PEX Fittings

PEX fittings are used to connect PEX Tubing to manifolds, copper, PEX, faucets, fixtures, and many other products. There are several different styles of PEX Fittings and all of them have different requirements for tubing, tools, and rings. To make it easy, it is best to choose one system for all connections and use that system for fittings, tool, and rings throughout your entire home. To decide which system is best for you, you can watch our video describing each system, read our FAQs and look through the various charts in this section.

• With so many PEX fitting systems available, how do I know which one is right for me?

  There are many different PEX fitting systems available today. To figure out which fitting system is best for you, you can think about the following questions:

  Are you working on a small, one time job, or are you working on a large job or are you likely to work with PEX again?

  If you are working on a small, one time job the best fittings for you are either the SharkBite fittings, or the clamp tool with crimp fittings. These are the only connection systems that don't require the purchase of an expensive tool. If you are going to be working with PEX on a regular basis, or if you have a large job, you can use either the Expansion system, press system, or the crimp/clamp system.

  Are you an experienced DIY, or are you a beginner?

  The easiest fitting system to work with is SharkBite, followed by the clamp fitting system. The expander, crimp, and press methods are better suited for experienced DIY's or professionals.

  Do you want the biggest and best brand name, or is brand not an issue?

  The Uponor Wirsbo Expansion system is the most recognized connection system amongst professionals. Uponor is the world leader in the production of PEX and its fitting system has been used for over 30 years. The Viega Press system is also gaining popularity among trade professionals and DIY's. There are crimp and clamp systems made by many different manufacturers and most of the products are comparable to each other.

  How important is price to you?

  Prices of PEX tools and fittings vary substantially. The Wirsbo expander and Viega press tools are more expensive, while the crimp and clamp tools are much less expensive. If you are price conscious, the crimp or clamp system will be the most inexpensive, and still provide a quality PEX connection. If quality is your main concern, the Wirsbo or Viega systems are preferable.

• Which fitting systems can be used with which tubing?

  There is a chart in this help section that shows which tubing can be used with which fittings. In general, all crimp and clamp style connection systems can be used with all standard PEX tubing (not including PEX-AL-PEX Tubing). However, the Wirsbo Expansion system can only be used with PEX-a tubing such as AquaPEX, hePEX, or ThermaPEX.

• Do any of the fittings work without a tool?

  Yes. The SharkBite fittings are push-fit and don't require a PEX tool. These fittings are great for small jobs, or jobs that need to be done very quickly, such as stopping a leak. There are also compression style PEX fittings that may be used with PEX Tubing. These fittings allow you to connect from PEX to PEX, copper, or threaded pipe without a tool.

• Which rings or clamps go with which fittings?

  The ProPEX plastic rings go with ProPEX Fittings. Stainless steel clamps go with HydroPEX fittings if you are using a clamping tool. Copper crimp rings go with HydroPEX Fittings if you are using a crimping tool. PEX Press Sleeves go with Viega PEX Press Fittings. SharkBite Fittings and compression fittings require no additional parts.

• Do customers ever mix up their orders with different fittings?

  Yes they do, here is an article from our blog about this exact issue:
  While sorting through the orders yesterday to get them ready to ship, we came across one with a mixture of ProPEX fittings, a HydroPEX Clamp Tool, HydroPEX rings, and HydroPEX tubing. This raises a red flag for us because these parts are not all compatible. All of the HydroPEX items work great together, but those ProPEX Fittings will not work with the tool, tubing or the rings on this order. And, if the customer wanted to make connections, he would need some HydroPEX Fittings to do so. Now sometimes, customers are purchasing for multiple jobs, have a few different tools that they use, or are picking up a few items for someone else where they actually do want several connection systems that are not compatible with each other. But just to be sure, we pick up the phone.

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