can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Save water with an efficient toilet

An efficient toilet or flush valve can really save money on your water bill. Some flushometers use less than 2 gallons of water per flush while others flush almost 5 gallons! To check if your toilet is silently wasting water, place a few drops of food coloring in the tank. If the colored water makes it to the bowl without flushing, you are losing water.

Water-saving Sloan Flushometers can be found at www.supplyhouse.com