BRRRR! pipes froze heat tape on PEX???

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rt66electric

Senior Member
Location
Oklahoma
My water lines froze - remodel pex lines are ran up the north wall- Tried this/Tried that, I ended up cuttung a holesaw in the lower part of the wall and blowing a hairdryer in the wall.
HELLO Northen boys-- Is there any type of heat-tape rated for PEX?? can you run it inside of a finnished wall. 100year old Wood on the exterior and drywall/plaster on the inside.??
 
LarryFine

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
Usually, the piping is inside the insulation envelope. You may want to re-route the piping.
 
electricmanscott

electricmanscott

Senior Member
Location
Boston, MA
rt66electric said:
My water lines froze - remodel pex lines are ran up the north wall- Tried this/Tried that, I ended up cuttung a holesaw in the lower part of the wall and blowing a hairdryer in the wall.
HELLO Northen boys-- Is there any type of heat-tape rated for PEX?? can you run it inside of a finnished wall. 100year old Wood on the exterior and drywall/plaster on the inside.??
Click to expand...


This may be crazy but I'll give it a go. It's called "google" ;)


http://www.ppfahome.org/pex/faqpex.html
 
cadpoint

cadpoint

Senior Member
Location
Durham, NC
Nice link Scott, the last plumber I worked with swore by it, and explained that
he's seen this expand near twice the OD and no bust. He explained about all of the following, from your link!

Is the thermal expansion/contraction of PEX a problem?

No. While PEX expands more than other plumbing materials, directional changes made with the tubing and some slack in the tubing during installation accommodate the expansion and contraction of the system if properly installed.

Is PEX freeze-break resistant?

PEX piping is freeze damage resistant and can expand and contract as water freezes and thaws within the tubing. No tubing material is freeze-break proof, however, and PEX should be installed using the same locally-prescribed insulation requirements to prevent freezing of any plumbing system.

How do I thaw PEX lines?

When water freezes inside PEX tubing, it can be thawed using a hair dryer, warm wet rags or heat tape, taking care not to overheat the tubing beyond the maximum recommended temperature.
 
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c2500

Senior Member
Location
South Carolina
Did they insulate your new pex? If it is in an exterior wall with not insulation directly on the pex it was not legally installed. On the bright side, if it was CPVC, copper, or galvanized, youd have busted pipes right now.

c2500
 
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Hendrix

Senior Member
Location
New England
rt66electric said:
My water lines froze - remodel pex lines are ran up the north wall- Tried this/Tried that, I ended up cuttung a holesaw in the lower part of the wall and blowing a hairdryer in the wall.
HELLO Northen boys-- Is there any type of heat-tape rated for PEX?? can you run it inside of a finnished wall. 100year old Wood on the exterior and drywall/plaster on the inside.??
Click to expand...
Wait till spring ;):D
 
mtfallsmikey

mtfallsmikey

Senior Member
Raychem brand heat tape is self-regulating, but I believe it is rated only for ABS/PVC pipe, not PEX. Any water line withingn 5' of an outside wall needs to be insulated....it's that most wonderful time of the year! If I still had my biz, I'd be making a killing right now!
 
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