How [NOT] to Use a ProPEX Expansion Tool
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Projects don’t always go right the first time. In this post I’m sharing my less than stellar first experience with our ProPEX expansion tool–a very cool…
and wicked looking tool…
…if used properly.
Here are my lessons learned along with giving you the side by side comparison so your first PEX-A coupling experience is 110% better than mine!
If you’d like to see it, rather than read it, check out the video here where the first 15 seconds *is* the actual incident.
I either…
- wasn’t fast enough,
- didn’t let the ProPEX expansion tool stay on long enough once I hit the end of the PEX, or
- allowed the insulation around the copper pipe to stay in place blocking my view.
Honestly, any one of these could have caused this problem by themselves, but it was a bad combination of all of these!
Needless to say, my first ProPEX coupling required a redo. A redo, which requires about 10 minutes, a heat gun, and damn careful application of a utility knife so as not to touch the barb on the coupling (because, of course, brass couplings are the money parts and it’s still perfectly good, so we want to reuse it!).
And here’s what I did differently the next time:
#1. Keep the expansion tool going 4-5 times when it hits the end of the PEX tube.
Buy yourself some time. 2-3 times wasn’t enough for me.
Expanding PEX with a ProPEX expansion tool LEAVING THE TOOL IN PLACE ONCE YOU HIT THE END FOR IT TO EXPAND 4-5 TIMES.
#2. MOVE FAST!
In this side by side comparison (above and below) you can clearly see the second attempt (above) was securely in place while I was still waving the coupling around the first time (below).
I smashed that second coupling in as fast as humanly possible!
The timestamp on the video screenshot is there intentionally to show you how much that 3-4 seconds of delay made a difference.
If you enlarge the picture you can see there is a gap along with the insulation on the first attempt on the bottom coupling 3-4 seconds after the second attempt was already in place.
#3. Keep any pre-installed insulation or anything else out of the way so you can clearly see what is going on and it doesn’t prevent you from quickly moving the coupling in place.
Yup, that picture pretty well sums that point up.
Insulation in the way of viewing the PEX coupling
By the time you move insulation out of the way, it’s too late.
This was the Oh !@#$%^ moment… That little gap between the brass coupling and ProPEX ring will not do!
Pushing a ProPEX coupling will not work.
The point at which you are double fisting is WELL BEYOND TOO LATE.
I can laugh now, but I wasn’t laughing then…
Done right, securing a PEX-a coupling using a ProPEX expansion tool is incredibly fast and easily done by a novice such as me.
Proof!
Done wrong, your project can easily take two to four times as long for just a single mulligan PEX-A coupling.
Wishing you the best!!!
TOOLS USED:
- Milwaukee 12V Propex Expansion Tool Kit
- HOWEVER, if you are already invested in the DeWALT family of tools you can check out the DeWALT version here–keep in mind this link is only for the tool and not the batteries so you can save some!
TOOLS YOU DON’T WANT TO HAVE TO USE:
- Any heat gun –if you have one on hand, you won’t use it 😉
- Careful (and I mean CAREFUL) application of a blade to cut the PEX off the barb
- PEX pipe cutting tool
- extra ProPEX rings–we bought our Uponor ProPEX rings at the local plumbing supply or maybe at SupplyHouse
RELATED YouTube PLAYLISTS:
- Running a Replacement Water Service Line
- Leak Detection (different tool options and how to pinpoint the location)
